Health Systems Specialist

This Health Systems Specialist position is with Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs) in Phoenix, AZ. The Primary Health System Specialist serves as the principal administrative and communications liaison within the VISN Operations Center. This position is responsible for all administrative and communications functions between the VISN, VA Headquarters, and Health Service Areas. Key duties: • The Primary Health System Specialist exercises sole discretion and direct authority to manage and coordinate the work of Management Analysts and Staff Assistants, and collaborates with Strategic Planners, Veterans Experience Officers, Public Affairs Officers, and Compliance personnel aligned at the VISN level to direct the Health Service Area. The role ensures operational excellence and strategic alignment of the VISN, meeting organizational objectives and engaging stakeholders through robust administrative and communications practices. The incumbent has a direct reporting line to the Network Director and senior VISN leadership, regularly communicating executive-level guidance and operational recommendations without intermediary review. The position is located within VHA and the department that reports directly to the Under Secretary for Health. Major Duties Include but are not limited to: Serves as the Primary Health System Specialist, functioning as the primary liaison between the VISN, Health Service Area, and VA Headquarters, facilitating the flow of information and assignments between such offices. Has sole authority to set priorities, assign tasks to administrative support personnel, and ensure completion of all administrative requirements for the VISN Operations Center. Prepares daily briefings and delivers information directly to VISN and HSA Senior Executive Leadership Teams as required. Evaluates facility and VISN operations against short and long-range objectives. Performs administrative work in one or more of the following areas: personnel, management/administration, budgeting and financial management, procurement and contracting, property management, and/or supply. Independently determines the methods and approaches used to manage these functions. The incumbent performs management support work. such as program or office planning, evaluation of administrative programs or issues, training program administration, correspondence control, liaison, special projects, or board or committee related work. Exercises independent judgment and discretion to resolve administrative, procedural, and operational issues without supervisory review. Directs and manages all administrative functions within the VISN Operations Center, ensures efficient workflow, oversees resource allocation, and ensures adherence to organizational policies. Acts as the principal administrative lead in all communications and coordination with Strategic Planners, Veterans Experience Officers, Public Affairs Officers, and Compliance teams to achieve organizational objectives. Serves as the responsible contact for projects from initiation to completion, including presentation of results to senior Leadership. Provides comprehensive staff support in the development of both long- and short-range policies and plans for the organization by coordinating the medical administration needs of the organization(s) to which accountable. Leads all administrative planning processes for the VISN Operations Center, provides authoritative recommendations, and develops administrative processes, guidance, and systems that ensure continuity of operations. Administers planning process and provides authoritative recommendations. Develops and directs the total and complex administrative duties of the VISN Director and Deputy Network Director. Develops processes, guidance, systems, sustainment, and succession in VISN operations. Gathers and maintains valid data used to develop, evaluate, and modify organizational structure and systems to achieve program goals. Participates in the analysis and interpretation of workload and other data used in resource planning. Conducts or participates in analytical studies on operational processes, issue topics, or special projects, frequently requiring input and assistance from program offices. Exercises full discretion in analytical approach and reporting, providing findings directly to the Network Director. Manages communications between the VISN, VA Headquarters, and Health Service Areas, ensuring timely, accurate, and consistent information dissemination. Coordinates work among Management Analysts and Staff Assistants, providing guidance, mentorship, and performance evaluation input to promote professional development and team effectiveness. Manages and coordinates online communication tools such as intranet websites and SharePoint collections, ensuring compliance and effective information management. Briefs and advises VISN and Health Service Area Executives on agenda issues in preparation for activities and meetings, and may represent the office at internal or external events. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Systems Specialist/PD00002VS 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, 09/28/2026. Individual Occupational Requirement Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR, Specialized Experience: 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. 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. In addition to the above Individual Occupational Requirement and Time in Grade Requirement above, you must also qualify based on your experience as described below. GS-13 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: Regularly advising and representing a facility and/or organization's executive leadership both internally and externally in variety of settings. Independently responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. Work must have involved a close working relationship with managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided expert level 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. 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.