The Program Applications Specialist (PAS) is the integrator coordinating all business processes and data collection for the service. The PAS provides continuous oversight for a variety of hardware/software programs integral to the overall administration and operation of the service and effects programmatic changes at the facility level. The incumbent identifies system inefficiencies and develops studies or data collection techniques related to specific identified problems.

Duties

Duties Include, but are not limited to: Coordinates and processes all data collection and analysis to determine organizational performance and process effectiveness. Responsible for the coordination, planning, implementation, and training for service and facility staff in business and functional areas for various information technology VISTA packages, e.g. Admissions/Discharge/Transfer (ADT); Scheduling; Patient Treatment File (PTF); Medical Record Tracking; Purchased Care; Patient Care Encounter and Visit Tracking (PCE); Ambulatory Care Reporting (ACRP); Network Health Exchange; Automated Information Collection System (AICS). Provides training and troubleshooting for clinical and administrative staff in business processes and associated supporting software. Conducts projects and studies that impact the overall functions of the services to achieve maximum return on investment and quality of service. Uses collectable employee data to determine current performance establishment of appropriate performance measures. Develops initiatives which will enable the facility to provide quality health care to its population while operating in a more effective and efficient manner. Performs continuous evaluation and analysis to assess program effectiveness and to identify areas requiring management attention. Plans initiatives for hardware and software needs for the service. Determines the physical and data security needs for the service areas and implementing necessary improvements. Assures data is being captured and reported accurately and appropriately. Assists leadership with establishing administrative qualitative standards. Maintains records, prepares project administrative and statistical reports, assures compliance with review process, and monitors compliance with program requirements. Performs other related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Preferred Experience: Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Power BI, Pyramid Analytic tools, Microsoft Azure SQL, basic data analysis skills, data mining, other analytic systems. NOTE: Interviewees will be required to present a completed data report they have created at the time of interview. Please see preferred experience above. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Applications Specialist/80264-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 05 Oct 23. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. 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. Note: ACWA (the Administrative Careers With America) testing may be required at GS-7 grade level. (Note that references to "ACWA," the Administrative Careers With America examinations, pertain only to positions that meet the ACWA criteria.) You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-07: You must have one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: understanding of qualitive and quantitative techniques for analyzing and measurement of the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of administrative and technical programs; understanding of performance improvement principles; understanding of health care systems and delivery systems, management principles, practices, methods and techniques; understanding of Veterans Integrated Systems Technology Architecture (Vista A) packages that support business processes needed; understanding of business metadata; understanding of information security principles and methods; communicating clearly both orally and in written format. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level (in excess of 1 year of full-time study or 18 hours). Specialized Experience GS-09: You must have one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: understanding of qualitive and quantitative techniques for analyzing and measurement of the effectiveness; understanding of health care systems and delivery systems, management principles, practices, methods and techniques; understanding of Veterans Integrated Systems Technology Architecture (Vista A) packages that support business processes needed; collaborating with VA trouble-shooting design and software implementation teams; understanding of appropriate VA policies, VA directives, operating procedures, information flow, and of prevailing automated practices in government agencies ; as well as the mission and goals of the medical center's health care delivery system; providing advice, guidance, and recommendations to management and other technical specialist on integration issues; understanding of information security principles and methods. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level (in excess of 1 year of full-time study or 18 hours). Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have one (1) full 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: analyzing and measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of administrative and technical programs; understanding of the mission, organization, and work processes throughout the medical center and, integrating management services with general management of the organization; analyzing, evaluating, and making recommendations on major aspects of all assigned VISTA and commercial off the shelf computer packages; developing specifications and business process models while collaborating with OI&T to troubleshoot computer packages; developing and refining information for comprehensive reports addressing elements such as cost analysis, work measurement, trend analysis, efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, and assess the success and failure in attaining program operational goals/objectives; to utilize resources efficiently and effectively; understanding of service software to train employees, identify inconsistencies, and discuss with management capabilities of computer software feasibly toward meeting their objectives, developing new workflow processes intergraded with suggested software solutions to alleviate software deficiencies; applying user acceptance testing principles, methods, and approaches sufficient to test, debug and maintain software applications that meet functional requirements; understanding of PIMS software to create entry transactions on simple data needs; understanding of business metadata to provide information related to continued business operations and external request such as JACHO, SOARS, and other internal audits; communicating a clear, logical, and concise explanation of information, both orally and in written format. 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 degree or LL.M., if related. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level (in excess of 1 year of full-time study or 18 hours). 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. Physical Requirements: Regular and recurring work is mostly sedentary involving sitting at a desk, ability to move from one geographic location of the facility to another. The incumbent works with a computer screen and keyboard. Some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending, or prolonged sitting may be required. 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 Jonathan M Wainwright Memorial VA Medical Center 77 Wainwright Drive Walla Walla, WA 99362 US
• Name: Craig Smith
• Phone: (509) 968-8154
• Email: [email protected]