Health System Specialist

This Health System Specialist position is with Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs) in Phoenix, AZ. The Health Systems Specialist position is located in the Advanced Fellowships section of the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) for the Veterans Health Administration. OAA functions as the focal point in VHA for the development of policies and guidelines relating to academic affiliations and clinical education of health care education of health care professionals in training and for implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of those VHA policies and procedures. Key duties: • Independently manages complex national initiatives that support organizational goals. Conducts advanced program evaluations to guide improvements and decision-making. Provides expert consultation to internal and external partners and contributes to policy development. Performs technical guidance and reviews proposals for quality and accuracy. Initiates and implements specific tasks pertaining to daily operations. Develops analyses and review reports to facilitate improvements in health professions education programs and policies. Leads, manages and/or administers project resources while maintaining the quality assurance processes. Develops and initiates procedures and processes needed to accomplish the goals of the department. Organizes and coordinates meetings to advise stakeholders. 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 8:00 am-4:30 pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Definition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA-owned or leased space. Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in-person work unless they are approved for an exception or an exemption. Any approval for an RTO exception, exemption, or extension will happen after a tentative job offer, but before a final job offer Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD77932A and PD80588A Qualifications: To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/09/2026. This announcement will close on November 9, 2026, or once the first 80 applications have been received, whichever occurs first. Applications submitted after the 80-application limit has been reached will not be considered, even if the announcement continues to appear on USAJOBS. Health System Administration Series- 0671 -Individual Occupational Requirement for GS-12 and GS-13 For the GS-12 position-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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: You must have - Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR, Specialized Experience of progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following: - Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; - Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and - Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. OR, Special Provision for Inservice Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements; Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program. 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-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Assist in planning and tracking HPE project activities by drafting task lists, sequencing milestones, and monitoring timelines and costs to support successful project execution. Conduct basic qualitative and quantitative analyses by gathering data, compiling results, and preparing summary reports that evaluate program efficiency and effectiveness. Provide implementation of OAA and VA policy by preparing field communications, coordinating with affiliates, and ensuring program actions align with established procedures. Coordinate meetings, briefings, and status reviews with internal staff and external partners to monitor progress, identify emerging issues, and maintain alignment across project stakeholders. Prepare briefing materials, white papers, and draft reports that communicate program status, milestones, and issues for leadership review and decision-making. For GS-13 position-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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. 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-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to Lead project management efforts by defining scope, requirements, deliverables, schedules, risk controls, and change procedures to ensure projects advance from initiation through completion. Design complex program evaluations by applying qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze multi-site data, identify trends, and develop actionable recommendations for policy and program improvement. Develop program guidance-including directives, field communications, and white papers-that translates regulations, accreditation standards, and VA policy into operational instructions for clinical training programs. Advise senior leadership and staff to resolve program issues, reconcile differing requirements, and ensure consistent implementation of OAA initiatives. Manage and analyze large multi-site datasets by designing data collection tools, conducting outcomes analysis, and delivering executive-level reports and briefings that inform operational decisions and national policy direction. 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.