Health System Specialist

Summary The incumbent serves as Health System specialist to the to the Deputy Chief of Staff at the VHA Finger Lakes Healthcare System. The position is seated within the Bath, NY campus, with the adhoc requirement to travel to all sites within the VHAFLHCS. The incumbent serves as a principal advisor to the Deputy Chief of Staff, responsible for a wide range of responsibilities and is actively involved in clinical/administrative operational issues and strategic planning for the health care system. Responsibilities Administrative Operations Management The incumbent is responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating, implementing, directing, integrating, controlling, and evaluating administrative elements that impact the delivery of patient care for programs that align under the DCOS. The incumbent uses sound judgement in decision-making that focuses on meeting and improving quality customer service in support of patient-focused outcomes. The incumbent ensures administrative and regulatory requirements for programs assigned to the DCOS are met including reviewing and interpreting new and existing directives, handbooks, policies, instructions, regulations, and delegations of authority for potential impact on program objectives, operating policies, and operations. When not in compliance, actions are assigned to bring the program into compliance and tracked to completion. When clarification or guidance is needed the incumbent gains input from the DCOS and other offices including Regional Counsel. The incumbent develops recommendations and implements new or modified guidelines, work processes and operations to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and timeliness of work. Program Analysis and Quality Improvement Analyzes processes and is assigned special studies to evaluate operations in support of the delivery of quality patient care for areas assigned to the Deputy Chief of Staff. Performs studies, analyzes, extracts quantitative and qualitative data, summarizes, identifies, interprets, and evaluates significant trends and issues that affect effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity. Studies and projects addressed are commonly so diverse and intense that they often require input and assistance from departmental or program offices. These studies require study planning, statistical measurement, data analysis, and report preparation and development. When tasked with this type of project, serves as the responsible contact for leading these projects from initiation to completion and may be required to present the results to senior leadership. The incumbent identifies metrics and reviews data, validates accuracy, analyzes findings and makes recommendations based on analysis. The incumbent must be able to creatively resolve any clinical or administrative issues such as failing performance measures or other critical elements as assigned by the Executive Office, VISN or VACO. Supervisory Functions The incumbent has overall responsibility for designated non-clinical Department Office Incumbents, Dental Assistants and provides administrative operation support for clinical incumbents under the Deputy Chief of Staff. Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets, and adjusts short term priorities and prepares schedules for completion of work. Assigns work to subordinates based on priorities, with selective consideration given to the difficulty of the work and the capacity of the incumbent. Develops performance standard for incumbents. Evaluates work performance of subordinates. Gives advice, counsels, or instructs incumbents on both work and administrative matters. Interviews candidates for positions in the unit, and recommends appointment, promotions, or reassignment to those positions. Personnel Administration and Management Work Directs the personnel management program for the Deputy Chief of Staff, performing or overseeing the full range of human resources requirements. Acts as the liaison with human resources office concerning personnel-related matters, EEO Office, and local Union for the Office of the DCOS. Provides advice and assistance to managers and staff concerning Federal and agency personnel processes and procedures. Assists managers in projecting staffing needs, writing position descriptions, developing job analyses, preparing performance plans and appraisals, and processing training requests. Resource and Budget Management The incumbent supports all aspects of the operations and has specific responsibilities for the overall management of fiscal and personnel aspects of the services under the DCOS. Monitor expenditures and recommend allocations of funds under DCOS Provide information to support positive accomplishments of an effective utilization of resources as related to the budget, administrative staffing, equipment, contractual services, and physical program needs Recommend alternative courses of action that lead to the betterment of Veteran and employee experience outcomes Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm EST Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD11235O Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/22/2024. 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 GS12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS11. 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 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: Experience in being responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating, implementing, directing, integrating, controlling, and evaluating administrative elements that impact the delivery of patient care for programs that align under the DCOS; Ability to ensure administrative and regulatory requirements for programs assigned to the DCOS are met including reviewing and interpreting new and existing directives, handbooks, policies, instructions, regulations, and delegations of authority for potential impact on program objectives, operating policies, and operations; Experience with managing administrative processes are in place to keep Service Chiefs and their administrative teams informed of organizational updates, and/or program changes impacting their programs and proactively identifying and solving problems before they become significant, anticipating, and developing solutions that will prevent problems; Experience analyzing processes and is assigned special studies to evaluate operations in support of the delivery of quality patient care for areas assigned to the Deputy Chief of Staff; and Ability to perform studies, analyzes, extracts quantitative and qualitative data, summarizes, identifies, interprets, and evaluates significant trends and issues that affect effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Interpersonal Skills Manages and Organizes Information 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 work is primarily sedentary and performed in a typical office setting, involving a normal amount of sitting, walking, standing, carrying, etc. There is frequent use of computer monitor and keyboard. The setting may be quite stressful at times because of the complexity and quantity of work. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.