Health System Specialist Job in West Haven, CT

Vacancy No. CBTD-12691322-25-KLT Department Veterans Health Administration
Salary $87,133.00 to $113,268.00 Grade 11 to 11
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 2/19/2025 Close Date 3/3/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
West Haven, CT


Summary

Thank you for your interest in this Health System Specialist position. This position serves as a Cancer Program Specialist in a large, complex VA Medical Center with medical and surgical oncology services and a research program affiliated with a major medical school.

The work of the position supports the care and treatment given to patients with malignant conditions and the incumbent serves as a valuable resource for cancer information with the goal of preventing and controlling cancer.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation.

Duties

The duties of this position include but are not limited to the following :

Ensure compliance and implementation of regulatory requirements from accreditation bodies including American College of Surgeons, local administration, Joint Commission, and other bodies as determined by local, VISN and VACO authorities and National Directives.

Develop and implement case finding methods.

Design, oversee and conduct audits of the abstracting process and the registry to ensure high quality, accurate work and compliance with guidelines issued by the Commission on Cancer, the VACT Cancer Committee, the National VA Oncology Program and the NCI SEER Programs.

Develop and coordinate community outreach projects such as Cancer Survivor Day.

Proficient in the use and implementation of the Internal Classification of Disease for Oncology, Standards for Oncology Registry Entry (STORES), Collaborative Staging Manual and Doding Instructions, SEER Extent of Disease, Hematopoietic Database, Multiple Primary Database, CAP protocols and volume II of the set standards by the Commission on Cancer.

Initiate and organize cancer-related educational activities in coordination with Hospital Education.

Act as a consultant for other services and disciplines in matters of procedures related to cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.

Manage and report cancer data using a variety of data bases.

Maintain the development, compliance and accreditations of the Cancer Programs.

Train new employees, including cancer registry abstractors, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioner, nurses, medical staff coordinators, service chiefs, dietitians, rehab techs, and social workers who are members of the cancer program providing detailed instructions to assure that the new employees adhere to standard practices in accordance with the cancer program.

Prepare various reports to effectively assess organization-wide progress towards established goals.

Uses expert knowledge and skills to participate in multi-disciplinary tumor board consultations to discuss treatment strategies, through continual updates of standard approaches from the point of view of all modalities.


Work Schedule: Full time 8:00am-4:30pm Monday thru Friday
Position Description Title/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD001840
Physical Requirements: The work is mainly sedentary but requires attending meetings using face to face methods as well as computer based programs.
Promotion Potential: This vacancy is announced at the full performance level GS-11.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
  • Subject to a background/suitability investigation
  • May serve a probationary period
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

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

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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.

Individual Occupational Requirements: The Health System Administration Series 0671 has Individual Occupational Requirements ( IOR ) which are the basic requirements of the occupation. Applicants must meet the IOR and the grade determining Education and Experience to be considered and referred.

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration.
or
Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following:

Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.


GRADE DETERMINATION: GS-11 grade level: In addition to the IOR for this occupation applicants must meet Specialized Experience or Education or a combination of Specialized Experience and Education as detailed below.

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the federal service; experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: Administrator of a hospital based cancer program, working with a multidisciplinary team , participating in data abstractions according to the guidelines of ICD-O 3.2 and all governing bodies, developing case finding methods, conducting audits of the Oncology registry , monitoring compliance and implementation of regulatory requirements of accreditation bodies such as JCAHO as determined by national directives, establishing standard operating procedures and guidance documents for service line, serving as the point of contact for all cancer registry issues at the facility and VISN level, coordinating community outreach programs.

OR

Education : Applicants may substitute education for the specialized experience required for the GS-11 level.Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

OR

Applicants may also combine education and specialized experience to qualify at the GS-11 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. ***Only education at the master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree may be used to calculate combined education and specialized experience.***

Preferred Experience: Oncology Data Specialist ( ODS ) certification is required by the VACRS; Veterans Affairs Cancer Registry System Policy Manual.


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.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.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.

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.

Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

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 well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/.

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.

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.

Benefits

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Required Documents

Documents Accepted:

  • Cover Letter
  • DD-214/ Statement of Service
  • Disability Letter (Schedule A)
  • Disability Letter (VA)
  • Oncology Data Specialist Certification
  • Professional Certification
  • Resume
  • SF-15
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript

Documents Required:
  • Resume

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

How to Apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online.

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/03/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12691322.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.

2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

Karen Terebesi
Address
West Haven VA Medical Center
950 Campbell Avenue
West Haven, CT 06516
US

Next steps

After the vacancy announcement closes, applicants are evaluated to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.