Program Specialist

The Washington DC VA Medical Center Surgical Care Service encompasses multiple specialty programs and clinical sections that provide comprehensive surgical and specialty care to Veterans. The Program Specialist provides specialized administrative, analytical, and program support across these assigned sections and programs within Surgical Care Service. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Manages long-term and short-term projects for the program. Initiates, plans, and implements process improvement initiatives Ensures program compliance with all applicable policies and regulations. Manages program workload to align with the goals and mission of an organization. Recognizes the interrelationship of health administration programs with other medical services and programs. Investigates complex issues and analyzes problems that affect the management of an organization. Consistently communicates and treats customers and treats customers veterans, their representatives, visitors was, and all VA staff in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner. Follows applicable regulations and instructions regarding access to computerized files, release of access codes, as set out in the computer access agreement that the employee signs. Conducts and participate in Facility risk assessment, security evaluations and audits, and ensure the implementation of recommendations. Provides weekly documentation of productivity via list of operations by surgical specialty and report of CPT coding accuracy to quality management and infection disease service, solely responsible for entering residents privileges into MS PowerPoint that records major and minor surgical procedure and is a requirement for joint commission accreditation and is responsible for updating information on the Medical Center website and relationships to monthly on-call schedules. Skill in applying analytical and it variety of techniques to the identification, consideration and resolution of issues or problem. Knowledge of good public and professional relations in interactions and with internal and external customers. Ability to use qualitative and quantitative and analytical techniques. Administration and Management- Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production. Customer Service- Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services. Problem Solving- Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Operating Systems- Knowledge of computer network, desktop, and mainframe operating systems and their applications. This is a developmental position in the Community Care service at the Washington, DC, VA Medical Center that forms part of a career ladder leading to the full performance level of Program Specialist, GS-0301-09. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday; 7:00am • 3:30pm & 7:30am-4:00pm schedules available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/ 260524A • 260523A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/30/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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: GS-07 minimum qualifications: Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Program Specialist. Specialized experience includes administrative daily operational management of non-VA authorized and unauthorized medical care, performing important financial and program oversight duties with respect to fund control point management, cost estimations for Community Care, budget formulation, payment audits, coordination with VISN and Payment Operations Management (POM) on budget, claims, and payment, and coordination of the State Home. OR, Education: One (1) full year of graduate-level education OR superior academic achievement. Education at the graduate level must be obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR, Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): SAA at the baccalaureate level in the coursework detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university, or major subdivision. A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies, please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. For more information regarding SAA, please visit http://www.opm.gov/qua1ifications/SEC-ll/s2- e5.asp#e4f. OR, Combination: An equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Only education beyond a bachelor's degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. GS-09 minimum qualifications: Specialized Experience: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-07) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Program Specialist. Specialized experience includes administrative daily operational management of non-VA authorized and unauthorized medical care, performing important financial and program oversight duties with respect to fund control point management, cost estimations for Community Care, budget formulation, payment audits, coordination with VISN and Payment Operations Management (POM) on budget, claims, and payment, and coordination of the State Home. OR, Education: Successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., if related, in a related field that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR, Combination: An equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate-level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Preferred Experience: Time keeping, account provisioning/deprovisioning (APD) system and onboarding. Physical Requirements & Work Environment: The work involved is primarily sedentary in nature. Some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of lightweight items are involved in the hand delivery and pickup of documents and files. Mental concentration and sustained performance under prolonged stress are required due to the complexity and time-sensitive nature of work. Work is performed in an office setting. The employee may occasionally be exposed to communicable diseases and to patients who are mentally or emotionally/psychologically disturbed. 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/. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. 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/.