Health System Specialist

This position is in the Office of the Chief of Staff, at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System (GCVHCS). The incumbent works with the Deputy Chief of Staff, Chief of Staff, Health System Specialist to the Chief of Staff, other Executive Leadership/ Pentad, the executive staff of the Pentad, And Service Line Executives to review, plan and coordinate the delivery of health care programs throughout the facility.

Major Duties

• Compiles with directives in preparing annual and cyclic planning documents.
• Obtains reviews and consolidates planning information from subordinate units.
• Provides oversight for facility program/initiatives for the implementation of the clinical, administrative or quality related initiatives and programs.
• Participates in the preparation, mock survey & inspections as well as education of front-line staff in preparation for accreditations.
• Acts as an expert on special projects, advising top management on major office issues.
• Leads, conducts, or participates in complex management studies and reviews -particularly
  those with wide or significant scope. Compiles final report of evaluation efforts.
• Provides full staff assistance on administrative matters affecting organizational policy and serves as a staff member directly supporting the teams responsible for planning, organizing, developing, directing and evaluating operations.
• Ability to apply the specialized principles and practices of health care management in directing or supporting a health care delivery system.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday; 7:30am- 4:00pm. Subject to change, based on the needs of the facility.
Telework: 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/PD03626O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/22/2026.

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-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.

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): IORs represent the basic qualifications for a position. Applicants who meet the Individual Occupational Requirements described below are fully qualified for the specified entry grade and must also meet the specialized experience requirements. Applicants may meet this requirement with one of the below:

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 (transcripts required).

OR

Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience working within a health care setting providing leadership, strategic direction, and oversight of compliance activities; ensuring a standardized and effective approach to compliance using the compliance framework, compliance and Integrity standards, processes, and resources; and experience using complex analytical problem-solving methods, principles, and theories to identify extensive program data and conduct a variety of studies and investigations. 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 In-service 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.

In addition to meeting the above Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) AND one (1) year specialized experience at the next lower grade level, GS-12, applicants must also meet the experience relevant to this position.

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:

• Performing staff support to include short- and long-term planning efforts and preparing annual and cyclic planning documents.
• Obtaining, reviewing, and consolidating planning information from subordinate units.
• Background in administering planning process, performing quantitative and qualitative analysis to monitor the effectiveness of clinical programs/operations in meeting established goals and objectives.
• Evaluating agency-wide programs against short and long-range objectives and benchmarks identified in the Network Strategic Plan.
• Reviewing and analyzing data gathered and maintained in databases.
• Collecting relevant information from many varied sources, some of which are difficult to access.
• Devising new analytical techniques to evaluate findings.
• Preparing necessary management data reports used to track facility performance and goal attainment and making recommendations.

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. 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/.

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/.

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Physical Requirements: assignment. The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Regular and recurring work performed involves sitting at a desk, and/or attendance at conferences/meetings.
• A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.