Program Specialist

Summary Incumbent serves as the Automated Data Processing Application Coordinator (ADPAC) for Medical Service Dayton VA Medical Center and is directly supervised by the Health Systems Specialist, Medical Service. Responsibilities 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. Duties: Develops guidelines. instructional methods, materials. etc .. and new or improved applications of education technology to training programs. Provides guidance to operating programs in establishing their internal training programs, developing or obtaining training aids and selecting pertinent government or non-government training resources. Develops and/or modifies procedures, courses, training guides and plans and seeks alternative training sources for an organization having a fairly well-defined and readily understood mission. Develops and updates training guides, plans and written internal procedures. Develops and modifies courses, and researches and recommends new or alternative training sources for an organization whose workforce has complex and/or difficult to understand duties. Administers operating programs and activities supporting benefits and services to veterans, dependents or beneficiaries. Coordinates installation and/or implementation of automated data processing systems to support administrative functions; provides refresher training to package users on the application software, information security, and device operation, on at least, an annual basis. Develops and implements plans for use of clinical information systems. Coordinates with staff managers and specialists to develop and improve plans for system operations, validation of data, managerial reports, system security and other system management functions. Designs and maintains a manual contingency system for use when the computers are unavailable; Analyzes results and recommends corrections to improve system operations or data consistency. Performs clerical or technical program support work for a variety of technical and/or program specialists in support of the line programs of an agency; Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-4:30 pm Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD120440 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 GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07; for a GS-11 position, you have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge and skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations; knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents which affect the use of program-related support resources in the area studied; knowledge of the major issues, program goals and objectives, work processes, and administrative operations of the organization; knowledge and skill in adapting analytical techniques and evaluation criteria to the measurement and improvement of program effectiveness and/or organizational productivity; skill in conducting detailed analyses of complex functions and work processes; interpersonal skills in presenting staffing recommendation and negotiating solutions to disputed recommendations; knowledge of a wide range of computer techniques, requirements, methods, sources and procedures. Knowledge of systems software and systems development life cycles, including systems design, documentation, development, and configuration management, data administrations, systems integration and testing. Education: GS-09: Masters degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education that demonstrates the competencies necessary to perform the duties of this position GS-11: PhD or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such degree that demonstrates the competencies necessary to perform the duties of this position Combination: Combination of both education and experience. Note: Only masters education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at the grade GS-09. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Configuration Management Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Data Management Data Systems Database Administration Database Management Systems Identity Management Information Management Information Resources Strategy and Planning Manages and Organizes Information Software Testing and Evaluation Teaching Others Writing 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. Full performance for this grade is a GS-11. This vacancy is open to GS-09 to GS-11. 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, although some slight physical effort may be required. 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 IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.