Program Specialist

Full Job Description

This position is located in the Mental Health Clinical Center (MHCC), VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS), Perry Point, VA.

The VAMHCS is an integrated facility with primary sites at Baltimore, Perry Point, and Loch Raven; in addition, there are six community-based outpatient clinics.

The system supports over 600 general Medicine & Surgery, General Psychiatry, Substance Abuse Treatment, and Long-Term Care beds.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/02/2026.

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-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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: thorough knowledge of the medical center's goals and objectives of services that affects the MHCC in order to expedite procurement of resources required by the MHCC.

Possess a thorough knowledge of the administrative requirements of the health care delivery system and sufficient knowledge of clinical practice, procedures, and standards of the MHCC.

Possess knowledge of the VAMHCS internal organization to assist Veterans, professional staff, and other VA and community personnel.

must be able to communicate this information to others, includes specifics on the regulations and procedures governing the programs.

Must have a thorough working knowledge of VA regulations and policies and procedures at the VACO and medical center levels in order to make appropriate decisions to advise the Deputy Director, Perry Point, MHCC, and all other medical staff so their decision and action will be consistent with VA policy.

Must have the knowledge of how to search for and access policies both locally and nationally. Must have an intimate knowledge of policy formatting, numbering, routing, & recission methodology.

skill in applying analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification, consideration, and resolution of issues of a procedural and factual nature; knowledge of the theory and practice of management and organization including administrative practices and procedures common to organization; ability to use qualitative and quantitative techniques; and, skill in abstracting information from supervisors and employees to obtain information about organization missions, functions, and work procedures.

Knowledge is required in computer operation and programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Access, SEP-G, and EER.

Knowledge is required in computer operation and programs such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook, Access, SEP-G, and EER.

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

To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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 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.

Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first 2 years) and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements.

Work conditions: The work is primarily performed in an office setting walking to units throughout the medical center is also required.

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: The incumbent provides programmatic and administrative support to the Deputy Director, Perry Point, MHCC, including, but not limited to: Receiving and screening inquiries, incoming mail, phone calls, and visitors on behalf of the Deputy and determining which to personally answer, which to refer or route elsewhere, and which are of special importance for the Deputy's personal attention.

Assisting with administrative planning for new and/or improved patient care programming.

Identifying the need for new local administrative policies and procedures and developing and implementing local processes and procedures to enhance the administrative functions of the MHCC service lines.

Coordinating the needs of subordinate organizations in the development of short and long-range policies and providing formularized guidance on behalf of the Deputy.

Serves as a technical expert regarding administrative personnel processes and procedures and provides guidance and assistance to managers and coordinators with processing actions related to leave administration, administrative & disciplinary actions, incentive award programs, wellness and employee engagement, recruitment and placement, position management and classification, performance appraisals and continuing education activities.

Responsible for directing the work of other clinical or administrative clerical staff within the scope of their own work to assure that deadlines are met, and the daily needs of offices are completed.

Creates and maintains a monthly checklist process for Environment of Care in the MHCC Perry Point including but not limited to refrigerator temperature checklists, assessing water leaks, slip and fall hazards, etc., and ensures compliance with Joint Commission and CARF safety standards for outpatient and residential settings.

Plans, coordinates, implements, and recommends action concerning equipment, supplies, budget, space, and personnel. They will assist in office assignment, use of shared spaces, new construction, etc.

Manages data on productivity, utilization, and availability of space within MHCC programs.

Responsible for completing 100% inventory of all MHCC-owned items at the Perry Point campus, including tracking and inventorying equipment in assigned equipment inventory lists (EILs), helping sections draft equipment requests, recommending the priority of equipment needs, communicating with other departments, and completing Reports of Survey if equipment cannot be located.

Performs market research and technical research for approved purchases and coordinates the equipment procurement/installation with multiple VAMHCS departments, including Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Engineering.

Monitors and gathers productivity and efficiency data via OPES, Pyramid analytics, program manager and coordinator input, and other available data resources and analyzes data related to program access, productivity, clinic usage, consult tracking, etc., generating reports, presenting findings, and making recommendations to the Deputy Director, Perry Point, MHCC for enhancements that meet VAMHCS, VISN and VHA standards for waits, delays and customer service.

Assists in developing data management procedures and systems that produce accurate reporting of workload and resource utilization within the MHCC to generate recurring and nonrecurring reports that analyze clinical efficiency and resource utilization levels.

Uses VISTA, VSC and other automated databases to extrapolate data. Generates statistical and analytical reports using various sets of data in support of administrative operations.

Interacts with the MHCC Director, Deputy Director, Program Managers, Program Coordinators, Business Office staff and other medical center management to resolve issues related to cost effectiveness and quality of care.

As directed, completes special projects on behalf of the service line or medical center. These projects may be broad based in nature and scope to include extensive research and market analysis.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8am - 4:30pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD210280 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized