The Organizational Location of This Position is within the WTVAHCS Office of the Chief of Staff. The Health System Specialist serves as the Executive Assistant (EA) to the Chief of Staff, responsible for relieving the Chief of Staff (COS) of administrative, planning, and management responsibilities that can be assumed by a non-physician.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/05/2025. Individual Occupational Requirement- All applicants must meet one of the the IORs below: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR, Specialized Experience: 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. OR, 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: 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. In addition to the IOR above, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-9 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge of a wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods for the assessment and improvement of program effectiveness or the improvement of basic management processes and systems; basic knowledge of the range of administrative laws, policies, regulations, and precedents applicable to the administration of one or more important public programs, knowledge of agency program goals and objectives, the sequence and timing of key program events and milestones, and methods of evaluating the worth of program accomplishments; skill to plan, organize, and direct team study work and to negotiate effectively with management to accept and implement recommendations where the proposals involve substantial agency resources, require extensive changes in established procedures, or may conflict with the desires of the activity studied. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, Or LL.B or J.D in the related field of the position to be filled (i.e., hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration). The education portion must include courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a bachelor's degree to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position (i.e., hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration). NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. GS-11 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Demonstrate the ability to interpret policy and procedure; Develop long and short-range policies and plans; Investigate/perform fact-finding; Respond to internal and external inquiries; Administer internal reviews, quality, and productivity initiatives, and monitor performance measures of services; Expert level knowledge of health care service administration, continuous quality improvement; data analysis; healthcare principles, theories, and practices; budgeting, planning, administration, and labor/union relationships, or other key administrative support functions; sufficient to analyze and evaluate broad and difficult problems, apply extensive qualitative and/or quantitative methods for program improvement, make recommendations for complicated solutions; and the related ability to apply health care management principles to complex problem-solving situations; Skill in applying advanced qualitative and quantitative techniques in order to perform thorough management analysis of current and projected diagnostic service programs OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, Or LL.M in the related field of the position to be filled (i.e., hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration). The education portion must include courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a master's degree to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position (i.e., hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration). NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. Qualifications continued in "Education"
Major duties at the full performance level include, but are not limited to: Incumbent provides oversight of the administrative functions of the COS office and guides the administrative functions in subordinate services. Incumbent is responsible for planning, reviewing, and coordinating requests for space, equipment, and staff that originate from services aligned with the COS and negotiate with services aligned under other Executive Leadership lines to obtain those resources to meet clinical needs. Incumbent coordinates with Medical Facility Director's Quality Management team on survey matters relating to accreditation of all clinical services, assists QM with action plans and ensures resolution of issues. The EA is knowledgeable of requirements for accreditation and surveys by regulatory bodies such as The Joint Commission (TJC), Office of the Inspector General (OIG), Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program (CHIP), and Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). The incumbent primary purpose is to support in analyzing, evaluating, and coordinating health care delivery systems and operations. As EA to the COS, the position supports the recruitment of service chiefs and development of the evaluation methods for service chiefs such as Executive Career Field Performance Plans, performance pay goals, and clinical competence criteria. As the Executive Assistant, the incumbent directs/leads/guides the clinical services in any projects that may involve executive leadership and management support. The incumbent reports directly to the Chief of Staff but responds to the needs and requests of the Director, Associate Director, Assistant Director, Deputy Chief of Staff, Associate Director Patient Care Services, Service Chiefs, VISN officials, and other key program officials. Incumbent maintains close working relationships with service chiefs across the facility, the staff of the Executive Leadership team, officials at affiliated institutions, VA Clinic Administrative Officers, and assists them in interrelated activities. Provides guidance and support to Automated Data Processing Application Coordinators (ADPAC) within the COS lines and monitors and ensures completion of the Annual Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) User Review. The EA provides administrative, staffing, and performance improvement support to the Credentialing and Privileging team and other services under the COS that either have no built-in administrative support or are short staffed. Incumbent participates in public speaking engagements, meetings, and public relations events. Provides briefings and promotes programs/policies. Establishes and maintains good relations with various groups and organizations such as leadership at educational institutions, Congressional offices, Veteran Service Organizations, public and private health entities, and various VA offices at all levels. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD009150 and PD008290 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized