Summary This developmental position, located in Social Work and Care Transitions Service (SWCTS), Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Little Rock, Arkansas, composes a career ladder structure to the full performance level of GS-0343-09 Program Analyst, PD #598-04631-0. The primary purpose of this position is to provide analytical assistance to the Administrative Officer (AO), Chief and Assistant Chiefs of SWCTS, by designing specialized reports and analyzing data. Responsibilities Your duties can include but are not limited to the following: Coordinates program processes, monitors daily workflow, and applies a strong understanding of organizational operations, regulations, management methods, and administrative resources. Applies a comprehensive understanding of organizational operations, regulations, management methods, and administrative resources to support program effectiveness and workflow coordination. Skill in conducting interviews with supervisors and employees to obtain information about organizational missions, functions, and work procedures. Utilizes an in-depth understanding of organizational processes, regulations, administrative procedures, and management practices to support daily operations and program execution. Investigates and analyzes adverse quality trends or conditions and initiates corrective action. Evaluates methods and techniques for assessing program development or execution and improving organizational effectiveness and efficiency. Develops and prepares reports, briefings, special papers, and summaries from data gathered and presents reports both formally and informally. Handles conflict and problems in dealing with the customer constructively and appropriately. Requires excellent interpersonal and communication skills such as oral and written communications and development of presentations and reports. Uses of computers software such as Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint. Uses systems for retrieving data from Medical Center, Regional and VA-System wide databases. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Analyst/PD04844-0 and PD04631-0 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. The incumbents work requires walking throughout the CAVHS, standing, bending, stooping and carrying items such as books, papers, and files. 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 identification 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 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, 06/08/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 or education as described below: Specialized Experience for the GS-07 Level: You must have one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service, that equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to this Program Analyst position. Specialized experience includes: Experience utilizing software applications such as Excel, Access, or similar programs to support administrative and program operations; experience tracking, organizing, and maintaining data; experience collecting and analyzing data to support program activities and management decisions; experience preparing reports, correspondence, spreadsheets, presentations, or other administrative documents; experience researching and compiling information from multiple sources to identify operational issues, trends, or potential solutions. NOTE: This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have have completion of one (1) full year of graduate education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours). Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying (i.e. hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as course work in health care administration) for the position to be filled and I meet one of the following: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision; A grade-point average of "B" (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; A grade point average of "B+" (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study; Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. NOTE: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience, as described above, to meet the total requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. Only education beyond a bachelors degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. Specialized Experience for the GS-09 Level: You must have one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service that equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of a Program Analyst position. Specialized experience includes: Experience supporting project management activities, including tracking deadlines, milestones, and deliverables; experience monitoring program performance, evaluating outcomes, and identifying areas for improvement; experience coordinating with team members, supervisors, and external stakeholders to support program objectives; experience utilizing software tools such as Excel, Access, or similar applications for data analysis, reporting, and program tracking; experience assisting with developing and maintaining program policies, procedures, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to support efficient operations and compliance requirements. NOTE: This experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree, or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.B. or J.D. in a field related to this position that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first year or 18 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is 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/. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The 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 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/.
