Program Analyst

Summary The NM VA Healthcare System is recruiting for a Program Analyst assigned to Surgical Service. The Incumbent must have a comprehensive understanding of the complex organization of the clinic and its relationship with the NMVAHCS to plan, develop, and coordinate effective and efficient operations. Assignments and objectives involve a wide variety of administrative, management and coordinating duties aimed at improving the efficiency and productivity of the clinic and its varied functional areas. Responsibilities The duties and responsibilities of this position involve administration and management, planning support for the Surgical Services and the subspecialty clinics with respect to clinic access and performance management. The incumbent will work for the Administrative Officer, Surgical Service. Must analyze and evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the multiple program operations of Surgical Service, assessing the effectiveness of services provided to the patients served. Will provide senior leadership with your findings and recommend ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of work operations in Surgical Service. May identify and advise the Administrative Officer, and/or Chief of Surgical Service, and senior leadership on the impact of changes proposed and how they will affect other services and the patients served, ensuring that patient care is not adversely impacted. This requires an extensive knowledge of the complex functions of all services throughout the medical center and their relationship to Surgical Service. Duties include but are not limited to: Program Analyst for Clinic Access Management and Systems Redesign and Performance Measurement (PM) for the NMVAHCS Surgical Service, working under the Administrative Officer, Surgical Service. Assist the Administrative Officer in managing over 10,600 unique Veteran patients that have nearly 15,000 patient visits a year on an annual budget of over $4 million. Assists the Service's Contracting Officer's Representatives (COR) for supported equipment, supplies, and vendors utilized by the department. Demands a high level of program management expertise across a broad spectrum to meet the needs of the Health Care System. The position identifies information used to manage, support and develop critical aspects of the Surgical Service. Provide data to be used by senior management and leadership for decision-making and process improvement in the service. The incumbent collaborates as a staff member within the management team with shared responsibility for planning, organization, development, direction and evaluation of NMVAHCS specialty Surgical Service operations. 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, 7:00 am to 3:30 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Analyst/PD14931A and PD14942A Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Requirements 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: Work requires frequent walking, standing, stooping, lifting, bending, stretching, pushing, turning and at time carrying heavy loads. Incumbents must utilize good mechanics. Manuel dexterity in handling instruments is required. 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 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, 06/08/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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: Grade Level Requirements GS-07 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Understanding of contracts, budgets, and fiscal management principles; applying analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification, consideration and/or resolution of issues and problems; understanding of agency programs, policies, and objectives. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor's degree. Grade Level Requirements GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Independently monitoring and creating contracts, budgets, and providing fiscal management assistance to leaders; analyzing statistical data and preparing written reports for trends and performance improvement measures; applying analytical and evaluative techniques in effort to identify and resolve issues and problems. 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. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. 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. 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