Health System Specialist

Summary This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of the Director, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center (VAMC). The primary purpose of the Organizational Health Specialist is the oversight and integration of the Organizational Health Program, while working in conjunction with the Organizational Health Psychologist. Duties The primary purpose of the Organizational Health Specialist is the oversight and integration of the Organizational Health Program, while working in conjunction with the Organizational Health Psychologist. This includes developing and supporting activities designed to meet the facility's strategic goals and priorities, including becoming a High-Reliability Organization (HRO). A key role will be HRO implementation and ensuring HRO project goals and solutions are rolled out successfully and in a sustainable way. Some duties associated with this position include, but are not limited to the following: Establishes criteria for project implementation and the management of Organizational Health projects. Incumbent monitors, analyzes and coordinates projects assigned or required to be implemented within the Healthcare System in conjunction with System Redesign and HRO. Formulates new and revises existing Medical Center policies and procedures as necessary to support program implementation. Develops new and revises Medical Center Memoranda and Bulletins that pertain to the project. Incumbent will use technical skills and scientific methodologies to resolve critical programmatic, organizational, and functional problems. Incumbent will present staffing recommendations and negotiating solutions to disputed recommendations. Incumbent will participate in "in-classroom" training courses and seminars both within and outside the Healthcare System. The incumbent will collaborate with national, regional, and local level offices to propose, develop, and analyze studies independently. The incumbent will collaborate with strategic planning to ensure the provision of high-quality services to meet the needs of the Veterans and employees being served. Supports and advocates for staff throughout the Healthcare System in areas that are critical for improving the health of the organization, employee engagement, and other high reliability efforts. The incumbent will participate in research around the efficacy of current existing systems and processes identified in impacting the Healthcare System and considering or designing/planning opportunities to improve the process. Conducts, collects, compiles after action reviews, feedback surveys, AES, and all other evaluation data associated with facility performance. Ability to analyze problems and present both written and oral recommendations, taking into full consideration the wide range of factors and requirements which affect the management of the health care delivery system. Expert knowledge of organization, programs, missions, and functions of a health care delivery system. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: May be authorized on an Ad-Hoc basis, to be determined by Supervisor Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD145850 Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of employment Probationary Period: 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.Conditions of Employment: You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job Subject to a background/suitability investigation May serve a probationary period Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/23/2026. Health System Administration Series, 0671 Individual Occupational Requirements: 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. 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 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 IOR you must also meet the following grade and Specialized Experience requirements: 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. 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: Knowledge of regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups and ability to reconcile contradictory requirements in preparing staff recommendations and/or in coordinating clinical and administrative services; ability to communicate effectively with each in order to gather information, present recommendations, and coordinate services. Ability to analyze problems and present both written and oral recommendations, taking into full consideration the wide range of factors and requirements which affect the management of the health care delivery system. Management and organizational principles and practices, along with a comprehensive knowledge of planning, programming, and budgeting regulations, guidelines and process, is required. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Customer Service Leadership Technical Competence 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 mostly sedentary and involves the use of typical office equipment (e.g., laptop, cellphone, copiers, MiFi, fax machines, etc.). However, the work requires travel to attend meetings, coordinate program actions and, at times, to present briefings to large and small audiences. Some standing, walking, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers or files would be required which are customary physical demands of the position. There is light physical activity including pushing, pulling, reaching, stooping and climbing stairs. 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/. 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. Additional information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP), va.gov/EMPLOYEE/docs/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. The following will be communicated to applicants for VA employment in a testing designated position and will also be included in all VA vacancy announcements for such positions: All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drugs use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/. Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. 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. Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.