Program Specialist

Summary The position is in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) Salt Lake City, Utah in the Surgery Service. The primary purpose of the Program Specialist will provide staff support and staff assistance to the Chief of Surgery and the Administrative Officer of Surgery. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: Guiding and assisting the Surgery Service Specialty Programs/Sections in establishing, monitoring, and tracking the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the programs. Maintains and updates policies and procedures. Coordinates special systematic reviews, internal management reports for program planning and other assigned projects. Keeps abreast of program details, procedures and processes to ensure compliance of service and facility. Arranges meetings, prepares reports, and prepares communication with Surgical & Anesthesiology Service leadership, facility personnel and patients. Performs work related to the acquisition and/or development of program information and resource materials/personnel to support the policy development and/or technical activities of the organization. Performs data collection and research functions, including file or database searches. Monitors all aspects of the operating programs and makes recommendations to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service. Incumbent collects & reviews relevant clinical and/or administrative data to identify, quantify, and resolve organizational problems. Using data bases and registries, formulates tools to support patient care and ensure quality management and clinical oversight. Maintains call schedules for assigned specialty section and provides the quarterly VistA reports for the assigned sections. Processes clinic cancellations and restorations timely to avoid limiting patient access. Maintains an orderly and adequate level of program supplies. Maintains file records in an orderly manner and follows all regulatory requirements. Serves as primary timekeeper for Surgery Service sections assigned. Serves as Anesthesiology Service back-up timekeeper. Maintains accurate time & attendance and adjustable work schedule systems for all staff 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 - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: 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#: Program Specialist/PD11157A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 app 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. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/23/2026. 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 7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. For a GS 9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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: GS7 - Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the VA policies and directives, management theories and principals including administrative practices and procedures to effectively collaborate with physicians/medical staff, managers, administrators, and internal and external stakeholders to apply analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification, consideration, and resolution of issues or opportunities for improvement . OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have full year of graduate level education in an accredited college or university. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of the Program Specialist. NOTE: A transcript or course listing must be submitted if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Unofficial transcripts required. Applications submitted without this information will not be considered. OR, Superior Academic Achievement.. 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 of successfully completed graduate education and experience to meet the total experience requirements for the GS-07 level as described above to meet total qualification requirements for this position. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). GS9 - Specialized Experience - You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of agency databases, healthcare systems (databases), computer processing equipment and programs, healthcare productivity dashboards, Excel spreadsheets (developing, manipulating, creating, editing, etc.) to research, track, trend, and integrate data; to develop recommendations for access plan improvement strategies; and to develop reports. Ability to prepare and deliver briefings to the Surgery Service leadership relating to study findings and provide recommendations. Skill and ability to communicate orally and in writing to disseminate information to Section Chiefs, AOs, and leads as it relates to staff & space utilization, appointment management, quality improvement, and clinical assessment data. Knowledge of Quality Assurance (QA) fact finding techniques and the skill to analyze and evaluate facts relative to unsatisfactory clinic or provider performance. General knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations and VA Acquisition Regulations as they relate to supply, services, and personal services contracting and Contracting Officers Technical Representative authority. Basic writing skills, including a command of English grammar is required. A qualified typist is required for this position. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree from an accredited college or university; OR, two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR, an LL.B. or J.D., if related. NOTE: A transcript or course listing must be submitted if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Unofficial transcripts required. Applications submitted without this information will not be considered. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience. Unofficial transcripts must be submitted with your application. 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/. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.