Health System Specialist

Full Job Description

We are currently recruiting for a Health System Specialist to support the Headache Centers of Excellence program as we grow.

This position will design national program policies and systems to maximize communication and coordination among staff and projects.

The incumbent will also establish and maintain relationships with various groups, organizations and institutions representing the Headache Centers of Excellence by speaking at meetings, serving on committees and promoting the mission.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/06/2026.

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.

You may qualify based on your specialized experience as outlined below.

All experience must be clearly documented on your resume in order for you to be found qualified and referred to the hiring manager.

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 , the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Specialized experience is experience in or directly related to the work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience for this position is characterized by a thorough knowledge of advanced management and organizational principles and practices.

This experience must have provided you with a knowledge of quantitative and qualitative techniques in order to analyze, evaluate, and measure the effectiveness and efficiency of organizational and project operations.

The applicant must demonstrate expert communication skills to present and articulate findings to upper level management locally and nationally.

Examples of specialized experience would include, but are not limited to: Communicating and problem solving for a national program , developing policies and guidelines , applying statistical methods and concepts , designing, implementing and maintaining tracking mechanisms and databases .

Preparing presentations for use in congressional reports.

Experience in budgeting for a multi-million dollar program which requires tracking of all expenses with the ability to oversee the distribution and utilization of said funds .

Establishing and maintaining relationships with various veteran and civic organizations.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management: Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production.

Planning and Evaluating:Determines objectives and strategies; coordinates with other parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors and evaluates the progress and outcomes of operational plans; anticipates potential threats or opportunities.

Organizational Awareness:Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization.

Financial Management: Prepares, justifies, and/or administers the budget for program area; plans, administers, and monitors expenditures to ensure cost-effective support of programs and policies.

Communications:Effectively expresses information to multiple audiences through clear, convincing oral and written communications; demonstrates logical thinking when describing facts and concepts, and shapes communications to meet the needs of a specific audience; actively listens to others and demonstrates understanding of their comments and/or questions.

Research:Knowledge of the scientific principles, methods, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry; including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the reporting of results.

Partnering:Develops networks and builds alliances; collaborates across boundaries to build strategic relationships and achieve common goals.

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 of the Management and Program Analyst is primarily sedentary in nature with the possible occasional travel by air and automobile for national meetings as well as travel to other Headache Center of Excellence sites and to VA Central Office.

Physical mobility and moderate strength are required as some short term tasks may require lifting of objects weighing forty pounds or less.

Work Environment: The work is performed in an office or clinic setting with significant amounts of time on the telephone and computer while sitting at a desk.

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:

The Health System Specialist will work closely with the VA Connecticut Headache Center of Excellence Director as well as all of the national Headache Centers of Excellence sites and VACO contacts.

Based on day-to-day observations and analysis of work processes they will evaluate program operations, anticipate potential problems, identify existing problems and inefficiencies and recommend solutions to be implemented nationally.

The Management and program Analyst will review, monitor,analyze and synthesize data for the Headache Centers of Excellence to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of internal operations.

Data includes, but is not limited to, budget preparation, supply and equipment requirements, personnel requirements and evaluations and workload data for all Headache Centers of Excellence sites.

The duties of this position include but are not limited to the following: The overall coordination of the administrative and operational activities of a program.

Problem solving all administrative issues that arise, design national program policies and systems to maximize communication and coordination among staff and projects.

Applying significant expertise in statistical methods and concepts, as well as quantitative and qualitative data gathering methodologies as administering surveys in person and by phone, conducting focus groups and interpreting results in the investigation of highly complex questions.

Designing, implementing, and maintaining HCoE specific tracking mechanisms and databases to monitor from inception to completion of every funded VA HCoE site nationwide, including HCoE-consortium sites.

Assisting in designing a spending plan, monitor its progress, map out spending trajectory, and to prepare a year end report for VACO.

Providing advice and guidance for improvements and anticipates areas of concerns or questions which must be addressed when making recommendations which would be implemented nationally by the HCoE enterprise.

Develop materials, presentations, and information packages and facilitate the scheduling of HCoE related meetings both within VACHS and with the other HCoE sites.

Organizes and moderates weekly calls between VACO leadership and VACHS-based HCoE Director, monthly calls of HCoE workgroups, and monthly HCoE call all HCoE site directors, VACO,and non-VA partners.

Incumbent must have knowledge of basic financial management and is responsible for an $10 million budget HCoE budget ($2.5 million budget for VACHS HCoE and REC).

Due to the flow of funds from a wide variety of entities such as VACO, VISN, and private sponsors and donors, knowledge and expertise in VA and government budgeting concepts and of fund accounting principles associated with a University setting are essential and critical to success.

Purchase equipment and supplies, reconcile receipt documents with invoices, assure that invoices are paid properly, review all personnel requests and payroll expenditures for compliance with the terms of the appropriate grant and reconcile monthly fiscal reports.

Attend and/or speak at various meetings of veterans and civic organizations and serves on various committees.

These formal speaking opportunities,meetings and events will promote the understanding of the mission and goals of the Agency,health system and the Director's goals and priorities.

The incumbent must establish and maintain good relations with various groups, organizations and institutions including medical schools,other colleges and universities, accrediting agencies, volunteer groups, news media, city and state government, and congressional offices as well as with patients and all VA contacts.

Satisfy all requests for information that comes to the HCoE concerning personnel and financial matters. Other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: This position is at the full performance level .

Work Schedule: 8:00-4:30 Monday thru Friday Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD038960 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required