The primary purpose of this position is to implement a Performance Improvement program at the Health Care System level. This position is responsible for delivering Performance Improvement techniques to a broad array of program and services through the Medical Center, including Lean, Six Sigma, Coaching, Project Management, and Training. This position is in the Office of Quality, Safety, Value & High Reliability at the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System (VASLCHCS) in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Duties

The incumbent will have basic knowledge of healthcare Lean / Systems Redesign utilizing standardized tools, and methodologies. The incumbent serves in a developmental assignment, to provide the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the full range of routine and non-routine assignments at the next higher grade. 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 include, but may not be limited to the following: Takes on a leadership role in organizing and conducting performance improvement efforts based on LEAN and systems engineering principles. Provides support to identify appropriate process measures and monitors for quality and performance improvement based on system engineering tools and principles. Identify systems design problems and then identify alternative systems and processes based on LEAN principles to reduce these types of errors. Conduct studies based on systems engineering principles to optimize quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency in healthcare systems. Provides support to medical centers involved in improving patient access and flow. Plan and conduct analytical studies of management functions to improve organizational structure and staffing level efficiency. Develop statistical, graphical and narrative reports and communicate these studies to executive leadership, medical center leadership, and other staff. Leads efforts in the use of information to improve quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency. Contributes to competency development to meet Joint Commission and other accreditation standards. Serves as subject matter expert on LEAN principles, strategic direction and general planning and on ways to raise performance and achieve results. Provides direction and guidance for staff participating in systems redesign, including setting performance standards, adding to position descriptions, and providing feedback on performance. Deal effectively with people from a wide variety of educational and socioeconomic backgrounds involving sensitive and controversial issues utilizing effective communication skills, both verbal and written. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00-4:30 Telework: May be available on an occasional basis as determined by your Supervisor Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD141840 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/02/2023. Time-In-Grade (TIG) Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet TIG 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. 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 TIG 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 1-year TIG, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates 1-year TIG. Note: TIG 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. To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Health System Specialist. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as 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: (1) Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; (2) Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and (3) Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience working within a health care setting, working directly with clinicians and other administrators to solve problems in support of the delivery of patient care; and experience running an administrative component of a health care credentialing and privileging program. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed a Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, Or LL.M in the related field of the position to be filled (i.e., hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration). The education portion must include courses that demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond a master's degree) and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position (i.e., hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration). NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Health System Specialist. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as 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: (1) Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; (2) Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and (3) Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience working within a health care setting, working directly with clinicians and local leadership to solve problems in support of the delivery of patient care; applying organizational and system-wide strategies for continuous quality improvement; and experience running and supervising an administrative component of a health care credentialing and privileging program. Preferred Experience: Candidate with Performance Improvement experience and previous administrative knowledge within the Department of VA. Prefer candidate with previous mentoring/coaching/course instruction experience. Prefer master's prepared individual with performance improvement background. Prefer Lean or Lean Six Sigma Belt Certified. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:Analysis and Problem SolvingCritical ThinkingOrganizational Performance ImprovementQuality ManagementStakeholder Management 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 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. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA SALT LAKE CITY HCS 500 Foothill Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84148 US
• Name: Casey Jones
• Phone: (303) 202-8651
• Email: [email protected]