Program Specialist (Policy Manager)

Full Job Description

The position is located at the Roudebush VA Medical Center within Veteran Health Indiana (VHI) in the Quality, Safety & Value (QSV) Service.

The incumbent will be part of a team supporting duties under the Quality Management Supervisor, providing professional support to the Numbered Memorandum (NM) and Policy programs for which QSV has oversight.

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

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 GS11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS09. 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: Administering, analyzing, and performing work involved in establishing, disseminating, or managing VHI policy within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and sharing the National and VISN level directives and policies with the station personnel that assist with policy formulation, advise agency management, and ensure compliance with Federal and State laws governing policies, The Joint Commission (TJC), and other regulatory bodies critical for healthcare administration.

Education: 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 Combination Education/Experience Combining Experience and Education: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience are also qualifying.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Information Assurance Planning and Evaluating Technical Competence 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 position is primarily sedentary, however does require walking when conducting tracers. There are no unusual physical demands. The work is performed in an office setting.

Incumbent is required to perform policy walkthroughs and crosswalks throughout the facility, travel to surrounding Clinic Based Outpatient Clinics, and visit local Business Associates place of business.

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:

Duties and responsibilities are to include, but not limited to: Manages VHI's Policy and Numbered Memorandum (NM) program in Indianapolis, IN in accordance with VA and VHA policy, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and other applicable federal laws and regulations.

The incumbent is responsible for systematically ensuring the control and life cycle of NMs and Procedures that are created and developed throughout the facility, including creation or receipt, processing, distribution, review, organization, storage and retrieval and final disposition in accordance with applicable statutory and regulatory requirements, including the Federal Records Act of 1950, VA and VHA policy, and other applicable federal laws and regulations.

Provides expert advice and guidance to senior leaders and management concerning organizational policies.

Studies the structure and/or functions of client organizations with interrelated work processes, functions, and relationships to resolve complicated substantive problems affecting major programs and requirements, and propose new policies, change, develop and design approaches/strategies, and organizational effectiveness to improve efficiency.

Assists in the writing, development, and submission of policy documents supporting a multi-disciplined operationalization.

May assist in the development of concepts or initiatives that convert into a positive, achievable proposal for testing and change which may develop, shape and update policies and plans so that they will effectively, objectively, and realistically address future needs.

Establishes and promotes organization-wide policy management procedures.

The policy manager is considered a consultant and the subject matter expert as relates to all aspects of policy management throughout VHI.

The intent is not to create all policies, rather to coach and mentor disciplines or collaborative entities to create required Policies, NMs, and procedures necessary to have a fully functional Policy/NM program compliant with The Joint Commission (TJC), VA, VHA, federal, state, and other regulations.

Develop facility NM and Policy procedures in compliance with Department and Administration policies and ensure appropriate implementation within the facility.

When necessary, codify the policies, NMs, or procedures to assist the organization.

Implement, manage and evaluate the Policy and NM programs in the facility by distributing information; preparing facility-specific policy guidance; developing facility website content regarding these programs; reviewing facility processes and workflow to ensure information is appropriately safeguarded, used and disclosed; reviewing all contracts and other facility agreements for appropriate language; any products where individually-identifiable information may be maintained for compliance with program requirements; and assessing the facility policy posture through periodic evaluation of the facility's collection, use, storage and maintenance of NMs and Policies.

Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 0700-1530 Compressed/Flexible: Available at supervisor discretion. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist (Policy Manager)/PD92721-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized