Program Specialist

The Program Specialist provides administrative support to the designated Polytrauma Support Clinic Team Director and Neurology Rehabilitation Service. They provide administrative support to the Polytrauma Support Clinic Team (PSCT), Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), the Acute Stroke Program and the Neurology Quality Improvement Program managed by the Neurology and Rehabilitation Service at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. The primary responsibility of the incumbent is to function as a Program Coordinator for the PSCT, a multi-service program supporting Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi (OEF/OIF) veterans and Department of Veterans Affairs' traumatic brain injury (TBI) iniatives. Duties: Will meet VISN and VHA reporting requirements. Will acquire knowledge of the National Polytrauma Network Program and VISN 21 Polytrauma Network Activities and liaison with OEF/OIF integrated clinics and other SFVA and VISN 21 programs. Attends virtual and on-site meetings: clinic, administrative, program, project and ensure agreements, action-steps, and outcome are recorded in Program minutes. Attends VISN conferences related to Polytrauma Network functions. Represents SFVA, provides data input, reviews data as to the findings and provides suggestions/recommendations after analyzing data collected, troubleshoot any problems. Arranges Polytrauma Interdisciplinary Team conferences twice a month. Presents the coordination of care, regarding any issues in their appointments and care coordination. Takes notes and enters information in a TBI Instrument database, the Rehabilitation and Reintegration Plan of each patient discussed, completing information regarding each patient's assessment, interdisciplinary treatment evaluations, treatment goals, follow up plan and other information needed. Conducts special studies to improve customer service. Conducts customer service rounds; identifies systemic difficulties and corrects them. Reports such data collected with recommendations presented in applicable formats: word documents, excel spreadsheets, power point presentation, or on designated formats as directed by the Director of PSCT. Regularly attends TBI clinic reviews. Identifies potential problem areas, makes recommendations to correct and improve coordination and communication between clinical providers, nursing, medical administration, and business office. Works proactively with Director of PSCT and Administrative Officer to familiarize them with data available for analysis, to present trends for program performance measures, to propose changes in program scheduling to enhance efficiency and to propose mechanisms for collecting data as requested by Director of PSCT, Administrative Officer, Neurology and Rehabilitation Service Chief and leadership. Coordinates the schedules of PSCT patients in several TBI Clinics, using VISTA/CPRS as source of information, tracking metrics and trends, analyzing activities surrounding the input processing and output of data, and monitoring them for quality improvement. Performs trends and analysis of the scheduling process, maintains FTEE, Clinic slots or scheduling arrangements. Ensures that TBI algorithm for locating, scheduling and evaluating patients meets performance measure guidelines. Maintains database for TBI activities which are monitored by ACO. Advises the Director of Polytrauma Support Clinic on cumulative performance of SFVA OEF/OIF polytrauma activity. Collects data pertaining to patient waiting time, scheduling issues, no show, cancellations, etc., to analyze this information as needed for performance measures, providing recommendations to action plan to the PSCT Director. Maintains a supply of educational materials regarding TBI. Organizes VTEL TBI evaluations for patients who are unable to come to SFVA for their assessment, evaluations or treatments. Assists with travel associated with the PSCT Program. Other related duties may be assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD087430 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, 11/09/2026. 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-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. Program Specialist GS-09 Minimum Requirements: Experience: 1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience in qualitative and quantitative analytical techniques including literature search; oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills to communicate findings and recommendations to a complex and diverse research organization at both leadership and operational/committee levels; comprehensive record-keeping, and files maintenance and dispositions strategies; record keeping; maintaining complex databases and statistical analysis; developing spreadsheets and manipulating for collecting and analyzing; overseeing and efficiently distributing workload assignments; works in team and individual settings. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or masters or equivalent graduate degree, or LL.B. or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first year (18 semester hours) of graduate school may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level.You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Computer Skills Attention to Detail Administrative Management Self-Management 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Administration and Management Attention to Detail Computer Skills Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Manages and Organizes Information Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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 requires no special physical demands. It may involve some walking, standing, bending, or carrying of light items. 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 Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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 or trial 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/.