Clarification from the agency

The area of consideration for this announcement is current employees of the Veterans Health Administration and those qualifying under CTAP. This position is a temporary promotion - Not to exceed 1 Year

The primary purpose of this position is to serve as the principle Executive Assistant to the Network Director. The position will provide support to health care management officials by analyzing, evaluating, advising on and/or coordinating health care delivery systems and operations. The incumbent provides full and complete support to VISN 5 Senior Management Team members and serves as an advisor on matters related to both internal and external operations.

Duties include but are not limited to:

Program Oversight

• Analyzes and evaluate, on a quantitative or qualitative basis, the effectiveness of programs or operations in meeting established goals and objectives. Evaluates facility and VISN programs against short- and long-range objectives.
• Spearheads administrative work in various program and operations areas.
• Implements management and/or program support work and will work within all levels of the VA Organization to accomplish required tasks within specified time requirements.
• Analyzes and/or researches problems, issues, or program requirements. Provides expert analysis and advice on complex program issues. Devises new analytical techniques to evaluate findings and makes authoritative recommendations.
• Employs a fully developed, comprehensive patient administrative management program that provides services and technical counsel to VISN 5 staff. Ensures the programs meet the procedural, legal and administrative requirements relating to the admission, disposition and outpatient treatment of patients.

• Evaluates, processes, or makes recommendations for effective organizational changes. Serves as team leader for VISN studies or projects with significant organizational changes.
• Plans and/or accomplishes special projects. Acts as an expert on special projects, advising top management on major office issues. Leads, conducts or participates in complex management studies and reviews-particularly those with wide or significant effect upon agency's organizational structure, policy, processes, operations, fiscal control and economy and those where the boundaries of the studies may be broad.
• Identifies and collects necessary data including legislative and program data and interviews with senior management, program officials, employees and supervisors; assembles and assesses information gathered; formulates findings, conclusions, and recommendations; presents results in written and/or oral form, which are well-organized, supportable and clearly expressed.
• Provides staff support in the maintenance of data related to budget and expenditure estimates.
• Analyzes the necessary human resources, equipment, and space to effectively support the mission of individual organizations. Maintains an awareness of advancements in equipment and training for new techniques in the field. Supports planning efforts in implementing new logistical arrangements aimed at improving service. Integrates activities of service lines into the overall programs and takes actions, as necessary, to make the office a positive contributor to accomplishment of the mission.

• Has full supervisory authority and responsibility for planning, directing, administering, coordinating, and implementing a comprehensive program. Will direct and supervise a permanent workforce that includes 3 or more positions at the GS-13 grade level or below.
• Plans, organizes, directs, coordinates, reviews, and evaluates the work of subordinates. Establishes priorities and schedules; assigns work to the staff; develops performance standards and evaluates employees' performance.
• Initiates personnel actions to fill vacancies, and to promote, reassign, or recognize outstanding performance of the team; oversees attendance and administers short and long-term leave; makes selections for vacancies; resolves employee complaints and grievances after gathering facts and considering alternatives; and takes minor disciplinary action and/or proposes more serious actions as warranted.
• Provides operational oversight and support of all functions of the Office of the Network Director, overseeing and developing processes to promote the overall efficiency and effectiveness of that office. This includes oversight and responsibility for the performance of concurrences, reception, communications with field offices, policy development, and improvement of internal processes of the Office of the Network Director.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

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)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/26/2026.

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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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.

Quality Ranking Factor:

• Experience with leading health systems delivery for a health care provider organization.

• Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study--hospital administration, health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. NOTE: Transcripts required.

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 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:

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 Inservice 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:

1. Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements;
2. 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
3. Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.

• Responsible for coordinating issues at both a VISN and local level that often have national implications.
• Assists with special complex assignments often of a highly sensitive and confidential nature and interacts with Medical Center management, VA Central Office Officials, senior leaders, government agency officials, and others.
• Possess high-level knowledge about the missions, functions and operation of all three is required in order to provide support as needed.
• Demonstrate strong leadership and management skills to provide adequate support and oversight to the Senior Management Team Members area of purview.
• Provide support to health care management officials by analyzing, evaluating, advising on and/or coordinating health care delivery systems and operations.
• Recommends operational solutions to the Network Director or the Deputy Network Director on standardization, maximizing efficiency, and process improvement opportunities.
• Develops, communicates, and directs the total and complex administrative duties of the specific Senior Management Team member's office.

• Analytical Thinking
• Communication
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Internal Controls/Integrity
• Leadership

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

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

• 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