Program Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is located at the Maine VA Health Care System. The incumbent is under the direct supervision of the Supervisory Health System Specialist in the Mental Health Service line.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/05/2026.

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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5, and for a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7.

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: GS 07: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS 05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: obtaining and interpreting data; conducting research as necessary for various projects; data collection and analysis and preparation of reports and/or presentations; develops assessment of performance, and development and evaluation of improvement activities.

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

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement*. Degree must be relevant to the position to be filled.

OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a bachelor's degree.

The education and experience must be directly related to the work of the position to be filled.

GS 09: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-07) 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 qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques to identify, evaluate and resolve issues of a complex level with multiple factors; Employs management analysis techniques and methods to develop information for comprehensive reports, addressing such elements as work measurement, trend analysis, efficiency, effectiveness, and productivity, and to assess the success or failure in attaining program operational goals/objectives; has in-depth knowledge of computer systems to be able to troubleshoot problems for all users in the service line; obtaining data that is variable and translating this information into concrete data.

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

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B.

or J.D., if related. Degree must be relevant to the position to be filled. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 year of graduate level education may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-09.

The education and experience must be directly related to the work of the position to be filled.

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:

The GS-7 is a developmental position, composes a career ladder structure to the full performance level of Program Specialist.

The incumbent at the GS-7 level will serve in a developmental assignment, to provide the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the full range of duties as described in the target position description.

The full performance, Program Specialist, GS-301-09, PD#402- 03335-0.

At the GS-9 level, Program Specialist position is pivotal in deriving and analyzing qualitative and quantitative information from which the most cost-effective, efficient, and highest quality healthcare services can be implemented.

In this role, provides advice to service line leadership and implements improvements based on analysis.

The Program Specialist is located at the Maine VAMC main campus and supports operations at the medical center location within the main campus as well as surrounding CBOCs in Maine.

The duties and responsibilities of this position are predominantly analytical and directly related to the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs in Mental Health.

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: The position ensures that both productivity and efficiency are maximized while continually working towards improvement, requiring analytical ability as well as sound judgement and discretion.

The position ensures that systems and processes are implemented consistently and accurately by supporting Mental Health operational functions.

The position is responsible for specialized work encompassing such issues as workplace environment, resource needs assessment, analysis of operations and analysis of current systems/procedures.

The position will also be tasked to monitor the Mental health fund control points and will assist with purchases and credit card transactions.

The Program Specialist works independently, makes recommendations, and exercises judgment in support of the Mental Health Service Line.

The administrative responsibilities intersect organizational boundaries at all levels of the hospital.

Incumbent may help in internal review activities of the Mental Health Service Line to help ensure that both clinical and administrative functions are in compliance with VACO directives and standards issued by various accrediting and regulatory groups including the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, Office of the Inspector General, the General Accounting Office, Board Medical Examiners, etc.

The position provides comprehensive customer service for employees travelling on VA business.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met.

Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized 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#: Program Specialist/PD402-03335-0 and PD402-03334-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS):Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized