Health System Specialist

Full Job Description

The Southern Arizona VA Healthcare Network is recruiting for a Health System Specialist assigned to the Associate Director, Patient Care Services (ADPCS) (Nurse Executive).

The incumbent utilizes specialized knowledge of the fundamentals of healthcare management, high reliability, patient safety, and continuous process improvement and serves as a management representative of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT).

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/04/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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.

This position has an Individual Occupation Requirement (IOR).

You must meet one of the following: Undergraduate or graduate education in a major field of study hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration.

(MUST UPLOAD TRANSCRIPTS) OR, Specialized experience in 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, Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program, it included a formal individualized training plan.

Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: 1) Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements; 2) 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 3) 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 meeting the IOR above, you must meet the experience as described below: GS-13 grade level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: applying qualitive and/or quantitative methods for program improvement; collecting and interpreting performance data; supporting budget formulation and resource allocation; and advising senior leadership on operational and policy matters.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Reasoning Communication Manages Human Resources Planning and Evaluating 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: Work is sedentary, and the employee may sit comfortably. There may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items, driving of an automobile, etc.

Fieldwork may involve traveling to other facility sites of care, interviews, meetings, and sources of information.

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:

Duties include but not limited to: Plan, organize, trend and review requests for resources within their assigned executive's chain of command and makes recommendations.

Assist in prioritizing resource allocations throughout the healthcare system in conjunction with other ADPCS staff.

Conduct analytical studies on particular operational processes, issue topics, or related special projects.

Studies and projects addressed are commonly so diverse and complex that they often require input and assistance from departmental or program offices.

Assist the Executive Leadership Team in assessing needs in a realistic fashion, documenting them effectively, and presenting them to a diverse audience of internal and external stakeholders.

Serve as the primary liaison on behalf of all elements of the healthcare system between the VISN and headquarters. Review audits and evaluations which are conducted at the facility.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD13291A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized