Summary You will serve as a Communications Specialist with the Associate Chief of Staff Primary Care services located in Walla Walla, Washington. Responsibilities Oversee the My HealtheVet (MHV) presence and web content and lead innovations to keep facilities MVH on the cutting-edge. Develop multimedia campaign materials (e.g., printed articles, brochures, videos) to inform MHV's target population. Create and deliver presentations to inform the public about MHV's Health Programs, products, capabilities, and health care issues. Act as technical expert and lead the facility's efforts to integrate MHV and Secure Messaging (SM) among healthcare providers and patients and trouble shoot and resolve user issues. Possess interpersonal communication skills to deal with Veterans who are difficult, hostile, or distressed, to be able to negotiate, and to interact with co-workers, supervisors, and high-level management. Establish and manage communications plans throughout all levels of the organization that identify target audiences, appropriate messages, activities, and resources needed for effective communication, plan change management that incorporate multiple channels to manage expectations and disseminate project progress. Work with senior functional subject matter experts, committees, workgroups, improvement projects, and process development teams to identify and manage significant changes in the way employees will integrate MHV in the fabric of care and the Patient-Centered Medical Home. Maintain liaisons with management and MHV national coordinators in conference calls and discussion groups to ensure correct, current, and accurate portrayal of information is provided to meet objectives. Generate and evaluate a variety of reports on a daily, monthly, or quarterly basis, including but not limited to the areas such as panel sizes, team assignments, enrollment capacity, and current capacity. Establish, design, and manage the training plans and perform needs assessments within the project relative to functional and training needs and project effectiveness. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Ad-hoc telework is defined as situational telework approved on a case-by-case basis. Examples of situational or ad-hoc telework include telework because of inclement weather, doctor appointment, or special work assignments. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Communications Specialist/PD801960 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized. 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) 5 CFR § 330.502 - General restriction on movement after competitive appointment applies. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 03/27/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS-09 grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. 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 GS-09 level or pay band in the Federal service that includes performing the following duties: oversee an online patient Healthcare portal's presence and web content and lead innovations to keep facilities portal on the cutting-edge; develop multimedia campaign materials (e.g., printed articles, brochures, videos) to inform a targeted population; create and deliver presentations to inform the public about Health Programs, products, capabilities, and health care issues; act as technical expert and lead the facility's efforts to integrate their online patient portal and Secure Messaging (SM) among healthcare providers and patients and trouble shoot and resolve user issues; possess interpersonal communication skills to deal with patients who are difficult, hostile, or distressed, to be able to negotiate, and to interact with co-workers, supervisors, and high-level management; establish and manage communications plans throughout all levels of the organization that identify target audiences, appropriate messages, activities, and resources needed for effective communication, plan change management that incorporate multiple channels to manage expectations and disseminate project progress; work with senior functional subject matter experts, committees, workgroups, improvement projects, and process development teams to identify and manage significant changes in the way employees will integrate the online patient portal in the fabric of care and the Patient-Centered Medical Home; maintain liaisons with management and national online health portal coordinators in conference calls and discussion groups to ensure correct, current, and accurate portrayal of information is provided to meet objectives; generate and evaluate a variety of reports on a daily, monthly, or quarterly basis, including but not limited to the areas such as panel sizes, team assignments, enrollment capacity, and current capacity; and establish, design, and manage the training plans and perform needs assessments within the project relative to functional and training needs and project effectiveness. OR, Education: EDUCATION (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED): I have completed Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M., if related that directly relates to the position. 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/.
