Health System Specialist - Temporary Promotion NTE 120 Days

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to current, permanent Hines VA Employees and it CBOCs.

THIS IS A TEMPORARY PROMOTION NTE 120 DAYS. This can be extended in 120-day increments Not to Exceed 1 year.

The Health System Specialist responsibilities include administration, human resources, budgeting and finance, program analysis, office support, document control, logistics, and other administrative functions. Additionally, this position will respond to the need of the service by gathering different but partially related improvements when establishing new technical review systems.

Management and Program Analysis

• Serves as the principal advisor on administrative management matters affecting clinical services and the medical facility.
• Interprets administrative policies and develops, recommends, and implements facility-wide policies, directives, procedures, guidelines, and protocols.
• Advises senior leadership and operating personnel on administrative requirements, policy interpretation, workflow changes, workload redistribution, and operational impacts.
• Supports strategic and long-range planning by analyzing proposed changes, assessing feasibility, and determining effects on administrative processes and mission requirements.
• Oversee administrative programs and recommend courses of action for complex administrative issues.
• Prepares and coordinates controlled correspondence, including congressional correspondence, for the DADPCS and ADPCS.
• Reviews staff actions-including memoranda, reports, studies, fact sheets, and information papers-for quality, coordination, consistency, logic, recommendations, and policy compliance.
• Identifies operational problems, inefficiencies, conflicts, and emerging concerns through observation, process analysis, and special studies; develops and implements solutions.
• Develop improvements to work processes, operations, reporting procedures, information dissemination, and administrative effectiveness, efficiency, and timeliness.
• Plans and conducts management studies and analyses related to medical facility reorganizations and operational changes.
• Compiles and analyzes information, coordinates across organizational elements, and prepares comprehensive reports with findings and recommendations.
• Participate in committees, management operations, administrative investigations, Reports of Survey, audits, Rapid Process Improvement Workshops, and Joint Commission reviews.
• Assists with education and training in support of Patient Care Services leadership.
• Analyzes and resolves complex management issues involving personnel, space, equipment, budgets, fiscal operations, reporting, statistical analysis, and other hospital-wide studies.
• Participates in high-level conferences and special meetings by providing information critical to policy development, decision-making, and implementation of organizational changes.

Contracting and Procurement

• Supports organizational planning through liaison activities and analysis of program, budget, and fiscal data.
• Provides budget recommendations, monitors expenditures, and forecasts funding changes requiring reprogramming.
• Reviews workload reports for accuracy and compliance with organizational standards.
• Prepares charts, data reports, and narrative and statistical materials for organizational planning.
• Assists with developing the Annual Business Plan, including workload projections, capital and IT needs, workforce succession planning, education, risks, performance measures, and external surveys.
• Maintains performance and operational data related to performance improvement, customer service, data validation, human resources, training, education, and key divisional processes.
• Assists in preparing strategic planning reports.
• Manages procurement and contracting activities for the DADPCS and ADPCS.
• Serves as the primary delegated Contracting Officer's Representative for assigned contracts.
• Plans, implements, and oversees fund control and contractor or vendor services.

Quality/Productivity Program Administration

• Provides guidance on routine tasks supporting established quality and productivity programs.
• Help develop short- and long-term goals for the Division's and organization's quality assurance plan.
• Assists with approving within-grade increases, extensive overtime, and employee travel.
• Recommends or approves awards, bonuses, and position classification changes, subject to higher-level approval.
• Identifies and implements ways to reduce production bottlenecks and barriers.
• Supports team building and improvements to mission and operational practices.

Note: Performs other related duties as assigned.

THIS IS A TEMPORARY PROMOTION
Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework: This position is not authorized for telework.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist - Temporary Promotion NTE 120 Days/PD234600 and PD234590
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

Salary Ranges:

• GS 11: $ 83,482 - $108,533
• GS 12: $100,059 - $130,080

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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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, 11/03/2026.

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-11 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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.

Basic Requirements (IOR):

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 (for positions above GS-5) 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:

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

Special Provision for In-service Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included:

• Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements;
• Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and
• Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.

In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement, you may qualify for this position based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-11 Grade Requirements:
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Planning and organizing assigned studies, estimating costs, coordinating with staff and line management personnel, and conducting all phases of the project in conformance with accepted policies and practices. Informs the supervisor of potentially controversial findings, issues, or problems with widespread impact. Completes projects, evaluations, and reports, and makes recommendations to the supervisor for review. These efforts are evaluated for compatibility with organizational goals and guidelines, as well as their effectiveness in achieving the intended objectives.

-OR-

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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-

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond 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.

GS-12 Grade Requirements:
Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal Service in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization, that is typically in or related to the work of this position and has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully duties of the Health System Specialist. Examples of specialized experience would typically include (but are not limited to): Comprehensive knowledge of administrative, human resources, clinical-service laws, policies, regulations, and precedents, including scheduling and consultation management. Analyze and resolve operational, staffing, budget, workload, policy, and administrative issues; evaluate processes; and make evidence-based recommendations. Understand clinical-service relationships, VA and service goals, organizational structure, workload distribution, fiscal management, procurement, training, security, space, leave, contract administration, workers' compensation, and information management. Collaborate with Human Resources, negotiate staffing solutions, mediate disputes, and support personnel and organizational changes. Use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook, Visio, and VA systems such as VSSC, MCAS, IPEC, SAIL, and VistA-based scheduling and consult-management applications. Manage databases, spreadsheets, reports, presentations, briefings, calendars, medical-record data, and workload analyses. Demonstrate strong communication, organization, decision-making, interpersonal, and self-management skills while prioritizing needs, overseeing daily operations, leading studies, evaluating processes, and presenting findings to service managers and the DADPCS. Protect sensitive information in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, HIPAA, applicable laws, security procedures, and the hospital's Automated Information Systems Users Agreement. Prevent and report unauthorized access, disclosure, loss, alteration, or deletion. Support the Hospital and Service mission by providing accurate information, treating customers, patients, visitors, volunteers, and staff respectfully, and resolving conflicts constructively.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

In order to qualify for a Detail, you must submit the following documents:

1. Resume (No more than 2 pages)
2. Supervisory Approval (copy of an email)
3. Most recent performance appraisal
4. SF-50 (most recent)

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-12.

Physical Requirements: The work requires mobility and relative physical efforts may be required. Manual dexterity is required in operation of personal computer and other office equipment.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

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.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Supervisory Approval
• Performance Appraisal
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing 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
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal permanent agency employees.

Next steps