Program Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Columbia VA Health Care System (VAHCS), Engineering Service, Columbia, SC, and reports directly to the Maintenance Control Manager.

The primary reason for the position is to assist in the implementation and managing of the IBM Maximo Asset Management.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/19/2026.

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-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.

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 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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Comprehensive knowledge of the full range of principles, concepts and methodology associated with project management, maintenance requirements, agency regulations, and public laws to develop policies and procedures to ensure medical facility database work is accomplished in compliance.

Knowledge of the capabilities and limitations of computer hardware, software, and communications systems utilized by the organization and supported external customers to provide end user desktop environment and telephone customer support.

Skill to effectively communicate with many individuals and services, including journeymen, technical and professional clinical staff and to successfully process technical information to develop reports.

OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D.

or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.

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

You must have some specialized experience as described above but less than one year and have more than one year, but less than two years of graduate education as described above.

Compute the experience and education, totaling at least 100%. (To compute the percentage, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12.

Then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond two years by 18. Add the two percentages.

The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: 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 physical effort may be required, e.g., walking, standing, climbing ladders, stooping, kneeling, and carrying light items such as manuals or briefcases, or driving or traveling by motor vehicle.

Work Environment: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require nonnal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, training rooms, and libraries.

The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The incumbent must also work outdoors in all types of weather.

There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or discomforts in storage areas or hazardous waste sites.

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 not limited to: Application Management Manage the asset life cycle including inventory, asset records, resources, work management, service requests, and reports.

Manage an equipment program with codes, standards and guidelines which are interpreted and regulated within the clinical and non-clinical equipment.

Provide end user desktop environment and telephone customer support.

Develops local standards, policies and procedures concerning the use and maintenance of any elements of the medical facility databases.

Develops policies and procedures to ensure that medical facility database work is accomplished in compliance with higher authority policies and guidelines.

Reconfigure the program and ensure essential complexity issues are met Assist with all aspects of VISN-wide implementation of the Maximo program including data cleansing, training, customer support, etc.

Customer Support Plans, coordinates and accomplishes broad and complex studies to identify and determine the medical facility administrative and technical data requirements, specifications, and the database applications that are necessary to develop, modify and apply medical facility data management systems.

Diagnoses and resolves problems in response to customer reported incidents. Documents and provides feedback on trends associated with customer support, including viable recommendations for improvement.

Reports changes to customer operating environment. Suggests resolutions that are most likely to be used on a regular basis.

Performs account management procedures, e.g., create accounts and the access to applications and data while maintaining required privacy and protecting the information system; granting, reviewing, inactivation, updating, and/or terminating account access.

Administration Develops reports in Maximo pulling data from the Asset, Work Order, Preventive Maintenance (PM) and the Space applications for all user communities ensuring all management requirements are met.

Works closely with Planning and Construction Sections to manage the Maximo Location application and verify information is correct.

Perform onsite room verification throughout the Medical Center as well as all outpatient clinics. Develop and run queries and reports.

Assists with all aspects of the VISN-wide implementation of the Maximo program.

Serves as advisor to Engineering Management for documentation regarding TJC requirements including PM work orders and vendor tests for medical gases, emergency generators, transfer switches, fire alarm systems, fire pumps, negative pressure rooms and laminar flow hoods.

Aids in creating reports, queries, Key Performance Indicators, etc. in Maximo to ensure management has knowledge of work order and equipment management activities.

Actively participates in TJC inspections and Engineering Service documentation review sessions. Monitors various performance indicators and makes recommendations for improvement.

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

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD019830 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required