Supervisory Program Specialist

Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent employees of the Madison William S. Middleton Veterans Hospital in Madison, WI.

The Supervisory Program Specialist position is located within the Chief of Staff Office at the William S. Middleton Veterans Hospital, 2500 Overlook Terrace, Madison, WI 53705.

This position is to serve as the integral link between the Medical Support Assistants (MSA's) and the Group Practice Manager (GPM) in providing oversight, support and evaluation of scheduling staff as it is related to scheduling responsibilities and appointment management. The Supervisory Program Specialist performs first-level supervisory functions providing planning and direction to Supervisory Medical Support Assistants and is second-level supervisor to over one hundred MSA's throughout the facility and associated Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's).

Diversity StatementThe William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital is committed to fostering and sustaining an environment which celebrates diversity, provides equitable opportunities for employment and promotion, and supports inclusiveness in our culture. Together, we strive to create and maintain working and learning environments that promote professional growth and teamwork, and are inclusive, equitable and welcoming. We embrace our differences as individuals and unite as a team toward a common goal: to serve our nation's Veterans.

Duties

Supervisory Program Specialist duties include, but not limited to:

• Knowledge of appropriate laws, regulations, VA directives, manual guidelines and local policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of medical center goals and objectives and expert knowledge of scheduling directives and provisions.
• Skill in applying analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification and resolution of issues or problems.
• Ability to design, develop, modify and evaluate training presentations, plans, instructions, materials and aids.
• Assists with analyzing and resolving complaints ensuring service recovery thus directly contributing to patient and family satisfaction.
• Recommends changes in position descriptions.
• Recommends awards and bonuses for supervisory and nonsupervisory personnel.
• Oversees and works in a back-up capacity to the trainer in developing, modifying and administering training programs for the scheduling staff.
• Assists other supervisors in interviewing and recommending selection of staff for clinics.
• Developing Performance Improvement Plans for employees needing additional training.
• Completes Time and Attendance duties for subordinates.
• Serves as a backup ADPAC when the primary ADPAC is out.
• Travel will be required for positions that supervise MSAs to the facility and associated CBOCs.
• Additional duties or tasks may be assigned to ensure efficient daily operations.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30-4:00pm or 8:00-4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Ad HOC
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Program Specialist/PD17081A

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

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/19/2026.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the 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.

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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:
GS-09 Specialized Experience:
You must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level(GS-7) level in Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience includes: Skill in applying analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification and resolution of issues or problems as they are related to scheduling procedures and audits, workload, compliance with VHA guidelines; Knowledge of medical center goals and objectives and expert knowledge of scheduling directives and provisions related to access to care; Advanced skill in the use of computer systems with a wide variety of software such as Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Access, Internet, and VHA databases to search, extract and organize data and produce reports; Ability to write effective and clear Standard Operating Procedures pertaining to materials being taught to staff and ability to design, develop, modify and evaluate training presentations, plans, instructions, materials and aids; Interpersonal relationships with internal and external customers; Ability to plan effectively and organize work, maintain department records, maintain confidentiality of materials, work efficiently under pressure, and paying attention to details.
OR,
GS-09 Education: You must possess a masters or equivalent graduate degree, or successful completion of two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.B or J.D., if related, obtained in an accredited college or university. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)
OR,
GS-09 Combining Experience and Education: I possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the Supervisory Program Specialist position. (NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED)

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

• Accountability
• Communication
• Customer Service
• Decisiveness
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Planning and Evaluating
• Problem Solving
• Resilience
• Teaching Others

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 for this position is mainly sedentary with little need for physical exertion.

Work Environment: Work environment involves everyday risks and normal safety precautions inherent in an office setting. The work area consists of a private office with natural lighting. Work is fast paced and requires meeting numerous deadlines.

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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• 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