Clarification from the agency

AREA OF CONSIDERATION: Open to current, permanent Milwaukee VA Medical Center employees only (includes CBOCs and VCS).

The incumbent has full responsibility for the administrative management of the Surgical Care Division which includes 14 specialty and subspecialty areas, including support for outpatient coordination and testing service, referral coordination initiative, Zablocki VA surgical providers who travel to the Milo C. Huempfner Green Bay Health Care Center for specialized clinics, contracts for cardiothoracic supportive services for the operating room, the hospital-wide cancer registry and accredited Cancer Program, and Division offices. These duties also involve coordination with clinical and support services in other Divisions throughout the Zablocki VA Health Care System.

DUTIES:

• Serves as the principal operations director and coordinator for the sections and operations as well as administratively supporting all the clinical programs within the Division of Surgical Care and the Cancer Program.
• Works with multiple Divisions, administrative offices, and other specialty medical staff members to implement changes, establish new supporting processes, and optimize clinical activities.
• Manages oversight of high-volume functions that occur within the Surgical Care Division and Cancer Program.
• Supervises the Surgical Care Division and Cancer Program administrative staff, both directly and indirectly.
• Works closely with the affiliate department administrative officers at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
• Responsible for evaluating all expenditures from the service's control points before authorization of purchase and ensuring that the service does not obligate funds before they are made available for this purpose.
• Develops, drafts, and implements the budget plan to reflect requirements for conducting the normal business activities including supplies, travel, and contracted services.
• Monitors resource utilization, analyzing how resources are allocated and consumed across various sections.
• Advises Fiscal Service representatives of discrepancies between utilization rates and projected allocations, ensuring that all sections' needs are effectively prioritized.
• Approving official for all invoices processed through the Invoice Payment Processing System; diligently monitors all purchases and services rendered, ensuring strict adherence to establish guidelines.
• Reviews contracts and coordinates with multiple services to verify compliance with contractual specifications thus maintaining high standards for service delivery.
• Responsible for developing specifications and assisting in the preparation and negotiation of contracts and sharing agreements for specialized medical services that are not offered within the Health Care System.
• Custodial official for over $5 million of medical and support equipment that is required for patient care.
• Responsible for the coordination and prioritization of the purchase of additional and replacement equipment supplies and services.
• Manages all personnel actions within the service including assessing staffing needs and preparing requests justifying these needs; reviews and modifies organizational and functional charts as required.
• Responsible for the evaluation and implementation of personnel management for the service, including assessing staffing needs and preparing requests justifying these needs.
• Utilizes data sources, including the National Surgery Office Quarterly Reports as part of the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program, to evaluate the quality and appropriateness of patient care and to provide required reports correctly, timely, and efficiently per published guidelines.
• Initiates measures to ensure that appropriate administrative procedures are followed in a timely manner and that Surgical Care Division services are performed with the highest quality and timeliness.
• Supports the implementation of procedures to ensure that all clinical activity is appropriately documented to accurately demonstrate provider workload and productivity.
• Investigates reports of patient complaints that are brought to the attention of the Division of Surgical Care office, unusual incidents, or those incidents that might result in unfavorable public relations for the Health Care System.
• Acts as Surgical Care Division and Cancer Program liaison with other local health care facilities and VA Medical Centers and serves as a representative on various administrative and clinical committees, as well as advising medical staff representatives serving on medical staff committees.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad Hoc telework. Eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Program Specialist/PD252470
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 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, 05/15/2026.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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.

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.

GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience in or related to the Supervisory Program Specialist position that provided the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position. To be creditable, this specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-11 grade level in Federal service. . Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Monitored program operations for compliance with policies and regulatory requirements throughout the Surgical care division and cancer program. Knowledge of the medical center's administrative operations, functions, organization, missions, goals, and objectives. Have performed procedures and possess the skills to apply while performing a wide variety of analytical studies and projects related to management improvement, productivity improvement, management controls, and planning. Researched problems and issues, and the application of mature judgment and excellence in problem solving and all its phases. Used acquired skills to plan, organize, and direct individual or team studies for approved project plans. Prepared proposals and cost estimates, coordinated with other involved staff and management personnel.

Preferred Experience:

• At least 2 years of experience providing administrative support to a clinical division, ideally including multi-specialty outpatient clinics and procedural services.
• At least 2 years of supervisory experience.
• Experience with supporting accredited programs, such as those overseen by the Commission on Cancer or equivalent regulatory bodies.

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

• Administration and Management
• Budget Administration
• Human Resources Management
• Leadership
• Planning and Evaluating

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: This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, and sitting. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities base on patient needs.

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

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 (VA)
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

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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