Health System Specialist

Full Job Description

The Health System Specialist position is aligned to the VA Boston Healthcare System's Office of Research and Development and is responsible for the management of regulatory committees, providing expertise regarding the regulations that ensure compliance in research, providing analytical and procedural support of projects in a research setting, and working independently in accordance with established practices and and procedures.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/19/2026.

Individual Occupational Requirements Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that can't be waived.

The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

To qualify for the GS 0671 occupational series, applicants MUST possess one of the following: 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.

(A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are using education) OR Experience: 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 In-service 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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.

Provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status.

You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement.

If the most recent SF-50 has an effective within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade.

In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade.

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 and/or education 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: Possess one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-9) applying analytical and evaluative techniques in support of investigative studies involving human subjects, research safety and security, and research information security; providing technical/consultative guidance regarding Institutional Review Board (IRB) matters and operations; assisting with development and implementation of program informing processes and policies; analyzing data, preparing data presentations, and developing action plans to resolve problems or improve efficiency (Resume must clearly demonstrate the required experience to be creditable).

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience.

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

In order to meet the requirements through a combination of education and experience, the total of the two percentages must be at least 100% or you do not qualify.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Financial Management Administration and Management Contracting/Procurement Personnel and 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.

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:

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Duty Location Status: Will work from a VA owned or leased space Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD837020 Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

Major Duties: Reviews, analyzes, and interprets incoming requests, recommends and implements appropriate action, or suggests appropriate alternatives based on knowledge of internal operations, agency personnel policies, budgetary constraints, and work priorities.

Manages the the administrative and research support personnel of the Center and coordinates their activities. Propose, design, and implement short and long-term fiscal plans of the center.

Provides the center directors with information about the overall status of financial resources for the Center and studies in order to react to changing situations with timely recommendations.

Responsible for all procurement and contracting for the TRACTS National Center based on independent study of professional and support staff needs, the design and proposal of best solutions to needs, and the implementation and tracking of resulting plans.

Proposes, develops, and executes plans for the acquisition of supplies, equipment, and services; reviews and approves all requests for supplies, equipment, services, and other needs of all research investigators.

Analyzes, proposes solutions, and ensures resolution for all administrative problems that arise in a normal operation of a research program.