Program Specialist

Full Job Description

You will serve as a Program Specialist with Telehealth Program under Clinic Operations and Business Intelligence (COBI) Service Line of VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) in Seattle, Washington.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 03/30/2026.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07.

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.

This is a two grade-level position, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-07 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 level or pay band in the Federal service that includes performing the following duties: experience with telehealth modalities: Synchronous, asynchronous, and remote monitoring, as well as all Telehealth and Connected Care technologies and information technology platforms; experience with budget preparation, coordination, and implementation of program technical initiatives; experience with implementation, management, and evaluation of all telehealth technologies/applications; skilled in conducting administrative and clinical duties; able to analyze and solve complex problems/issues; experience interpreting and applying laws, regulations, policies, and precedents that affect the outcome of program operations; and skilled in adapting analytical techniques and evaluation criteria to the measurement and improvement of tele-health program effectiveness and/or organizational productivity.

OR, EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You have completed one (1) full year of graduate level education OR have a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement.

This education must have equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position at this grade level and is in a field directly related to the position.

NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR, COMBINATION: EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You have some specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level but less than one year, and I have some graduate level education but less than one year.

I have computed the percentage of the requirements that I meet, and the total is at least 100% of the requirement for the GS-7 grade level. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application.

Education cannot be credited without documentation.

SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): To meet the qualification requirements for this position using Superior Academic Achievement (SAA).

You have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and I meet one of the following: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision OR A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study OR A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study OR Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

GS-09 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level or pay band in the Federal service that includes performing the following duties: experience with telehealth modalities: Synchronous, asynchronous, and remote monitoring, as well as all Telehealth and Connected Care technologies and information technology platforms; experience with budget preparation, coordination, and implementation of technical program initiatives; experience with implementation, management, and evaluation of all telehealth technologies/applications; skilled in conducting administrative and clinical duties; able to analyze and solve complex problems/issues; experience interpreting and applying laws, regulations, policies, and precedents that affect the outcome of program operations; skilled in adapting analytical techniques and evaluation criteria to the measurement and improvement of tele-health program effectiveness and/or organizational productivity; independently review quality and performance data (patient satisfaction surveys, image quality, performance metrics, clinic wait times) for Telehealth and Connect Care program effectiveness and satisfaction and develop process improvements as required; act as the subject matter expert (SME) for all Telehealth, Connected Care technologies, and information technology (IT) platforms, processes, and systems that the VA utilizes; and evaluate communication hardware/software and troubleshoot network related problems in technology/system operational settings, provide technical support, and participate in the integration and testing of Telehealth networks.

OR, EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You have successfully completed a master's degree or equivalent graduate degree OR I have two (2) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR I have a LL.B.

or J.D., if related, that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials.

Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR, COMBINATION: EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION: (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): You have some specialized experience as described in A but less than one year, and I have more than one year but less than two years of graduate education as described in B.

I have computed the percentage of these requirements that I meet, and the total is 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).

NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application.

Education cannot be credited without documentation 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:

Provide technical and program support to sustain Telehealth and Connected Care operations throughout VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) using state-of-the-art, clinical technologies, and partnerships to provide access to care to Veterans.

Deliver health care through all Telehealth modalities: synchronous, asynchronous, and remote monitoring.

Act as the subject matter expert (SME) for all Telehealth, Connected Care technologies, and information technology (IT) platforms, processes, and systems that the VA utilizes.

Responsible for supporting Facility-wide clinical Telehealth and Connected Care initiatives primarily by ensuring efficient operation of all Telehealth modalities, especially Synchronous Telehealth programs.

Provide support to the Facility Telehealth Coordinator (FTC) and clinical leaders in technology planning. Prepare and implement budget. Coordinate and implement technical program initiatives.

Manage and evaluate all Telehealth and Connected Care technologies/applications, in accordance with VISN and VACO (Connected Care and Telehealth in VA Central Office) guidelines, policies and procedures.

Coordinate with Information & Technology (OIT), Biomedical Engineering, Unified Communications Infrastructure Support (UCIS) and other Service Lines and staff to incorporate new technology, concepts, and programs into new and existing systems.

Serve as the SME for all Telehealth and Connected Care technologies. Work independently to serve the needs of VA Puget Sound Health care Systems' Telehealth and IT staff.

Flexibly serve the ever-changing challenges of both Telehealth and Connected Care programs.

Assist and support projects and assignments that are the responsibility of the Facility Telehealth Coordinator (FTC) under Clinic Operations and Business Intelligence (COBI) service line program managers.

Perform other duties as assigned.

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 through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM PDT.

Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Ad-hoc telework is defined as situational telework approved on a case-by-case basis.

Examples of situational or ad-hoc telework include telework because of inclement weather, doctor appointment, or special work assignments.

Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD41264A and PD41525A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Physical Requirements: Physical demands include above average ability, dexterity, and strength to perform the work.

There will be walking, standing, bending, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, carrying items, driving of an automobile, etc. May be required to sit or stand for most of a normal tour of duty.

Will lift and move equipment up to 20 pounds and will reach above shoulder level for technology installation or with assistance with technology installation.

Fieldwork may involve travel for training activities, attendance at meetings and conferences.

Work Conditions: The work is usually performed in an office environment, meeting rooms, clinical spaces or similar settings.

Travel involves the normal risks and discomforts of automobile, bus, rail or air transportation.