Program Specialist

This position is located within the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System (VASLCHCS), Environmental Management Service (EMS), at the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The incumbent serves as a Program Specialist (EMS Quality Assurance and Training Specialist) and is responsible for performing technical and administrative work.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/27/2026.

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-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:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of 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: Guiding, assisting, establishing, monitoring and tracking the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of programs; arranging meetings and preparing reports/communications; collecting and reviewing administrative data to identify, quantify and resolve organizational problems; utilizing computer databases and registries; assigning, performing and reporting on audits; training new staff on specific programs, distribute training items; coordinate through the respective managers all the training programs as they relate to the staff, meeting all mandatory training requirements; develop plans and programs for achieving and maintaining total quality performance and customer service. 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. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade level GS-09.

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:

• Responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating, and monitoring the EMS Quality Assurance Program.
• Provides advisory services to all levels of management and to all departments within the HCS regarding the requirements and resolution of substantive EMS problems and services provided.
• Develops procedures and implements processes for effective QA program based on information collected from supervisors, employees, clinical staff and others associated with the organization, as well as outside agencies.
• Perform analysis on all systems affecting the organization using flow charting, graphing and other analytical techniques.
• The position consults with supervisors to develop project deadlines and work to be accomplished.
• Serves as a training instructor for all employees of Environmental Management Service.
• Monitor training classes on a regular basis and make recommendations to the Chief/Assistant Chief of EMS and respective Supervisors on class content and the effectiveness of the classes.
• Responsible for scheduling and coordinating weekly Environmental of Care Inspections for the VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System.
• Performs a variety of duties to carry out, administer or advise on work concerned with assuring the quality of work transactions, business process and delivery of services needed to carry out programs and functions.
• Develops reporting procedures, sampling techniques, and measurements at various points in EMS's Programs (Sanitation, Pest, Laundry & Linen, Recycling and Regulated Waste, etc.) to identify problem areas or inherent weaknesses in work processes, procedures, information systems and content.
• Serves as a training instructor for all employees of Environmental Management Service.
• Monitors training classes on a regular basis and make recommendations to the Chief/Assistant Chief of EMS and respective Supervisors on class content and the effectiveness of the classes. I
• Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Rotating shifts, Monday - Friday and some weekends, 7:30 am to 4:00pm.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD145980
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

Salary : $61,722