This position is aligned under the Director's Office and reports to the Facility Director at the William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, WI. ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

Duties

This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-13. At the GS-12 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-13. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. The Program Specialist - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)/Health Equity Officer is responsible for the overall development, management and implementation of the medical center's DEI strategy and works closely with the Facility Director, executive leadership, senior facility leaders, DEI and health equity practitioners, DEI Training Specialist and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Office to execute key DEI initiatives and to evaluate health equity metrics to take actions to achieve maximum equity for underserved Veteran populations. In this capacity, the person in this position is responsible for implementing guidelines, criteria and standards for the execution of all facets of the DEI and health equity initiatives and policies of the Madison VA and Community-Based Outpatient Clinics, located within the 19-county catchment area spanning southcentral Wisconsin and northern Illinois and developing the respective action plans. The major duties include but are not limited to: Provides leadership on special projects, studies and Tiger Teams as assigned by executive leadership; Works with Veteran Integrated Service Network (VISN) and VA Central Office (VACO) on DEI or health equity initiatives; Serves as a liaison to VISN 12 VHA facilities regarding DEI and health equity issues and works in concert with these facilities on VISN-wide directives, mandates and other projects designed to enhance the continuity and quality of care; Functions with a high degree of autonomy, independently initiating projects/studies, and providing key staff support to the Facility Director; Develops and leads a diverse, multi-professional team that works independently and has extensive experience with program and project analysis and management; Makes independent decisions about the appropriate allocation of time and effort to individual and collaborative projects; Keeps the direct supervisor and leadership informed at all times of any issues or difficulty in achieving established timelines and/or goals; Maintains and enhances relationships with the responsible program offices assigned to each of the operating plans; Operational Oversight: Develops and oversees the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Health Equity Office with oversight over DEI and health equity programs; functions in a senior staff capacity as a top management resource to all services in DEI and health equity coordination, implementation and evaluation of Madison VA administrative and clinical programs, goals and objectives; works with leadership to identify short- and long-term DEI and health equity parameters required to adequately accommodate existing and future healthcare demand; Program Management and Administration: Serves as a program manager for DEI and health equity, which encompass complex assigned projects, working directly with business owners and major initiative leads; serves as an expert advisor on DEI and health equity; leads the development and implementation of proactive DEI initiatives that supports efforts to define, understand, assess and cultivate diversity; Communications and Evaluation: Creates and implements communication strategies and serves as a content manager for the trainings, web resources, social media and print materials to support DEI and related initiatives in collaboration with other services, the facility(EEO) Manager and the DEI Training Specialist; Other responsibilities and Special Projects: Conducts and evaluates special DEI studies on various subjects, most of which require extensive investigation and analysis; reviews various medical center's programs for efficiency and effectiveness and status reports dealing with critical operational matters; designs and provides appropriate analysis; designs and implements follow-up systems to track outstanding issues and matters of concern to executive leadership; and, Performs all other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must meet the following: 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 has given you the particular knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform the duties of a Program Specialist - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion/Health Equity Officer, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience is experience overseeing a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program within a healthcare environment; contributing to the improvement of the overall effectiveness of the facilities processes and clinical, educational and administrative programs; implementing guidelines, criteria and standards for the DEI and health equity initiatives and policies; developing innovative strategies focused on recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce; collecting and analyzing data; preparing a variety of reports, correspondence and presentations; building coalitions and collaborative working relationships with a broad range of diverse individuals. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. Note: A current and valid state-issued driver's license is preferred. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: COMMUNICATIONS LEVERAGING DIVERSITY PROCESS CONTROL VISION IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work of the position is sedentary and does not require any special physical effort. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with travel and attendance at meetings and conferences away from the work site. The person in the position may have to carry light items such as papers, books and portable computer requirement or driving a motor vehicle relative to attendance at meetings. The work often requires long hours to meet project deadlines and to devise corrective action and solutions to unexpected technical and/or management crises resulting in sometimes highly stressful work situations. 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 this grade level.

Contacts

• Address William S Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital 2500 Overlook Terrace Madison, WI 53705 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]