Health System Specialist

Full Job Description

This position serves as a Health System Specialist under the Assistant Director at the St. Louis VA Medical Center (STLVAMC).

The primary purpose of this position is to provide support to health care management officials by analyzing, evaluating, advising on and/or coordinating health care delivery systems and operations.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/26/2026.

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: (for positions above GS-5): 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.

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 experience as described below: 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.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Thinking Compliance Critical Thinking Decision Making External Awareness Financial Analysis Influencing/Negotiating Performance Measurement Planning and Evaluating Problem Solving Project Management Strategic Thinking Technology Application Writing 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 sedentary. Some travel is required. No other special physical demands are required of this work.

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 are not limited to: Plans and conducts a variety of broad and complex analytical and evaluative studies of a wide range of medical facility health care delivery services such as organizational structures and management systems for the administrative services in the health care delivery system; human resources, space, equipment and financial resources; medical records administration; and medical facility housekeeping Identifies and participates in resolving the full range of management problems, and assists in the development of proposed management programs on a service, inter-service, medical center, or VISN wide basis.

Conducts management studies in organizational entities with critical problems; conducts and integrates cyclical management studies and conducts studies with Systematic Internal Reviews and Management Briefing Conducts and documents Local Management Reviews, in accordance with the requirements defined in VHA Handbook 1730.2.

Develops management improvement programs or revised policy and procedural requirements for more effective application of various administrative management systems; such as work measurement, work simplification, incentive awards, performance evaluation, management reports, automation, communication analyses, etc.

Formulates recommendations to include specific plans to correct deficiencies or to increase positive accomplishments of administrative practices; for example, the development of criteria to determine measurable work areas and establishment of quantitative and qualitative production standards.

Conducts in-depth studies to meet needs that may arise or to meet needs that already exist.

Conducts logistical type studies which are directed at determining the most effective utilization of space, supplies, transportation, storage facilities, etc.

Prepares study reports and findings that include substantive and innovative recommendations to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of the medical facility health care program.

Makes formal presentation to medical management officials to propose major modifications and improvements regarding the facility organization structure and functions; health care services; a variety of administrative support services; the establishment of an atmosphere conducive to the accomplishment of the basic medical facility mission; and the promotion of good relations with a variety of groups and individuals including patients and staff, as well as representatives of other medical facilities, and community organizations.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday from 7:30am-4:00pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD101790 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized