The primary purpose of this position is to implement a Performance Improvement program at the Health Care System level. The position is responsible for delivering Performance Improvement techniques to a broad array of program and services throughout the Medical Center, including Lean, Six Sigma, Coaching, Project Management, and Training.

Duties

The Health Systems Specialist (Facility Systems Redesign Specialist) will participate in and facilitates transformative quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency improvement efforts. The Health System Specialist will acts as the project lead for healthcare and operational improvement projects impacting patient care delivery systems and functions throughout the medical center. The Health System Specialist will facilitate, coach, and train audiences at all levels of the organizations throughout the lifecycle of a performance improvement project. Duties will include, but are not limited to: Analytics and Project Management: Organizes, directs, controls and coordinates group activities in a timely and effective manner. Conducts extensive work in analyzing data and conducting background research on the issue. Pulls, isolates and manipulates data to identify root causes of a performance issue. Develops statistical models to measure successful of performance improvement actions. Converts data into numerous formats using advanced statistical models including statistical process control charts, histograms, paretto charts, and many more. 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. Leads a team of subject matter experts, front line staff and leadership through a rigorous and defined project management process utilizing multiple tools from Lean Six Sigma, Lean VA- TAMCCS and other performance improvement disciplines to further define the current state of the process. Leads project teams through designed brainstorming sessions to develop solutions towards a specific deliverable or goal during a project. Identifies various solutions approaches and when necessary further leads them through prioritizing exercises with tools like affinity diagrams, PICK Charts and multi-voting. Creates designs of experiment that align to project goals and team developed solutions. The designs of experiment are hypotheses which are monitored through data for effectiveness or failure. Designs of experiment are often iterative and will involve multiple solutions in random or sequential order. Design experiments with process measurement in mind. Develops processes by consulting with subject matter experts in order to develop standard work. Internal Consultation for System Engineering: Provides consultation to executive, service line, and program leadership by leveraging VA data analytics resources. Identifies metrics performing below benchmarked standards or falling below the upper or lower control limits of a statistically controlled models such as SAIL. Plans and conducts studies directed at reducing errors due to cognitive overloading and human- computer interaction failure. Identifies systems designs problems that contribute to human errors. Identifies alternative systems and processes based on Lean/Systems Redesign/Systems Engineering principles to mitigate these types of errors. Collects baseline information, identifies limitations in current systems, and discovers potential improvements. Develops statistical, graphical, and narrative reports, and communicates these studies to medical center executive leadership, service chiefs, supervisors and other staff. Aligns identified metrics to known organizational priorities, such as VA/VHA/VISN/Facility strategic or operational plan. Educator: Provides instruction to others on Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Systems Redesign or other improvement methodologies principles and tools through formal classroom instruction or small group mentoring. Develops written and verbal teaching materials. Delivers classroom instruction about Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Systems Redesign or other improvement methodologies tools and techniques to all levels of the organization. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Ad-hoc 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 position. Position Description/PD#: Health Systems Specialist (Facility Systems Redesign Specialist)/PD00012A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Note: This is a Non Bargaining Unit Position.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/20/2023. 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. Candidates must meet the following Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): 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. 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. Or 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 Required) 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: thorough knowledge of the mission, organization, and program requirements of healthcare delivery systems, the VA system in general and the local facility to define a project scope and goals through a collaborative process and provide consultation to executive, service line, and program leadership. Knowledge of hospital operations, policies and procedures as well as VA regulations, policies, and program guidelines to identify projects the improving quality outcomes and maximize return on investment of utilized resources Knowledge of clinical practice guidelines and guidelines designed by healthcare improvement organization to collect, analyze, and present data for performance improvement studies and projects. Comprehensive Knowledge of healthcare Lean/Systems Redesign utilizing standardized tools, methods, and principles such as Lean and Six Sigma, along with industrial and quality engineering principles and concepts to identify systems design problems, define a project scope and goals through a collaborative process, and prepare studies for facility leadership. Skill as an excellent communicator which includes the ability to listen well, write with clarity, and speak effectively to small and large groups. The position requires administrative expertise, mature judgment, working knowledge of medical center operations and the myriad of oversight bodies that have a role in regulating the VA. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Client Orientation Creative Thinking External Awareness Organizational Awareness 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 sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. 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 GS-12 grade level.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

Contacts

• Address Thomas E Creek VA Medical Center 6010 Amarillo Boulevard, West Amarillo, TX 79106 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]