Health System Specialist

Summary The position is responsible for delivering Performance Improvement techniques to a broad array of program and services throughout the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center, in Detroit, MI, including Lean, Six Sigma, Coaching, Project Management, and Training. Additional functions of the position involve advising leadership in the formulation of planning complex facility wide Strategic Plans and facility wide projects in the execution phase of supporting of Strategic Planning. Duties The major duties of the Health System Specialist include, but are not limited to: Utilizes Pyramid Analytics, Power BI and other applications to perform sophisticated data analysis, including extracting data from internal and external databases, analyzing and interpreting complex data using basic statistical models, and designing and preparing user-friendly reports. Independently gathers, develops and interprets data from available information systems including ViSTA, Oracle, VHA Support Service Center (VSSC), planning systems, Allocation Resource Center (ARC) and VA performance measurement system and Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL). Conducting analysis utilizing a variety of databases to support facility leadership in development and implementation of strategic, tactical and operational plans. Reviews, interprets and analyzes VHA information documents, such as VERA workload reports, performance measures, planning models, VSSC and other data sources etc., and translates them into reports and presentations incorporating data mined into sound, useful, visual management information and recommends improvement to operational effectiveness of the medical center. Independently studies and analyzes potential or developing problems affecting operations to arrive at appropriate solutions or recommendations for implementation. In doing so, identifies metrics performing below benchmarked standards or failing below the upper or lower control limits of a statically controlled models such as SAIL. Serving as subject-matter-expert in areas assigned for study to design studies, collect and analyze data, interpret findings, prepare reports, and communicate recommendations to clinical and administrative leadership. Participates in and facilitates transformative quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency improvement efforts. Acts as the project lead for healthcare and operational improvement projects. Facilitates, coaches, and trains audiences at all levels of the organizations throughout the lifecycle of a performance improvement project. Analyze data and conduct background research on issues. Pulls, isolates and manipulates data to identify root causes of a performance issue. Defines a project scope and goals through a collaborative process with subject matter experts and leadership at the facility, service line or program, or unit level. Provides consultation to executive, service line, and program leadership by leveraging VA data analytics resources. Collects baseline information, identifies limitations in current systems, and discovers potential improvements. Develops statistical, graphical, and narrative reports, and communicates these studies to others. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: This position may be eligible for ad-hoc telework as determined by the agency policy and approval from supervisor. Virtual: This is not a virtual or remote position; selectee must report to the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center in Detroit, MI Position Description Title/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD94286A Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion, such as periods of standing when teaching; some walking, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, or similar activities when visiting work sites; and some moderate lifting and carrying. At other times the work is sedentary, requiring the use of a computer. Duties are performed primarily in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office, classroom, or conference room setting. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of employment You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job Subject to a background/suitability investigation Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required 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. 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. 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 Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement. Individual Occupational Requirements: The 0671 Health System Specialist occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR), that all candidates must meet in order to meet the basic qualifications of the position. 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. Transcripts are required. or Specialized Experience(for positions above GS-5): 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. 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 In addition to the basic qualifications listed above, you must also meet the grade level requirement of the position. 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 Federal Service, that is related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as experience which equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform successfully the duties of the Health System Specialist and that is typically in or related to the work of the position. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: applying specialized principles and practices of health care management to direct/support a health care delivery system; conducting data analysis, studying and analyzing program specific-data, compiling final reports of evaluation efforts and noting discrepancies; planning initiatives for effecting actions and/or reaching established goals; developing background and management options available to deal with complex medical center planning and implementation problems; and knowledge and skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues related to the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations performed by administrative, technical, and professional personnel and providers. This position has a Selective Placement Factor (SPF). A SPF is a job-specific qualification required for successful performance in a federal position, beyond the minimum qualifications. It is a knowledge, skill, ability or special qualification that is essential for performing a specific federal job successfully and must be possessed by an applicant at the time of entry into the position. They are used to supplement minimum qualification standards and ensure that candidates have critical capabilities that cannot be easily learned on the job. The Selective Placement Factor (SPF) for this position is: Advanced analytical work to include Structured Query Language (SQL) and advanced Excel experience in order to assist with query author duties and report champion duties with Oracle, and systems redesign/validation experience to include modeling flow, use of A3 and lean tools. This experience must be clearly demonstrated in your resume. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Communication Analysis and Problem Solving Organizational Development Organizational Awareness Systems Engineering Organizational Performance Analysis 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. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. If you are using education to meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) for the 0671 Health System Specialist occupational series then you must submit a copy of your transcripts. 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. Transcripts must be official or unofficial college transcripts. A copy of your certificate/degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process. Transcripts must include the following information: Your Name Name of the college or university Full address of the college or university Degree Received Date Conferred If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume. 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. 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. VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. 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.