Health System Specialist

Health System Specialist reports to and is aligned under the Office of the Medical Center Director. You are assigned as direct staff to a member of the Executive Leadership Team and their Service Chiefs and Program Officers and serves as a back-up for other Health System Specialists in the office and may be detailed to fill critical administrative leadership positions within the facility and VISN to support continuity of healthcare delivery operations.

Include but not limited to:

• Develops administrative and strategic operational initiatives.
• Leads administrative boards of investigations.
• Functions as advocate for assigned Services within their ELT member's chain of command and accurately represents their needs, problems, and programs.
• Identifies problems, analyze data, and recommend resolutions based on specific knowledge of the organization's objectives and priorities, resources, and catchment area.
• Leads and participates in task forces to analyze problem areas and recommend adjustments to improve existing policy or procedures to achieve desired results.
• Provides staff support to assigned Executive Leadership Team (ELT) member, backup for other Health System Specialists in the office; may be detailed to fill critical administrative positions within the facility to support the continuity of healthcare delivery operations.
• Reviews audits and evaluations conducted at the facility and identifies incidents that may form part of a pattern or be indicative of a more general problem within the healthcare system.
• Provides guidance on program specific matters such as handling legislative issues, the development of policy, protocol issues, and other important correspondence or organizational related matters.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD05976A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/06/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12.

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. For appropriate SF-50(s) to submit please see Required Documents section for examples of SF-50(s) to include.

Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement.

Individual Occupational Requirement:
Health System Administration Series, 0671, has an Individual Occupational Requirement.

Undergraduate and Graduation Education: Major study - Hospital Administration, Public Health Administration, or related fields such as Business or Public Administration with course work in Health Care Administration. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Or,

Specialized 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.

Preferred Experience: Expert investigative execution and strategic leadership support. Conducts complex fact finding (HPP, AIB, etc.) with precision while providing high level operational insight to the Executive Director. Proactive risk identification and systems refinement. Anticipates organizational needs, mitigates risks early, and independently improves structures, workflows, and documentation to meet program goals. Authoritative cross system coordination and executive communication. Leads seamless collaboration across HR, LR, QM, clinical leaders, HSA 2.3 groups, and external partners; represents NF/SGVHS at HSA 2.3 forums and produces executive ready reports that strengthen compliance, safety, and trust.

Minimum Qualification Requirement:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Advanced experience in qualitative and quantitative techniques to evaluate problems and design recommendations. Reviews and develops policies and procedures (e.g., letters, memoranda, program guides, directives) related to organizational elements of healthcare programs. Plans, reviews, organizes and prioritizes resource requests and allocations System-wide to assist the Executive Leadership Team. Obtains data and prepares replies to correspondence from patients, groups, Congressional offices, and other stakeholders for the signature of the Medical Center Director, Network Director, or appropriate Officials. Improving productivity and utilization of resources across administrative healthcare services.

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/.

There is no educational substitution at this grade level but, you may use education to meet the 0671 series Individual Occupational Requirement.

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: No special physical demands such as above average ability, dexterity, or strength are required to perform the work. Work is sedentary, and the employee may sit comfortably. There may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items, driving of an automobile, etc. Fieldwork may involved traveling to other facility sites of care, interviews, meetings, and sources of information.
• 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.