Health System Specialist (Facility Planner)

The Northern Arizona VA Health Care System is currently recruiting one Health System Specialist (Facility Strategic Planner) for the Office of the Director in Prescott, AZ. The incumbent serves as a back-up for other Health System Specialists in the office and may be detailed to fill critical administrative leadership positions within the facility and VISN to support continuity of healthcare delivery operations.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that can't be waived. The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. To qualify for the GS 0671 occupational series, applicants MUST possess one of the following:

1. UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE EDUCATION: undergraduate or graduate education in a major field of study hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields, such as business or public administration, with course work in health care administration. (A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing your qualifications on education). OR,
2. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: specialized experience that is progressively responsible for analytical or administrative, or clinical management, or supervisory experience in the health care field performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities with close working relationships with facility managers and analysis/coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities which provided knowledge in the following areas: 1) Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; 2) Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and 3) Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. OR,
3. SPECIAL PROVISION FOR INSERVICE PLACEMENT: Completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program, which included a formal individualized training plan. The training program should have been performed in an operating health care system and included: 1) Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements; 2) 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 3) 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 meeting the IOR, you may qualify based on your specialized experience as described below:

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 level. 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:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one 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: 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.

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: No special physical demands such as above average ability, dexterity, or strength are required to perform the work. Work is sedentary, and the employee may sit comfortably. There may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items, driving of an automobile, etc. Fieldwork may involve traveling to other facility sites of care, interviews, meetings, and sources of information.

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/.

Responsibilities:

Duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Reviewing requests for FTEE, Equipment, Overtime, and Space, and remaining current on the medical center budget and/or forecasts needs based on regional market trends.
• Reviewing policies and procedures that are in conformance with the overall philosophy of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) related to all aspects of healthcare programs.
• Reviewing medical center budget initiatives, subsequent justifications and advocating for the clinical or administrative service/program to the Executive Leadership as needed.
• Planning, organizing, trending and reviewing requests for resources within their assigned executive's chain of command and/or make recommendations based upon the relative needs while considering their ability to utilize the resources requested.
• Provides guidance/advice on program specific matters e.g. handling legislative issues, development/implementation of policy or program initiatives, protocol issues, VISN/VACO related matters, and/or other important correspondence.
• Coordinates/participates in strategic planning throughout the healthcare system with subordinate services and programs to produce decisions and actions that shape/guide the organization's purpose and/or activities.
• Makes recommendations assigned projects, including what elements are to be included in the scope of the project based on local, VISN, or national strategic initiatives and alignment.
• Assists the Executive Leadership Team in assessing needs in a realistic fashion by documenting them effectively and presenting them to a diverse audience of internal and/or external stakeholders.
• Works closely with other facilities and/or VISN on project development and submission.
• Develops administrative/strategic operational initiatives of the organization that enables the specialist to identify problems, analyze data, recommend resolutions based on specific knowledge of the organization's objectives and priorities, resources, and/or catchment area.
• Serves as the primary liaison on behalf of all services of the healthcare system between the VISN and headquarters.
• Conducts analytical studies on particular operational processes, issue topics, or related special projects.
• Resolves issues from quality of care and consumer complaints arising from Individual patients, Veterans groups, Congressional offices, and other stakeholders.
• Demonstrates poise, tact, self-confidence and lack of irritability while under pressure of adverse conditions.
• Reviews audits and evaluations which are conducted at the facility.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00a.m. - 4.:30p.m
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Facility Planner)/PD13291A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified applicants.

Salary : $106,437