Program Specialist

Summary

This position functions as a Program Specialist in the Homeless Program section of the Mental Health Service within the Kansas City VA Medical Center. The primary purpose is to provide a wide variety of administrative tasks for the management staff associated with maintaining and supporting work performed within the service.

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Duties

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Duties include but are not limited to:

This position is a Career Ladder Program Specialist, GS-0301-07/09, located in the Homeless Program, Mental Health Service, Kansas City VA Medical Center.

At the GS-07 level, duties include:

• Performs developmental assignments to build knowledge of Homeless Program operations and VA policies.
• Provides administrative support: drafts correspondence, schedules meetings, maintains calendars and files.
• Assists with basic data collection and reporting using MS Office, EHR, and VISTA systems.
• Responds to routine inquiries from staff, Veterans, and community partners under supervisory guidance.
• Receives general supervision; work is reviewed for compliance with policies and soundness of judgment.

At the GS-09 full performance level, duties include:

• Administrative Support: Manages controlled correspondence, congressional inquiries, and program calendars. Serves as liaison for travel, supplies, and ADPAC functions. Maintains employment folders and processes consults/mail.
• Data & Quality Management: Tracks and analyzes program data using VSSC, Pyramid, and Power BI. Evaluates housing placements, service timeliness, and VERA data. Prepares reports, dashboards, and recommendations for leadership.
• Budgeting: Serves as budget clerk and COR Level 1. Manages fund control points, purchase logs, invoices, and credit card reconciliation. Researches vendors and ensures fiscal compliance.
• Timekeeping: Serves as primary timekeeper, certifying T&L for staff with complex pay entitlements.
• Purchase Card: Orders supplies via GPC, maintains IFCP records, and ensures compliance with VA acquisition policy.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM

Telework: Ad-hoc only

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist / PD105210

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 or trial 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, 07/20/2026.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 .
• 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: GS-7 Qualifications

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
  • Plans and carries out routine work, making minor adaptations to procedures and accepted practices, and handling unexpected conditions arising in the normal course of the work.
  • Provides administrative support: drafts correspondence, schedules meetings, maintains calendars and files.
  • Assists with basic data collection and reporting using MS Office, EHR, and VISTA systems.
• OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education beyond a bachelors degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level.

GS-9 Qualifications

• Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one (1) 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:
  • Perform administrative support for a healthcare program, including controlled correspondence, Suspense items, scheduling, and serving as liaison for staff, Veterans, and community partners.
  • Tracks, analyzes, and reports on program data using VA platforms including VSSC, Pyramid, and Power BI, or similar systems.
  • Orders supplies and maintains fund control data.
  • Serves as budget clerk for service; Manages all Homeless Fund control points and balances including travel and training costs.
  • Serves as primary timekeeper and POC for Homeless Program staff. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.
• OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree; or 2 years full of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.B or J.D., if related. Transcripts must be provided for us to give credit for education. OR,
• Combination: possess an equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume.

NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Note : A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary in nature and requires occasional walking, standing, bending and carrying of light items such as books, papers, medical records, etc.

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

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

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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.

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.

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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.

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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.