Supervisory Health System Specialist (Executive Assistant)

Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open ONLY TO current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs Employees and to Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP)-eligible Applicants.

Supervisory Health System Specialist (Executive Assistant) has delegated authority to manage the administrative aspects of Patient Care Services which include but are not limited to operations, human resource management, information management, performance management, fiscal resource management, logistics and procurement management, facility and space planning, strategic planning, and systems and process improvement.

The incumbent has broad responsibility for formulating plans and evaluating administrative management of the services and programs within Nursing Services and also serves as the primary point of contact for all internal and external constituencies on all matters pertaining to the Office of the Deputy Associate Director for Patient Care Service (DADPCS). The incumbent also serves as a liaison to the Executive Leadership Board and Senior Management teams as well as organizes, coordinates, and oversees special projects.

Typical Duties include but are not limited to:

• Administrative and Management (25% of the time)
  • coordinating relationships throughout STVHCS
  • interpreting administrative policies, developing and/or implementing local policies
  • overseeing Nursing Service Administrative staff productivity and workload
  • assisting Service Chiefs in projecting staffing needs
  • producing a wide range of data driven reports
• Supervisory and Personnel Management (25% of the time)
  • supervising administrative support staff
  • directing personnel management program
  • liaisoning with the human resources office concerning personnel-related matters
  • advising and assisting managers and staff
  • counseling employees regarding policies, procedures, and directives
• Resource Management (20% of the time)
  • monitoring the effectiveness and quality of support services
  • performing specialized tasks such as Administrative Investigations, and miscellaneous audits
  • providing advice to management and program personnel on budgetary and finance issues
  • managing budget formulation and execution for a changing budget of administrative expenses
  • analyzing Federal budget calls, reviewing guidelines and instructions
• Project Management (20% of the time)
  • ensuring specifications and statements of work are prepared in a manner which adequately describes the Government's requirements
  • advising technical personnel
  • performing a complete review of recommended sole-source requirements and conducting necessary market analysis
  • recommending appropriate methods of procurement
  • reporting problems of delivery, production, quality, inspection, and other pertinent matters
• ADPAC and Training Liaison (10% of the time)
  • providing safety training to all Nursing Administrative staff during orientation
  • presenting monthly safety topic at Nursing Service staff meeting
  • documenting ongoing and annual safety training
  • coordinating staff training needs, etc.

Work Schedule: TBD (Typically M-F, 0730-1600 CST)
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework on an Ad-hoc (as needed) basis. Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Health System Specialist (Executive Assistant)/PD03857-O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 may 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, 09/01/2026.

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

• Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR):
  • Undergraduate and Graduate Education - Must possess an undergraduate or graduate level degree with a major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR,
  • Specialized Experience - Must possess 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. AND
• Associated Group Standard Requirements (AGSR): (Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Administrative and Management Positions)
  • Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade-level (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 the typical duties of a Health System Specialist. 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 as described above and creditable graduate-level education.
    • Example: An applicant has 9 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-09 and 2 1/2 years of creditable graduate-level education. The applicant meets 75 percent of the required experience and 50 percent of the required education, i.e., the applicant has 1/2 year of graduate study beyond that required for GS-09. Therefore, the applicant exceeds the total requirement and is qualified for the position.
      • IMPORTANT NOTE: The applicant's first 2 years of graduate study are not qualifying for GS-11.

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.

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

• Conflict Management
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Manages Resources
• Partnering
• Planning and Evaluating

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 grade-level. 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.

Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

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.

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.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Other (2)
• Other (3)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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.

Next steps