Supervisory Health Systems Specialist

Clarification from the agency

Current Permanent employees of Veterans Health Administration only. Once cleared CTAP.

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

• Organizes, directs, controls and coordinates group activities in a timely and effective manner.
• Conducts extensive work in analyzing data and conducting background research on the issue.
• Pulls, isolates and manipulates data to identify root causes of a performance issue.
• Develops statistical models to measure successful of performance improvement actions.
• Converts data into numerous formats using advanced statistical models including statistical process control charts, histograms, paretto charts, and many more.
• Defines a project scope and goals through a collaborative process with subject matter experts and leadership at the facility, service line or program, or unit level.
• Leads a team of subject matter experts, front line staff and leadership through a rigorous and defined project management process utilizing multiple tools from Lean Six Sigma, Lean VA-TAMCCS and other performance improvement disciplines to further define the current state of the process.
• Leads project teams through designed brainstorming sessions to develop solutions towards a specific deliverable or goal during a project.
• Identifies various solutions approaches and when necessary further leads them through prioritizing exercises with tools like affinity diagrams, PICK Charts and multi-voting.
• Creates designs of experiment that align to project goals and team developed solutions.
• Designs of experiment are often iterative and will involve multiple solutions in random or sequential order.
• Design experiments with process measurement in mind.
• Develops processes by consulting with subject matter experts to develop standard work.
• Directs the team towards sustainable solutions that are mistake proof.
• Identifies and provides for management development and training needs of key staff members.
• Provides timely and responsive decisions to union(s) and their members on complaints and grievances and ensures that supervisors are familiar with the negotiated agreement.
• Deals with general personnel management policy matters affecting the facility, involving such matters as: recommending appropriate personnel actions when indicated; resolving differences between key management officials at the facility; and identifying and resolving problems which may inhibit accomplishing the facility's patient care mission and public policy objectives.
• Identifies alternative systems and processes based on Lean/Systems Redesign/Systems Engineering principles to mitigate these types of errors.
• Collects baseline information, identifies limitations in current systems, and discovers potential improvements.
• Develops statistical, graphical, and narrative reports, and communicates these studies to medical center executive leadership, service chiefs, supervisors and other staff.
• Aligns identified metrics to known organizational priorities, such as V A/VHA/VISN/Facility strategic or operational plan.
• Develops benchmarks and assigns a schedule or priority level to a potential project based on the needs of the organization and direct consultation with executive leadership.
• Develops local data metrics and dashboards to monitor projects in progress or performance benchmarks of a project that is awaiting a charter or formal decision from executive leadership for action.
• Aligns appropriate performance improvement teams and resources, project scopes, and value streams, strategic and operational plans.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Health Systems Specialist/PD99933S
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 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

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

Individual Occupational Requirement: The Occupational Series 0671 includes an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). Candidates may not hold a position in this series without meeting one of the IOR requirements established by OPM:

• Undergraduate or graduate education in a major field of study hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. (MUST UPLOAD TRANSCRIPTS)
• Specialized Experience in 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.
• Successfully completed an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program, 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.

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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.

Applicants must also possess:

• Management ability to delegate authority, evaluate and oversee people and programs, recognize and adapt to changing priorities; and
• Knowledge of the interrelationships and interdependencies among various medical and administrative services and programs.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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.

Preferred Experience:

• Supervisory experience within a Federal agency
• Lean process improvement certification (minimum Green Belt Lean or Lean Six Sigma)
• Teaching adult learners
• Coaching

Ideal candidate for this position is an experienced process improvement professional with a strong background in supervising teams and developing employees. They possess excellent communication and leadership skills and have demonstrated success collaborating with various cross-functional internal and external teams.

1) Applies Lean Process Improvement A3 process when completing improvement project with Black, Green and Yellow Belt improvement teams.
2) Knowledge of performance management concepts, principles, and practices related to planning, monitoring, rating, and rewarding employee performance.
3) Utilizes recognized Lean and other improvement tools and Change Management to drive improvement and sustainable processes and improved outcomes in a health care setting
4) Assigns work to subordinates, delegates authority as appropriate and holds staff responsible and accountable for the performance and duties
5) Coaches, organizes, directs, controls and coordinates group activities in a timely and effective manner.

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/.

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 required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not 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.

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• 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.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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