This Government Information Specialist (Privacy Officer) position is located in the Office of the Director at VA Boston Healthcare System at the Jamaica Plain, MA campus. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week. This is a Temporary position Not-to-Exceed (NTE) 120 days. Please note that the incumbent is authorized to work from any VA Boston or VA Bedford campuses during this detail.

Duties

This position serves as the Privacy and Freedom of Information Act Officer in the VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS) with a large and complex research program. The Privacy/FOIA Officer position reports directly to a member of the facility Triad (i.e ., Medical Center Director, Chief of Staff, or Associate/ Assistant Medical Center Director). Please note that the incumbent is authorized to work from any VA Boston or VA Bedford campuses during this detail. The Privacy/FOIA Officer contributes to the fulfillment of the VA mission and vision by planning, designing, implementing and maintaining appropriate and effective program, policies and procedures in VABHS. The incumbent fulfills the role of liaison with the facility staff by ensuring that information received is disseminated to the appropriate areas, that employees adhere to mandates from regulatory agencies, and that monitoring is conducted to ensure VA policies and procedures are being followed. In addition the Privacy/FOIA Officer promotes an awareness of privacy principles consistent with the mission, vision and values of the organization and those required by federal law. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Reviewing and responding to appeals of denials of FOIA requests. Developing facility privacy and FOIA policies and procedures in compliance with Department and Administration privacy policies and ensure appropriate implementation within Medical Center. Developing facility-specific privacy and FOIA training materials, as needed, and provide training within the VABHS to staff and programs, as required. Processing complaints and investigating allegations of illegal or improper activities related to the handling or release of privacy protected information. Investigating data breaches and recommending appropriate remediation. Preparing responses to inquiries including those from Congressional Offices, Human Resources, and, where appropriate, Office for Civil Rights. Monitoring compliance with program requirements. Initiating and conducting internal compliance reviews, assessments and audits within the VA Boston Healthcare System (VABHS). Ensuring the Privacy Act systems of records maintained at the facility are retained in accordance with system of records notice. Ensure all VABHS developed forms including paper, electronic and web-based that collect personal information, contain the appropriate Privacy Act statements. Review and approve all Memorandums of Understanding, Data Use Agreements and/or Data Transfer Agreements where such documents are required for the sharing of VA privacy protected data between the VABHS and another party, such as another Federal agency.. Work Schedule: Hours will be set between 7:00am and 4:30pm 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. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist/PD99538-S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized This position is not a 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, 12/03/2024. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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: You must have one 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: 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: Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related. Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond master's or equivalent graduate degree. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationsComplianceReadingTechnical Documentation 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. There will be episodes of moderate lifting or prolonged periods of standing and bending in searching various files. There is lifting and carrying of such items as record boxes and bulky files. The work involves considerable walking, standing and bending conducting rounds, auditing and providing training to both on-site and off-site personnel. There is also occasional lifting and carrying of such items as boxes and files, weighing up to 30 lbs. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA Boston Healthcare System 940 Belmont Street Brockton, MA 02301 US
• Name: Robert Spinney
• Phone: 7748264814
• Email: [email protected]