Program Specialist

Summary

This position is in the Veterans Administration (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid Atlantic Healthcare Network (VISN 6), Fayetteville VA Medical Center (MC). The incumbent serves as Program Analyst in the Office of the Associate Director for Patient Care Services, working in Nursing Service. A significant function of this position is to analyze workload data throughout Nursing Service and make recommendations regarding resource utilization.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

Help

Major Duties:

Contracting Officer Representative (COR) Duties:

This position serves as the Contracting Officer Representative (COR), responsible for ensuring that the government receives all deliverables and services specified in each contract. This position is appointed for Architecture and Engineering, construction, hazardous material (hazmat) contracts exceeding $25,000, all healthcare service contracts, and multi-year service contracts. The Contracting Officer (CO) delegates authority to this position through an official delegation of authority letter, which outlines the COR's responsibilities and duties. This position works closely with the CO, participating in quarterly meetings to review mandatory reporting requirements, conduct fiscal audits, and discuss potential adjustments and funding justifications. During option years, this position is responsible for updating Human Resources (HR) certifications for medical sharing contracts, securing new approvals, preparing the Independent Government Cost Estimate (IGCE), and conducting market research. Before an option is exercised, this position provides the CO with past performance information. In all procurement activities, this position adheres strictly to procurement integrity regulations governing the dissemination of contract information. Requests for information beyond the contacts listed are referred directly to the Contracting Officer. This position may represent the Program Office as the responsible party for developing procurement packages and acts as the delegated business liaison for the contract with other required personnel on station. Throughout all phases of acquisition-planning, administration, and close out-this position remains available to meet with station leadership and provide relevant contract information. Upon contract expiration, this position forwards all electronic files to the Contracting Officer.

Record Keeping:

This position maintains contract administration files in accordance with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policies and procedures, including but not limited to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) 160-10-01, Procurement Process, Security Handbook 6500.6, and VA Directive 1663. This position is accountable for maintaining the following official files:

- A copy of the contract with current rates/pricing schedule for invoice validation

- All executed contract modifications

- The Independent Government Cost Estimate

- Purchase orders

Database Administration and Staff Training:

This position develops, manages, and administers all database systems within Patient Care Service, ensuring their continuous maintenance and operation. Responsibilities include determining the organization of data, assigning names and definitions to records and fields, and maintaining the SharePoint site for Patient Care Service. In addition to technical administration, this position delivers training on procedures and systems to the Associate Director of Patient Care Service, Health System Specialist, Chief Nurses, and Nurse Managers. To ensure ongoing proficiency, this position regularly completes monthly, quarterly, and annual training, maintaining up-to-date knowledge of relevant technical and analytical systems, procedures, and standards.

Program Evaluation and Monitoring:

This position analyzes workload data throughout Nursing Service, consistently reviewing resource availability and associated costs such as hours per patient day (HPPD), overtime, staffing and agency expenses, sick leave usage, budget calls, budget projections, and various workload metrics. This position pulls and tracks data for Performance Management Council (PMC) requests, monitors gains and losses in staffing, and makes informed recommendations regarding resource utilization to maximize efficiency.

This position provides managers with objective, fact-based information to inform administrative and programmatic decisions for the Fayetteville V AMC and outlying clinics. By analyzing trends in workload reporting and cost data, this position identifies patterns and offers strategic insights. This position interviews action officers, supervisory personnel, and subject matter experts, and research records, reports, functional statements, and other pertinent information to thoroughly analyze issues, recommend changes, and resolve problems. To ensure precise financial oversight, this position reviews expense data allocation with department managers and clinical personnel, assessing the accuracy of allocation factors and offering recommendations for improvement.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00a.m-4:30p.m

Telework: T his position may be authorized for telework.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/ PD503110

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/13/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement : Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Ability to prioritize and analyze problems in order to take into full consideration the wide range of factors and requirements which affect the management of the health care delivery system; Ability to manage various computer data base programs; interpret, prepare, and present research data in a variety of ways; Ability to develop and maintain database and access information from national reports, studies and commissions to improve patient care; Skill in applying analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification, consideration, and resolution of issues or problems of a procedural or factual nature; Knowledge of the theory and principles of management and organization including administrative practices and procedures common to organizations; Ability to handle situations independently under pressure, meet program deadlines and continually prioritize workload to meet changing demands effectively. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related? This must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED - If you do not submit a copy of your transcript, your application will not be processed). OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Help

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.