Information Technology Specialist (Application Software) Job

Vacancy No. IHS-25-HQ-12742966-DE Department Indian Health Service
Salary $120,579.00 to $156,755.00 Grade 13 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 6/2/2025 Close Date 6/6/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Location Negotiable After SelectionRockville, MD


Summary

This position is located with the Office of Information Technology (OIT), Division of Health Information Technology and Modernization & Operations (DHITMO). The purpose of this position is to serve as an advisor to the management team in evaluating data, processes, and procedures to determine the effectiveness of the program's operations, management, and organizational efficiency and productivity. The incumbent reports to the Supervisory Information Technology Specialist or designee.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

The IHS is required by law to give absolute preference to qualified applicants who meet the Secretary of the Interior's definition of Indian for appointment to vacancies within the IHS in accordance with established IHS policy as outlined in the Indian Health Manual Part 7, Chapter 3. The IHS is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Duties

Total Compensation Package - Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job:
IT Specialist Total Compensation | Pay (ihs.gov)

Electronic Health Record (EHR) Application Configuration Management and Support

  • Manage and support commercial EHR software application configurations using proficient knowledge of information technology (I/T) configuration management best practices.
  • Analyze and assess proposed changes from multiple sources that impact EHR system configurations, develop impact assessments, and recommend actions to support the adoption or rejection of a proposed change.
  • Maintain documentation to validate commercial EHR application functionality and stay current with evolving required application features and capabilities established by agency governing bodies.
  • Participate in EHR go-live activities and ensure alignment with regulatory requirements and standards applicable to certified Health Information Technology (HIT) as defined by federal and state entities.
End-user Support
  • Provide end-users on-site and/or remote support during training and implementation at go-live events.
  • Respond to helpdesk support requests by providing application assistance to Providers, Nurses, Ancillary Services, Case Management, Health Information Management, Registration, Scheduling, and other electronic healthcare system end-users.
  • Communicate effectively with peers, informaticists, stakeholders, project teams, and leadership and provide regular updates regarding work status and demonstrate appropriate issue escalation.
  • Communicate software application improvement concepts using presentations, demonstrations, or formal documented reports.
Quality Improvement Analysis
  • Analyze application performance and support requests to determine patterns associated with functionality or human-centered design flaws that require intervention to achieve quality and/or performance improvement.
  • Document configuration challenges at EHR go-live events and design mitigations to improve EHR operations.
  • Evaluate quality improvement processes that impact configuration and/or clinical workflows to support improved technology response, support positive patient outcomes, and contribute to the development of policy guidance.
  • Validate and document software functionality sequences to articulate requirements to support change requests, create validation and testing procedures, and develop use cases to assist in functionality training.
Project Management
  • Produce documentation including current and future state workflows, gap analysis, needs assessments, design specifications, building documentation, test plans, project plans, status reports, and transitionary documentation, and financial forecasting, risk logs, schedules, and applicable cost estimates.
  • Contribute to project management scope, schedule, and budgeting activities.



Requirements

Conditions of Employment

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period
U.S. Citizenship is required
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/.

You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you.

Background Investigation: If you are selected for this vacancy, you must undergo a pre-employment fingerprint check and background investigation. Fingerprint results and background investigation documentation must be cleared prior to hire. After you begin your employment, your continued employment is contingent upon the outcome of a complete background investigation as determined by the sensitivity level of your position. The investigation must find that you are suitable for Federal employment in your position. If you are found not suitable, you will be terminated after you begin work. If you make a false statement in any part of your application, you may not be hired; you may be fired after you begin work; or subject to possible criminal charges. You may be subject to a credit check as a part of the background investigation process.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying.

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; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS
  1. Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
  2. Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.
  3. Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
  4. Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

GS-13: One (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 grade level.

Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks:
  • Leading or serving on a team responsible for building and configuring clinical and business applications for commercial enterprise-wide Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems.
  • Commercial EHR system upgrades, data migrations, and integration with other healthcare systems.
  • Preparing commercial EHR system change management processes and EHR application content management (order sets, workflow changes, and clinical content, etc.).
  • EHR implementations in a healthcare setting and applying that knowledge during EHR go-live events.
NOTE: Your resume must demonstrate all specialized experience listed above.


SELECTIVE FACTOR
A selective factor is a competency/knowledge, skill, ability (KSA) or special qualification without which a candidate could not perform the duties of this position in a satisfactory manner. There is a selective factor applied in addition to the basic requirements and minimum qualifications for this position. Applicants who do not meet this selective factor are ineligible for further consideration. This position requires the following certification:
  • Oracle Cerner EHR Millennium Fundamentals or Oracle Cerner Millennium Core certification
NOTE: Proof of certification must be submitted with your application package.


You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

There are no education requirements.

Additional information

Additional selection(s) of candidates may be possible within 240 days from the date the certificate of eligibles was issued for this announcement.

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. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous 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.

This position is covered by a Bargaining Unit.

This position has no promotion potential.

This position is being announced concurrently under the Excepted Service Examining Plan/Merit Promotion (ESEP/MP) procedures. Review vacancy announcement number IHS-25-HQ-12742965-ESEP/MP for eligibility requirements. If you are interested and meet this eligibility requirement, please submit an application under the ESEP/MP vacancy 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.

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.

If you meet the minimum qualifications requirements for this position, your application will be evaluated and rated under Category Rating selection procedures. Once the application process is complete, a review of your qualifications will be conducted to determine if you are qualified for this job. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The quality categories are: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within each of these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-preference eligibles.

Please note that if, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your category rating can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

To determine if you are qualified for this position, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against the qualifications as defined in the qualifications section of this vacancy announcement and your responses to the assessment questions. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume (your resume must state specific duties that relate to this position) and your responses to the assessment questions will be evaluated against the duties you provided in your resume, along with your submitted documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following.

  • Accountability
  • Administration and Management
  • Decision Making
  • Influencing/Negotiating
  • Technical Competence


The following links below provide information on how you may be eligible for various hiring authorities. If you are a Veteran, qualified CTAP and ICTAP eligible, or an individual with a disability, please refer to the following links below for additional guidance. CTAP and ICTAP candidates will be eligible for selection priority if it is determined that they have exceeded the minimum qualifications for the position by attaining at least a "well qualified" rating of 85 out of 100. Information about CTAP and ICTAP eligibility is on the Office of Personnel Management's Workforce Restructuring Career Transition website at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. CTAP/ICTAP documentation requirements are listed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
Click here to view vacancy questions: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12742966. All documents above MUST be received by 11:59 pm (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date of, 06/06/2025, to be considered.

Required Documents

Resume: You are highly encouraged to use USAJOBS Resume Builder to ensure all required information is included in your Resume. If you use your own resume, curriculum vitae, or any other written form you choose then you must describe your job-related qualifications that includes beginning and ending dates for paid and non-paid work experience, hours worked per week, month and year of employment for each job title listed, annual salary, and description of job duties. Include name and address of employer; supervisor name and telephone number.

Required as applicable for the purposes of specific eligibility and appointment claim(s), and position requirements:
Indian Preference Applicants: If claiming Indian preference, applicants must provide a completed copy of the Form BIA-4432, "Verification of Indian Preference for Employment in the BIA and IHS Only." Indian preference will not be given unless a properly signed and dated form is submitted with your application, including any verification by an authorized Tribal Representative or BIA Official of tribal enrollment records. For detailed instructions, see form BIA-4432. Refer to BIA-4432 link:https://www.bia.gov/sites/default/files/media_document/1076-0160_indian-pref_expires-04.30.25_508.pdf. When an Indian Preference candidate possesses Veterans preference the rules regarding Veterans preference apply under ESEP and the applicant must provide documentation in order to receive preference.

Veterans Preference: If claiming Veteran's Preference provide a copy of your DD214 Form (Member 4 copy). To claim 10-Point Veterans Preference, submit a SF-15 Application (http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf) along with the appropriate supporting documentation. For additional information regarding Veterans Preference visit: http://www.fedshirevets.gov.

Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP): If you are claiming CTAP/ICTAP, follow the instructions below: http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ctap_guideline.pdf.

Certification(s): Applicants should list their certifications on their resume, along with the expiration date, if applicable. Proof of certification(s) must be submitted at the time of application submission or before the applicant count is reached or closing date of this position.


You must meet the requirements of the job by 11:59 (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date: 06/06/2025

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package. See required documents below.

  1. Click 'Apply' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
  2. Follow the prompts to upload your resume and/or supporting documents.
  3. Read all Eligibility questions and respond accordingly. .
  4. Complete the assessment questions.
  5. Verify all required documentation is included in your application package
For additional questions please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) found here: http://www.ihs.gov/jobs/index.cfm?module=search&option=faq.

Agency contact information

Amber Cantu
Address
IHS Headquarter
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
US

Next steps

You can track the progress of your application package via your USAJobs account. You will receive an acknowledgement from USAJobs that your submission was successful once we have received your on-line occupational questionnaire, resume, and any supporting documentation. You will be notified of the status of your application via your USAJobs Account after we conduct a qualification review of your complete application package. You will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration. We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses, through reference and/or background check, and/or verification of your education. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the human resources office posting this announcement.

If all required documentation is not submitted with your application you will lose consideration. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information and documents entered, uploaded, or faxed are received, legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers submitted by an applicant.

HHS has a critical preparedness and response mission: HHS protects the American people from health threats, researches emerging diseases, and mobilizes public health programs with domestic and international partners. In support of this mission, HHS offers its employees the opportunity to volunteer to become Federal Civilian Detailees and contribute their unique skills through voluntary temporary assignments to humanitarian emergencies or Departmental priorities countering new and emerging health, safety, and security threats.

~ ~ ~ Indian Health Service is an Equal Opportunity Employer ~ ~ ~


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


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