The Program Specialist serves as the surgical liaison and advisor on equipment and product acquisition and equipment/instrumentation service contracts for a wide variety of items to include specialized services. Renders expert pre-award and post award expertise & tracking to all Administrative and Clinical sections within the Surgery & Anesthesiology service of the Salt Lake City VA Healthcare System (HCS) and supported catchment area.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/26/2025. 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. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. Preferred Inventory experience including Ordering & Inventorying equipment - but will train for specific job. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Comprehensive detailed knowledge and understanding of acquisition statutes, regulation, directives and procedures as well as business practices associated with supporting the Salt Lake City VA Surgical and Anesthesiology services to effectively analyze, advise, and serve as the contract liaison. Developmental working knowledge and understanding of the functions and processes required to maintain healthcare, maintenance operations, supply and support services in sufficient depth to be able to perform contract liaison work as a technical authority on contracting services for the Surgical & Anesthesia services. Knowledge of Federal, departmental, and agency contracting laws, regulations, principles, and procedures, contracts and provisions, financing, and methods of contracting applicable to the acquisition and management of services, supplies, and miscellaneous contracts to help the Surgical & Anesthesia services to develop, negotiate and manage the different types of contract vehicles. Developmental knowledge of procurement acquisition lead times (PALT) for timely submission of advanced procurement plans, and contract administration principles and practices to monitor contract performance over the life of contracts, and ability to solve a broad range of problems relating to proposals for change, claims, payments, and similar problems. Developmental knowledge of commonly used contracting methods and contract types relating to the pre- and post-award contract functions to administer and monitor contractor compliance. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Masters or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. 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 the requirements of the GS-07. GS-11: 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: Comprehensive detailed knowledge and understanding of acquisition statutes, regulation, directives and procedures as well as business practices associated with supporting the Salt Lake City VA Surgical and Anesthesiology services to effectively analyze, advise, and serve as the Program Specialist and Liaison to Logistics and Prosthetics. Extensive working knowledge and understanding of the functions and processes required to maintain healthcare, maintenance operations, supply and support services in sufficient depth to be able to perform contract liaison work as a technical authority on contracting services for the facility, CBOCs, MOU affiliates and stakeholders business processes. Extensive working knowledge and understanding of the functions and processes required to maintain healthcare, supply and support services in sufficient depth to be able to maintain adequate levels of instrumentation, supply, scope, and equipment needs while working as a procurement technical authority for the Surgical & Anesthesia services. Knowledge of Federal, departmental, and agency procurement laws, regulations, principles, and procedures applicable to the acquisition and management of services, supplies, and equipment to help the Surgical & Anesthesia services to develop, negotiate and manage the different types of procurements and contract vehicles. Strong knowledge of procurement policy and procedures relating to the pre- and post award requirements to provide effective quality compliance. Strong Knowledge of cost and pricing data and contract proposals to evaluate the offers and responsibility, and to evaluate contactor responsibility and performance. Ability to perform cost benefit analysis, conduct gap analyses, and understanding of cost elements which go into the production, management or delivery of a healthcare resource service or product. 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 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education. (Only graduate education in excess of 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education may be used to qualify in combination of experience). (Transcripts are required for proof of qualifying education). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Database Administration Manages and Organizes Information Written Communication 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 involves heavy use of computers and all other communication tools. Walking and slight physical effort will be required. At times, stress may cause physical demands. 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/.
The duties of the Program Specialist may include but are not limited to the following: Reviews requests for supplies from customers and provides supporting documentation as necessary. Contacts vendors to attain quotes for items to be requested. Validates quotes for accuracy consulting the requesting subject matter experts when necessary. Using the Electronic Equipment Request (EER) portal, will enter all equipment requests, track progress of the acquisition, ensure delivery, and ensure timely readiness of acquisitions for the Surgical & Anesthesia services. Researches and prepares documentation of salient characteristics, market research, sole source requirements, like or exact requirements, item descriptions, justification, reusable medical equipment (RME) cleaning instructions, Instructions for Use (IFU), and technical specifications. Incumbent monitors and enters new equipment into the Strategic Equipment Planning Guide (SEPG) to enable entry into the EER. Once the data has been entered and uploaded into the EER, and the request has been approved, the incumbent will work with the Logistics service to clarify any information needed to successfully send instrumentation, scope, accessory, supply and equipment requests to Contracting. Independently develops performance work statements and objectives, cost benefit analysis, gap analysis, sole source justifications, past performance, quality assurance surveillance plans (QASP), market research, independent government estimates, evaluation criteria, options, funding, delivery schedules, lead times, and reporting requirements. Submit reports to leadership with recommendation for improvement. Monitor & make recommendations to replace end of life equipment. Developing procedures, policies, and providing supporting artifacts to the Logistics Acquisition Utilization Specialists supporting contracting activities and following federal procurement laws and regulations. Other duties as assigned. 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#: Program Specialist/PD12922A and PD12923A