Program Specialist

at Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Job Description

Summary Position is organizationally aligned to the Quality, Safety, Value (QSV) Department at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (537) in Chicago, IL The primary purpose of this position it to provide administrative and management related support by analyzing, evaluating, advising, and/or conducting administrative processes and activities, and to participate fully with the Chief, QSV. Responsibilities Duties Include: Independently directs and manages the office operations functions of the entire QSV Department. Determines appropriate sources of information required to research and obtain essential information to accomplish the office operations work efficiently and effectively. Interpret administrative policies, develop, and implement new policies, define administrative requirements, and provide advice to top management on related issues. Retrieves and gathers confidential data, organizes it, prepares it for Chief, QSV to inform individual assessments and meetings with the Executive Leadership Team. Works with Chief of QSV to accelerate strategy implementation and change by means of the analysis and evaluation of the meaning and outcomes. Develops data driven presentations to be delivered throughout the hospital. Processes incoming and outgoing materials such as correspondence, reports, memorandums, and other forms of written communication. Acts as primary timekeeper for staff within the 3 service lines. Coordinates the personnel management program, performing or overseeing the full range of human resources requirements. Provides for budgeting and policy management support. Participates with service managers in reviewing office needs, plans, and goals to develop budget data and justification for review and approval. Work Schedule: Monday -Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual/remote position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD242410 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 Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, current facility applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 07/29/2024. 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. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience maintaining and updating medical center policies (MCPs), standard operating procedures (SOPs), and committee charters; proficient with use of computer software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point, Access, Outlook, SharePoint, and VISIO to establish, maintain, and manipulate data 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: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the Health Systems Specialist position may be used to meet the experience requirements for this position. For example, nine (9) months of appropriate specialized experience equivalent to GS-09 (75 percent of the experience requirement for GS-11) and 2 years of successfully completed graduate level education. (50 percent of the required education, i.e., the applicant has year of graduate study beyond that required for the GS-09), would exceed the total requirement and be qualified for the GS-11 position. NOTE: Only education in excess of 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education may be used to qualify at the grade 11 level. TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer Skills Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Decision Making Manages and Organizes Information Meet deadlines 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 may be required. This work may also include walking distances between buildings, carrying/ lifting small and/or lightweight office type equipment (e.g., telephones, audiovisual equipment, conference call equipment, etc.) Working Conditions: The work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office. The office is shared and located in an area available to walk in customers. 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