Health System Specialist- AO

This position is located in the Columbia VA Medical Center. The primary purpose of the position is to provide assistance and support to the Office of the Chief of Staff. The incumbent serves in an entry level position completing more complex assignments, training, and an increased level of authority and responsibility.

Duties of this position include but not limited to:

• Supports administrative and operational activities within the Office of the Chief of Staff by performing defined portions of broader tasks.
• May assist with elements of resource tracking, performance metric monitoring, policy updates, and administrative workflow processes, but does not independently lead, interpret complex policy, or serve as a technical authority.
• Knowledge, skills, and abilities are progressively developed through performance of increasingly complex assignments that are substantively similar to those found at the GS-12 level but adjusted for developmental learning. Guidance and oversight are readily available, and the supervisor provides additional instruction for new or unfamiliar tasks.
• As competency is demonstrated, the incumbent receives more responsibility and increasing independence in completing assignments.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist- AO/PD115260
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/20/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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 Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0670 occupational series. Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

Education:

• Graduate Education with major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. NOTE: You will be required to provide a copy of your transcript ~OR~

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.

In addition to the above IOR requirement, you must also meet the specialized experience as described below:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-10 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Working knowledge of VA operations, medical center services, and administrative processes needed to perform routine analyses and assist in higher-level studies. Developing familiarity with clinical service functions, credentialing processes, performance metrics, and VHA regulatory requirements, applying established guidance with supervisory review. Basic analytical skills to gather data, draft summaries, and support committee processes; methods are reviewed and validated by higher-level staff. Limited understanding of budget, HR, acquisition, and resource-management procedures sufficient to perform discrete tasks; more complex or interpretive work is referred upward. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or
  3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or
  LL.M., if related
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond Undergraduate degree level.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience providing high level administrative support within a healthcare, government, or complex organizational environment. Demonstrated ability to manage executive calendars, coordinate high priority meetings, prepare briefing materials, and support senior leadership decision making.
• Proven skill in analyzing workflow, identifying process improvements, and implementing administrative systems that support operational efficiency. Experience overseeing or coordinating administrative functions such as budget tracking, procurement, human resources actions, timekeeping, and performance reporting.
• Strong understanding of VA, federal government, or large scale organizational policies, procedures, and compliance requirements.
• Ability to independently prepare correspondence, reports, presentations, and policy documents for executive level review.
• Experience handling sensitive information with discretion and maintaining strict confidentiality.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across departments and build effective relationships with clinical, administrative, and operational staff.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to convey complex information clearly and professionally on behalf of senior leadership. Proven competence managing competing priorities in fast paced, high visibility environments with tight deadlines.
• Experience supporting committees, workgroups, and special projects on behalf of senior executives.
• Proficiency with MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), SharePoint, and enterprise systems commonly used in administrative operations.

Quality Ranking Factor:

• Experience with Federal Calendar Tools & SharePoint. Understanding of VA Policy/Regulations.
• Security Clearance or Trust Level.
• Demonstrated skill in managing complex administrative worktlows across clinical and non clinical services.
• Experience preparing executive level briefing materials and presentations.
• Ability to analyze operational data and develop process improvement recommendations.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, SharePoint, and VHA enterprise systems.
• Experience coordinating multi disciplinary committees and high visibility projects.
• Strong written communication skills, demonstrated through drafting policies, reports, or executive correspondence.

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: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. 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 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 period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.