This Program Specialist position is within the Associated Director of Patient Care Services and is located at the Bedford VA Healthcare System. It is full-time at 40 hours per week.

Duties

The Program Specialist reports directly to the HSS, PCS and serves as a full assistant to the Deputy Nurse Executive. They interacts with all programs in the Bedford Healthcare System VA, both on professional and administrative levels, in performing assigned duties and is in daily contact with service line chiefs throughout the system budget, personnel, supplies, equipment, and ensuring compliance with standards. Duties include, but are not limited to: Efficient organization of the programs within the Patient Care & Nursing Service and provides administrative guidance to the lower-graded support positions and responsibility for the day-today office operations. Monitors and manages incoming actions and requests from initial receipt to completion and closeout. Analyzes the subject matter of incoming information that is generally procedural and factual in nature for appropriate distribution to offices internal or external to the office. Receives and monitors completed actions or responses; analyzes responses for completeness and accuracy against known policies and procedures; and ensures action or inquiry is closed out with the inquirer or office. Participates in special information flow studies, analyses, presentations, and briefings, as assigned. Conducts routine studies on operational processes, issue topics, or related special projects where successive steps in fact-finding are utilized. Works in coordination with other internal reviewing services regarding routine audits and internal/external reviews of a national concern; i. e, fiscal efficiencies and organizational structure that are reviewed by prominent parties such as the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) or the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Works closely with senior management and others in implementing and evaluating policies, plans, and internal operational systems such as correspondence management, information tracking among pertinent offices and stakeholders, and internal/external communication flows. Functions in myriad roles by contacting and engaging with various administrative program officials within Headquarters and in the field to manage, coordinate, and complete various routine assignments or projects that involve or are initiated by these officials. Manages and coordinates all online communication tools such as assigned intranet websites, internal SharePoint website collection, and other related informational tools in consultation with communication specialists. Assures compliance with all applicable policies, and development and maintenance of internal management processes related to these online tools. Coordinates routine events hosted by officials, including town hall meetings with internal staff, with assistance from continuing educational staff and initiatives when warranted. The incumbent. Completes all steps required within an event management process, including facilitating selection of the event time, developing a formal agenda, managing any required contracts and all logistical items, disseminating information to attendees, and ensuring smooth execution of the event. Work Schedule: (Full-time) Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Not available. Telework: Not authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD036530Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. Notifications: This position is a NAGE Bargaining Unit position. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. This position is in the Competitive Service. Time-in-Grade Restriction: 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. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/20/2023. 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. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. (This is separate from your experience and is mandated by statutory and regulatory requirements.) For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. You must qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:GS-09: Specialized Experience: You must have one 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: knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production; knowledge of the principles, procedures, and tools of data management, such as modeling techniques, data backup, data recovery, data dictionaries, data warehousing, data mining, data disposal, and data standardization processes; working and communicating with clients and customers (e.g., any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit provides, including individuals who work in your agency or in other agencies or organizations outside the Government) to satisfy their expectations. 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 level education or two full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree. LL.B. or J.D. are also accepted, if related. (Transcripts MUST be submitted) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. (Transcripts MUST be submitted) You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCommunications and MediaOrganizational Stewardship 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. There may be some walking, bending, climbing associated with on-site inspections, involving prolonged standing, standing and some activity on rough and uneven surfaces. Work may also require exposure to hazardous materials or conditions which require the wearing of personal protective equipment. There also may be an occasion to carry items, e.g., files, and boxes containing deliverable supplies. 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 Bedford Healthcare System 200 Springs Road Bedford, MA 01730 US
• Name: Tami Sweet
• Phone: 916-213-9783
• Email: [email protected]