Health Science Specialist

This Health Science Specialist position is with Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs) in Phoenix, AZ. This position serves as Operations Director for the VHA Breast Imaging Program, managing national program operations and supporting telescreening mammography. Exercises independent technical judgment; collaborates with VHA leaders and subject matter experts; coordinates projects and deliverables; and develops analyses, policies, and strategic recommendations using innovative, interdisciplinary approaches to improve breast imaging services and patient care. Key duties: • Major Duties include but are not limited to: Provides national oversight and clinical integration for the VHA Breast Imaging Program, tracking program goals, milestones, documentation, outcomes, and performance improvement initiatives. Develops and recommends short- and long-term strategic plans, program goals, objectives, and evaluation criteria to assess program effectiveness, quality, and safety. Conducts complex quantitative and qualitative analyses, interprets program data, develops management dashboards, and provides findings and recommendations to support national program decisions. Evaluates accreditation, certification, quality, and safety requirements; conducts risk-based monitoring and assessments; and recommends corrective actions to improve breast imaging services. Develops, reviews, and implements national policies, issuances, guidance, standard operating procedures, assessment tools, reports, briefings, and other program documentation. Provides consultation and technical guidance to VHA leadership, VISNs, field clinical services, program offices, and other stakeholders on breast imaging operations, quality, safety, education, and program implementation. Leads and participates in national committees, advisory groups, workgroups, meetings, and special projects; coordinates with internal and external stakeholders to advance program priorities and strategic initiatives. Develops and implements strategies for risk mitigation, quality improvement, clinical integration, and change management, including activities supporting Electronic Health Record Modernization and the transition of breast imaging services from VistA to Cerner. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 08:00-04:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Ad hoc is defined as occasional, non-recurring telework. Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to in person work mandate in their current position. Definition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA owned or leased space. Position Description/PD#: Health Science Specialist/PD673880 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/23/2026. 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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): The 0601 Occupational series has an IOR that must be met: Basic education requirement (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree with a major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (external link) at the time the degree was obtained. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Resume must support three out of the four examples below: Applying professional knowledge of healthcare delivery, clinical services, and diagnostic services operations to plan, implement, evaluate, or improve complex healthcare programs, processes, or initiatives. Applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to healthcare programs or operations to analyze quantitative and qualitative data, assess program efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, quality, or safety, and develop findings and recommendations for program improvement. Planning, developing, or evaluating healthcare quality monitoring and performance improvement processes to ensure activities are conducted in accordance with applicable policies, procedures, standards, guidance, monitoring plans, or other program requirements. Managing and communicating complex healthcare program information by using data management and analytical tools to develop reports, dashboards, briefings, or presentations and collaborating with healthcare providers, program officials, leadership, committees, or workgroups to support organizational or program objectives. 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/. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.