This position is located in the Office of the Director at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS) in Ann Arbor, MI. The Deputy Strategic Planner is a shared position with the Battle Creek VAMC (BCVA) and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. The Deputy Strategic Planner will provide all the necessary planning support for the Battle Creek VAMC as well as specialized support for the VAAAHS, and the associated Michigan Market.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/18/2025. 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. Note: You must submit a copy of your most recent personnel action/SF50. Additionally, 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. Interchange Agreement: Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. For more information regarding the VA Interchange Agreement please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements: 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: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 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. 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. Preferred experience/Highly qualified (not required): Candidate is proficient in Planning Process and has 1- 2 of years experience. Candidate has experience Healthcare Systems Planning Application, Clinical Inventory, VAST, Bed Letters, and VSSC. Candidate has developed high level reports and has presented to high level officials (i.e. Service Chiefs and/or ELT) Candidate possess a Bachelors degree You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Data Management Geography Planning and Evaluating Problem Solving 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 is primarily sedentary and will involve regular meetings, and face-to-face collaboration. Travel by automobile or air 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/.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESONSIBILITIES:STRATEGIC PLANNING The Deputy Strategic Planner functions with a high degree of autonomy, independently initiating projects/studies and providing key staff support to Medical Center Directors in both locations for a broad range of complex planning and budgetary issues related to the operations of a health care system. The prime objective of the Deputy Strategic Planner is the development and furtherance of a sound facility and market based strategic plan. Service level tactical plans support the market-based approach to the overarching strategic plan; the Deputy Strategic Planner works directly with Service Chiefs to develop tactical plans that are synchronized across both facilities including the multiple CBOC's within the market. After plan development, the Deputy Strategic Planner ensure Boards and Committees use the facility level strategic plan as a reference document and decision-making resource. The Deputy Strategic Planner manages or participates in substantive projects and studies in the area of health care management and organization, ensuring that outcomes support medical center, VISN 10 and VHA goals and priorities. Through findings and recommendations, the incumbent provides significant, substantive input to development of medical center, market based, and VISN policy. The Deputy Strategic Planner is involved in negotiations and discussions which affect operational and management activities in the Michigan Market as well as VISN 10 and makes recommendations to improve operational effectiveness. Special studies will often target highly visible and potentially sensitive areas; recommendations may have significant organizational, legal or financial implications for the medical center and market-based operations. The Deputy Strategic Planner independently will conduct analyses that may require the expansion or contraction of inpatient units (Medicine, Surgery, Mental Health, and CLC) within the health system or the entire market based on workload demand. Additionally, will conduct independent analyses on what outpatient specialty services should be expanded or contracted throughout the medical center, CBOC's, and Michigan Market to better serve our ever-changing Veteran population. SHORT- AND LONG-RANGE MARKET BASED PLANNING: Major functional responsibilities include identifying best practice models for health care delivery and determining applicability to VA operations, conducting cost/benefit analyses, developing strategic and business plans, analyzing demographic and workload data, designing and managing databases (to including accessing non-VA data sources), and researching health care trends. The Deputy Strategic Planner is expected to become a subject matter expert supporting the Michigan Market and VISN 10 planning mission, collect and analyze market level data, interpret findings, prepare reports, and communicate recommendations to clinical and administrative leadership. The incumbent works closely with clinical and administrative leadership to translate broad parameters into specific study requirements, requiring a high level of knowledge of health care issues and environment. CAPITAL PLANNING/DATA ANALYTICS: The Deputy Strategic Planner formulates recommendations for administrative and general management decisions relating to the operation of the medical center. The incumbent develops, reviews, and interprets directives, memoranda, and other VHA documents, such as comprehensive workload reports, performance measures, planning models, program initiatives, clinical inventories, etc., and translates them into sound management practice, organizational goals, and operational effectiveness of the medical center's both in Ann Arbor and Battle Creek. The Deputy Strategic Planner possesses integrated and in-depth knowledge and understanding of VHA's basic policies, mission, and operating programs in order to meet the responsibilities of this position. The duties require a high degree of administrative and managerial expertise, and the ability to work effectively with others at high levels within the organization and Michigan Market. You will be expected to travel to Michigan Market sites for this position. Work Schedule: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (negotiable), Monday through Friday Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist-Deputy Strategic Planner/PD92117O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized