The incumbent serves as a national subject matter expert in continuous process improvement, supports the oversight of VISN and medical facility-based improvement programs, and provides consultation to VHA program offices. This position reports directly to the Deputy Director for Systems Redesign and Improvement in the National Improvement Office.

Duties

Major duties include, but not limited to: Systems Redesign Manages complex project, including systems resign/improvement education initiatives for application to VAMC-based teams and individual participants. Incorporates improvement methodologies to clear identify current state of key processes to which to apply interventions an assess gains, strong practices, and sustainment/spread strategies to improve Veteran outcomes. Measures and analyzes qualitative factors focused on quality and safety, Veteran satisfaction, and value of healthcare as relates to project managed and led. Develops new projects and national initiatives for improvement bases upon data analysis, recommends opportunities to program leadership, and produces implementation plans. Applies complex data analysis and improvement tools and techniques to assigned projects. Provides advanced support to VAMC and VISN teams to support broad improvement across the VHA continuum of care. Researching and recommending new methods to improve performance at facility, VISN, national and non-VA levels. Performs program management activities for the coordination and development of systems redesign techniques. Provides strong project management support and leadership to individual improvement initiatives sponsored by the office. Develops policies, procedures, and handbooks through integration of information from VA and VHA initiatives, utilizing multiple information and data from VISNs and facilities. Acts as a systems redesign and improvement Subject Matter Expert (SME) in development of program memorandums to support field guidance. Training and Education Develops innovative approaches to the establishment, enhancement, modification, and/or improvement of systems redesign programs and training offerings with the goal of educating VISN and facility staff in the use of process improvement and project management tools and processes. Performs comprehensive reviews and analyses of information supporting quality, efficiency, effectiveness, and utilization of resources for systems redesign programs and offerings. Coordinates and/or leads individual and group performance improvement activities. Develops training materials to support the tailored training of multiple stakeholders. Presents briefings, exhibits, charts, reports, and other narrative and statistical material relevant to the program's objectives. Identifies opportunities for improvement and resolves complex issues and opportunities through the development and leveraging of personal contacts. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Telework: Available (applicant is required on site 50% of work schedule per pay period) Virtual: The employee may work at a VA facility or other VA-leased space other than the facility that is hiring the employee) and is authorized for telework up to 50%. Remote: This is not a remote position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD02771A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/27/2024. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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 as described below: Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): The 0671 Occupational series has an IOR that must be met: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study - hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR, 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. Special Provision for Inservice Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements; Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program. In addition to the IOR, candidates must also meet the following specialized experience for the grade level. GS-13 Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Acquires, analyzes and edits information relevant to systems redesign and performance improvement priorities at the national level and directly applicable to the VHA Field. Lead complex and far-reaching system improvement initiatives using systems redesign and improvement principles. Conduct gap analysis and provides guidance to field staff to support sustainment of the systems redesign and improvement infrastructure. Preferred Experience: Expert understanding of VHA organizational structure. Previous VISN or VHA Medical Facility improvement work experience. Developed and implemented educational content/curricula at the VHA national/program office level for enterprise-wide distribution. Selective Placement Factors: Expert knowledge of Lean and Lean Six Sigma process improvement methodologies, with focus on healthcare systems. Developed and implemented educational content/curricula at the VHA national/program office level for enterprise-wide distribution. Experience providing oversight for development of specialized content for the VHA Quality Improvement Tracking Tool, within the Salesforce cloud-based CRM platform, including regular interaction with contract developers. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analysis and Problem Solving Communication Database Management Systems Organizational Performance Analysis Teaching 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: The work is sedentary, being performed for the most part in an office setting with occasional requirements to lift, bend, and carry books, supplies and files. The individual will be required to be seated at a computer console for extended periods of time and be able to prepare reports, manage projects, enter, and review information displayed on a standard computer monitor. The employee occasionally walks to, from other offices in the vicinity or to, and from a car or airline transportation. Travel 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.


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 VHA Central Office - Quality and Patient Safety Services 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]