Health System Specialist (Innovation)

Summary This position is based at the Ralph H. Johnson VA in the High Reliability Service Office, under the Office of the Director. The incumbent reports to the Chief of Employee Experience and serves on a small team focused on employee health and development, sustaining organizational process improvements, and advancing innovation to achieve zero harm through high-reliability principles. Learn more about this agency Duties Duties include but not limited to: Identifies and champions opportunities for innovation, in collaboration with local and national internal and external stakeholders. Supports developing a national-level strategy for innovation, including helping to lead and stand-up programs, processes, policies, and infrastructure to support innovation across the VA. Develops and executes a facility-wide plan to promote a culture of innovation and foster innovation throughout RHJVAHCS. Determines awardee eligibility using formulas and methodology and established eligibility criteria. Negotiates terms and conditions of investment awards to include costs, schedules, and oversight responsibilities and works with stakeholders, such as contractors, logistics, and fiscal, to execute and negotiate the specific score, objectives, and terms with internal and external stakeholders. Conducts program evaluation, including monitoring and assessing investee performance, and establishes performance measures for assessment of innovation impact and value to the organization. Conducts risk assessments and business reviews of innovation proposals and projects at sites. Ensures all projects for the Spark-Seed-Spread applications follow federal appropriation law, exercises judgment and initiative to identify what aspects of clearances, and determinations applicable to certain procurements. Develops and executes an external communication plan involving marketing and promotional media to demonstrate the value of innovation projects to Veterans and their families. Works with relevant clinical and administrative chiefs and staff members to develop and share innovation-driven strategic plans for programs, services, and/or the facility. Develops and executes training activities to VA employees at the facility and national level surrounding innovation-related competencies, such as design thinking, the Three Box Solution, entrepreneurship, Human Centered Design and innovation value creation. Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders, such as designers' engineers, entrepreneurs, makers, and other facilitators, to run a full spectrum of innovation training activities at the novice, beginner, intermediate, and expert levels. Positions the organization for success by identifying, developing, and implementing new or cutting-edge programs, processes or strategies. Teaches and trains employees on the business-related competencies related to innovation projects such as business model analysis, Return on Investment (ROI) analysis, cost modeling and analyses and budgeting. Researches, identifies, and implements innovation projects identified as best practices from other sites or within their site. Leads teams on VHA Innovators Network programs in collaboration with Innovation Specialists by communicating effectively through stakeholders, making decisions on complex issues, building coalitions to tackle barriers in the innovation process, and working to align their efforts to national, VISN, and local level strategies priorities. Incumbent will engage with regional, national, and other agency partners on as-needed tasks, program and policy development, and formal planning processes. Works as a member of a small staff of planners and analysts who have responsibility for accomplishing multiple projects related to the aforementioned functions. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Not Suitable Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Innovation)/PD106700 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements Conditions of employment 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. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Some national travel is required and will be principally short in duration. Work requires management deadline projects so work hours may be extended as the project requires. 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 dentification 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/22/2026. 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 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. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): The 0671 series require specific education or experience to be met in order to be appointed into a position of this series. You must meet one of the pre-determined Education or Experience Individual Occupational Requirements listed below as set by Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Undergraduate and Graduate Education in a Major study of hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. ( TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR Specialized Experience of 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. Research and development of new products, processes, and services in a health & science setting Conducting risk assessments and reviews of proposals and projects. Data analysis, project management, and stakeholder engagement. Execution of innovative strategies with project submissions. Organizing and managing project timelines and costs 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. Preferred Experience: 3+ years of experience planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating a portfolio of programs and projects in a complex organizational environment. * Demonstrated experience applying both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess programs, policies, and processes. * Hands-on experience applying Human Centered Design and design thinking methodologies to real-world organizational challenges. * Demonstrated use of innovation frameworks such as The Three Box Solution, Agile, or similar structured approaches. * Experience conducting business model analysis and return on investment assessments for new initiatives or programs. * Background in entrepreneurship, intrapreneurship, or leading innovation labs, accelerators, or pilot programs. * Proven track record of scaling high-impact solutions and embedding best practices across an organization. * Experience leading complex studies or environmental scans to identify future organizational needs. * Experience presenting data-driven recommendations to senior leadership in written and oral format. * Experience preparing briefings, reports, or white papers for senior or executive-level audiences. * Proven experience influencing decision-making at the senior leadership level without direct authority. * Demonstrated ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder working groups and drive consensus toward implementation. * Experience working across organizational boundaries to gain buy-in for new ideas or recommendations. * Experience managing project portfolios involving significant human, financial, or operational resources. * Demonstrated budget management experience, including planning, tracking, and reporting. * Experience applying formal change management frameworks * Experience developing and executing change action plans, including goal setting, stakeholder communication, and progress monitoring. 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 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/. 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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 qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Expand Hide  additional information 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.