Summary The position of Program Specialist is in the office of Quality and Patient Safety. In this capacity, the employee participates actively in the operations of Risk Management under the Department of Quality and Patient Safety. The employee must have a high degree of analytical ability and knowledge of quality management, risk management, legal and peer review processes. Responsibilities The incumbent's responsibilities will be to support the highly sensitive functions associated with the Medical Center's Risk Management programs, Peer Review Committee and coordination of the Hospital's Administrative Board of Investigation (ABI) program. The program specialist also provides administrative coverage when needed within Quality and Patient Safety (Q&PS). Duties include, but are not limited to: Performs a wide range of non-routine program support and administrative functions that are essential to the facility's strategic plan for Quality and Safety, including a VACO directed spreadsheet that includes sensitive information related to Peer Review categories and assigned level of care. Records Peer Review minutes and assists in drafting letters to both Independent and Dependent providers as on a monthly basis. Identifies existing or potential problem areas as noted in the Peer Review minutes and interacts directly with the Chief of Staff and Risk Manager to confirm that the minutes are reconciled, and any open action item is closed. Enters data associated with the various performance measure reports associated with risk management, torts, institutional disclosures and OIG document requests. Assists the Risk Manger in the collection and analysis of Blue Alert and Rapid Response data collection that is reported to the CPR committee chair. Organizes, compiles and summarizes the data collected and administratively assists in the ABI report writing process by checking for grammatical errors and formatting errors. Administratively assists the ABI with completing the final report binder to include evidence, written sworn statements, and any other pertinent documentation. Serves as Quality Management's secondary timekeeper. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not authorized Telework: Not authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD504150 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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 Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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 or trial 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, 04/29/2026. 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 s 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 maintaining current knowledge of changes/projected changes in VISN Directives, TJC, CARF and other accrediting body standards, especially in association with risk management and peer review issues, Effectively communicates with various groups/services/teams to gather information, discuss recommendations and coordinate improvement activities, Encourages participation of staff in problem solving activities by providing a conducive environment for innovation and creativity, and demonstrates ability to develop interdisciplinary team members with complimentary skills for maximum team effort/success. 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. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED) OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Clerical Computer Skills Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Written Communication 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: The regular and recurring work of the position involves long periods of standing, bending, and stooping to observe and study work operations in an industrial, storage, or comparable work area. 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 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.
