Truman VA Medical Center is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans.

Duties

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Medical Center, Environmental Management Services (EMS). The EMS provides a high quality of environmental operations to ensure a safe, clean environment for all veterans, staff, and visitors. Critical functions of the position include but are not limited to development and delivery of a comprehensive training program, assistance in strategic planning; creating and maintaining statistical data for decision-making purposes; development and monitoring cost effective programs; development of policies as appropriate to support operational functionality; and development of methods and tools to evaluate program productivity, effectiveness, and compliance with regulatory requirements. The duties of this position include but are not limited to: Monitors a comprehensive Quality Assurance Program to ensure that EMS meets regulatory requirements to include Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and quality standards in accordance with Environmental Protection Standards EPS Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO) guidelines. Monitoring, inspecting and documenting functions of all operational segments of EMS to ensure efficiency, productivity, and compliance in accordance with the Department of Veterans Affairs mission, regulations, and directives in addition to Truman VA Medical Center (VAMC) policies. Performs quality assurance work that involves systematic prevention of deficiencies, nonconformance to regulations and standards, and identification of unsatisfactory trends and conditions. Provides instruction and training to both supervisory and front-line staff in all aspects of healthcare sanitation, waste management, recycling, linen/textile care operations, pest management and infection prevention protocols. Provides participants in Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) Program an abbreviated version of instruction and training commensurate with tasks they perform. Serves as the primary educator for EMS. Plans, manages, implements, and directs an effective ongoing employee training program. Facilitates employee comprehension for all job-related established EMS policies, regulations, and procedures directly aligned with positions description and expectations. Responsible for establishing standardized proficiency and competency criteria for all EMS positions to ensure training and education provided are adequate. Recommends educational initiatives to ensure continued proficiency and competency. Gathers pertinent information as it pertains to EMS Quality Assurance and Training by developing and maintaining lines of communication with instructors, specialists, and educators at all levels of VHA and outside organizations to ensure a comprehensive quality assurance program and training curriculum are maintained. Assists in the management of procurement for EMS training aids, equipment, and tools. Assists in the initiation and preparation of procurements to secure adequate resources to facilitate EMS operations, including determining appropriate costs, performing costs analysis, soliciting bids, and writing sole source justifications Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program SpecialistPD101420 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for Highly Qualified Applicants Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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, 11/23/2023 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-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 may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience GS-09: One (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties the Program Specialist at the full performance level (GS-9), and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled? To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the Federal service. Specialized experience may include, but is not limited to: knowledge of administrative concepts, principles, analytical and evaluative techniques, and practices to perform independent duties involving identification, research, and elimination of issues and problems; skill in adapting policies and procedures to emergency situations and establishing new procedures to meet new situations; knowledge to work with Word, Excel, VATAS, VISTA, PowerPoint, Adobe, etc. to complete letters, charts, presentations, reports, etc.; effective training skills to make recommendations on training methods, aids, hands-on exercises, and classroom instructions; skill in developing training courses and training aids. OR, SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) - Applicants may substitute graduate education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level, you must possess a master's or equivalent graduate degree or at least 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) - Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described above. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Interchange Agreement: Applications will be accepted for this position under the Interchange Agreement as outlined in VA Handbook 5005, Part III, Appendix C. This agreement allows for the movement of Title 38 and Title 38 hybrid personnel, who have at least 1 year of full-time continuous service, to apply for competitive service positions. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Adaptability, Attention to Detail, Education and Training, Interpersonal Skills, Self Management, and Teaches Others 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: Work is in a combination of sedentary and non-sedentary, with some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items, such as papers and books. Typically, the Program Specialist may sit and do the work. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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 Harry S Truman Memorial Veterans Hospital 800 Hospital Drive Columbia, MO 65201 US
• Name: Rachel Gallagher
• Phone: 785-640-9971
• Email: [email protected]