Health System Specialist

Full Job Description

The VHA Governance Board Office (GBO) is located in VHA, Office of the Under Secretary for Health and consists of the Director, VHA GBO and Health System Specialists positions who provide assistance to the Under Secretary for Health in support of the Governance Board.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/29/2026.

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.

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): The 0671 Occupational series has an IOR that must be met: 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 (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).

OR, 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.

Specialized Experience: 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: Demonstrated mastery in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of agency and program operations.

Expert knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents, major issues, program goals and objectives, work processes, and administrative operations which affect the administration of GBO program and committee functions.

Mastery of VHA organization structure and operations to support VHA-wide assessments to improve the VHA system for health care.

Expert knowledge of missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems in general and in the country at large.

Excellent interpersonal skills to facilitate and coordinate vast needs for communications and information, between and among the stakeholders, including the Department, VHACO, VISNs, facilities and non-VA groups.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Decision Making Reasoning Analytical Reasoning Self-Management 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, although some slight physical effort may be 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:

Major duties include but are not limited to: Serves as the senior VHA GBO Health System Specialist in providing guidance, consultation, leadership, staff support and liaison to the Director, VHA GBO.

Assesses and analyzes the GB's performance towards becoming a more effective organization. Develops and initiates procedures and processes necessary to accomplish the goals of the GBO's mandate.

Serves as the senior GBO Health System Specialist in the development and administration of contacts necessary for program operations, and coordinates GB activities with the Under Secretary's management programs.

Involved in joint planning, coordination and negotiation with respect to policy analysis, management decisions, and the conduct of highly sensitive GB policy matters.

Responsible for developing and/or coordinating policies and procedures related to the GB operations and management and assists in developing national guidance to use in implementing these policies, as well as conducting evaluations of these policies to identify needed modifications.

Reviews and assesses all current and revised VHA policy and procedures specifically as they relate to VHA governance, organizational assessment and improvement activities in VHACO, VISN and health care facilities/programs as well as all relevant reports by internal and external review programs.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 08:00-04:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: This position may be authorized for ADHOC telework.

Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD03079A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized