Health System Specialist

The Health Systems Specialist - Health Professions Education (HPE) Specialist supports the Designated Education Officer (DEO) and HPE management for establishing, maintaining, and evaluating the qualify of HPE programs and the quality of care delivered by health professions trainees (HPTs) at the VA medical facility. Conducts and evaluate a wide variety of program management and administrative duties to fulfill requirements related to VHA's academic mission and OAA's strategic plans.

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Responsible for the technical work required for HPE programs including affiliation agreements, trainee qualifications, and credentials letter (TQCVL), program letters of agreement (PLAs), direct HPT/affiliate staff customer service, and the onboarding and offboarding processes of HPTs.
• Review and validate HPT applications, qualifications, and appointment against Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) criteria before starting clinical rotations and performing patient care.
• Inform management with authoritative analyses, policy guidance, and opinions regarding HPT appointment and onboarding and offboarding processes as it relates to HPE programs.
• Enhance the efficiency of processes and HPT training experience as it effects the reputation of VA and its ability to maintain and expand the clinical workforce of VA and the nation through recruitment and retention of highly qualified HPTs.
• Responsible for enacting process changes with OAA, affiliate staff, facility leadership, clinical and administrative service lines by implementing SOPs, developing and administering training programs, and advising on HPE regulations.
• Provide complex coordination across clinical and administrative service lines at both facility and Veterans Services Integrated Network (VISN) levels.
• Synthesize and maintain data from diverse data systems and sources to cross check, validate and present relevant information and reports.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

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.

Work Schedule: Variable tours of duty TBD.
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/PD99460-S and PD99461-S
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, 10/23/2026.

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-09 grade level. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. For a GS-09 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 grade level. 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 and/or education as described below:

• Specialized Experience for GS-9: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the healthcare field. This work may have been performed in an operating healthcare 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: 1)Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of healthcare delivery systems. 2)Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups. 3)Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.
• At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience working within a healthcare setting; working directly with healthcare professionals and other administrators to solve problems in support of the delivery of patient care; and experience assisting an administrative component of a healthcare onboarding process. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a master's or equivalent graduate level education.

• Specialized Experience for GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the healthcare field. This work may have been performed in an operating healthcare 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: 1)Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of healthcare delivery systems. 2)Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups. 3)Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.
• At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience working within a healthcare setting; working directly with healthcare professionals and other administrators to solve problems in support of the delivery of patient care; and experience running an administrative component of a healthcare onboarding process; and analyzes and synthesizes data from diverse data systems to improve business processes. OR

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 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. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a master's or equivalent graduate level education. (To compute, divide your total months of qualifying experience by 12, then divide your semester hours of graduate education beyond one year by 18, add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify.) (Note: you must attach a copy of your transcripts.)

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Administration and Management
• Computer Skills
• Organizational Performance Analysis
• Stakeholder Management

Preferred Experience: Experience with training, access requests, working with students/residents within the department. ADPAC trained.

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; although, some slight physical effort is required. Accompanying HPTs through the medical site or clinical training site may be required. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel to and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the worksite. Stamina and concentration to meet crucial deadlines is required. The work is performed in a typical office environment located in a healthcare facility. The work environment involves everyday risks and discomforts that require normal safety precautions. The responsibilities of the position require occasional travel and may subject the position to various resultant environmental changes.

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
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.