Summary The Medical Administrative Specialist to the office of the Chief of Staff is responsible to provide administrative and technical direction and manage the Chief of Staff Pay and Retention Program. This includes physician and dentist recruitment and retention initiatives, Market Pay support and recommendations, and performance pay coordination, along with providing technical guidance, tracking, and quality reviews for compliance with part time physician tour of duties and Variable Work Schedules. Responsibilities Duties may include but are not limited to: Manages a comprehensive medical staff recruitment and retention program, utilizing marketing concepts and results of local and national research on recruitment trends to develop market pay recommendations and performance pay criteria; Coordinates Medical Staff Market Pay Program to include the following: a) coordinate education of Service Chiefs and Administrative Officers on Market Pay panel regulations and processes; b) reviews market pay forms and planning worksheets for each physician or dentist market pay review. Review includes pay, demographic, and market information; c) coordinates with service chiefs to ensure market pay form information is current and accurate; d) submits all Market Pays from South Texas VA to Chief of Staff or appropriate Executive Leadership Team (ELT) member for signature. Initiate and submit the personal action in MSS for all approved Bi-annual and other market pay requests; Tracks pay panels through multiple steps and management approval processes to completion; Tracks all bi-annual review due dates of market pays across the South Texas Health Care System; Coordinates Medical Staff Performance Pay Program to include: a) annual review and revision of core and service specific performance pay criteria for the next fiscal year with approval through the Chief of Staff and Director by end of fourth quarter of the current fiscal year annually; b) assist Service Chiefs to develop measurable criteria; c) revision of service specific performance pay worksheets to match criteria; d) roll-up of performance criteria work sheets and official award forms (for previous fiscal year) in October of each fiscal year; e) ensures all award forms are complete with appropriate approvals; f) ensures all award forms are delivered to Human Resources for coding prior to November 1st. Coordinates Chief of Staff certification memos on performance pay communication and goal assessment as required. Reviews VHA Handbooks and other regulations to ensure new regulations are implemented for Market Pays, performance pay, and physician tour agreements; Develops and provides reports as requested by the Chief of Staff and other Executive Leadership Team members including the Director; Performs research by collecting data from multiple resources and data bases to analyze current market trends in physician salaries. Utilizes this analysis to make recommendations to Service Chiefs and Executive Leadership Team as the approving official on an appropriate salary for the physician market pay. Recommendation is based on current VA trends and non-VA local market salaries; Assist Services with creating algorithms for appropriate market pay for each specialty. Provides analysis and recommendation based on correlated data and COS guidance and past practice of market pay approval; Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Available ad-hoc. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Medical Administrative Specialist/PD00587A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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. 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 dentification 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, 02/09/2026. 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-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 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: Skill in oral and written communication; Skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques; Broad knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents; Comprehensive knowledge of medical terminology and procedures to ensure appropriateness of market pay and performance pay recommendations; and skill in using software applications such as word processing and data bases and internet database applications. 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 or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). 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 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., directly related to the position. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). 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/. 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 is mostly sedentary; however, walking and stair climbing, bending, stooping, and carrying light weight documents, folders and manuals are required. Hearing and distinct speech are essential due to the extensive use of the telephone as a means of communication to give instruction and receive information. The incumbent must possess manual dexterity to enter computer information and prepare files. Mental concentration to meet critical deadlines is essential. Must be able to open and close 5-drawer file cabinets and retrieve and store large paper files weighing up to 5 pounds. Occasional evacuation down stairway may be required. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application. 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/.
