Clarification from the agency

Open to Current, Permanent Orlando VA Healthcare System Employees (Station 675)

The Program Specialist will provide support to the Ambulatory Care service line including but not limited to coverage for other sections/sites, duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Administer the internal review, quality and productivity initiatives for Ambulatory Care Service Line.
• Establishes unique or complex quality and productivity programs.
• The incumbent develops, interprets, applies and integrates objective criteria and acceptable standards for use in monitoring activities.
• Ensures quality assurance issues pertaining to the service are documented and appropriate follow-up action occurs regarding any problem or recommendation found or made because of the services' quality assurance activities.
• Assembles and compiles budget information and maintains running account of funds allocated and expended in all sub accounts and makes interim adjustments where necessary by applying the basic knowledge and understanding of budgetary policies, procedures and regulations.
• The incumbent develops monthly and quarterly cost ceilings while maintaining running control of funds to ensure that accounts are within authorized levels.
• Key functions of the position include strategic planning, budgetary oversight, creating and maintaining statistical data for decision-making purposes, develop and monitor cost avoidance and tools to scientifically evaluate program activities and effectiveness.
• Leads in administering programs concerning such matters as equal opportunity, merit promotion, labor management relations, and position management.
• The incumbent is responsible for the provider credentialing and privileging process and maintenance through FPPE and OPPE tracking.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Travel-Periodic Basis: Travel to facility CBOCs and divisions/sites of care may be required
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist-Supervisory/PD675-07246-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.

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 dentification 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, 03/17/2026.

Preferred Experience: administration experience in a clinical service.

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.

• GS-07: You must have at least 52 weeks service in position no more than two grades lower (GS-05)
• GS-09: You must have at least 52 weeks service in position no more than two grades lower (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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-07

• Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Administers space and equipment programs, responsibility of constant surveillance, evaluation and planning to ensure efficient utilization of space based on constantly changing and ever-increasing program demands, establishes unique or complex quality and productivity programs, develops, interprets, applies and integrates objective criteria and acceptable standards for use in monitoring activities, manages all personnel actions within the Service authorizing to initiate, coordinate, and approve all personnel actions and prepares Human Resources documents, develops the need for and maintains an awareness of available resources, prepares budget package for submission to Fiscal Service and responds to all questions from that office, certifies time and attendance records and approves requests for overtime/compensation time when necessary, will maintain a close surveillance of staffing patterns and manpower utilization in all activities of the Service, will evaluate the needs of the service and the scheduling of patients to assure coverage of the service by employees and contracting staff, and will review all reports basing recommendations for staffing patterns partially upon the data retrieved from these reports., 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. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation., OR
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 4-year course of study.

GS-09

• Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Administers space and equipment programs, responsibility of constant surveillance, evaluation and planning to ensure efficient utilization of space based on constantly changing and ever-increasing program demands, establishes unique or complex quality and productivity programs, develops, interprets, applies and integrates objective criteria and acceptable standards for use in monitoring activities, manages all personnel actions within the Service authorizing to initiate, coordinate, and approve all personnel actions and prepares Human Resources documents, develops the need for and maintains an awareness of available resources, prepares budget package for submission to Fiscal Service and responds to all questions from that office, certifies time and attendance records and approves requests for overtime/compensation time when necessary, will maintain a close surveillance of staffing patterns and manpower utilization in all activities of the Service, will evaluate the needs of the service and the scheduling of patients to assure coverage of the service by employees and contracting staff, and will review all reports basing recommendations for staffing patterns partially upon the data retrieved from these reports., 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., if related. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation., OR
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education.

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

• Organizational Performance Analysis
• Personnel and Human Resources
• Quality Assurance
• Requirements Analysis
• Strategic Thinking
• Writing

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: The work is primarily sedentary, although some physical effort may be required.

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.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

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.

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