Summary This position serves as a health care professional who uses that knowledge to influence and adapt IT systems to drive management of the health system toward effectiveness and efficiency. Performs workflow assessment and optimization in clinical, administrative, educational, and research domains, in addition to adapting software controls to existing workflow. The incumbent is a primary resource for VHA leadership when mission critical updates/problems are identified at the facility. Responsibilities Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: As a primary VHA subject matter expert for Health Informatics, the employee serves as the knowledge expert for the electronic health record and associated clinical software and provides users and staff with consultative support and education. Consults, advises, and educates all levels of employees including the highest levels of management, on methods and means to make health care operations more effective and efficient. Integrates knowledge of clinical and information processes to achieve successful adoption and application of new technologies to support health care operations end systems. Initiates, develops and executes complex projects that support veterans' health care needs, collaborating effectively in a lead role; assists clinical business end users In reengineering business processes for clinical efficiency and documentation. Represents a wide variety of stakeholders and liaisons with both internal and external organizations. Identifies end-user educational requirements and training needs; develops educational programs and instructional materials and appropriate tools to educate the users and support staff at all levels of the organization, and trains others to deliver educational programs. Examines the need for change throughout the organization, determines what changes need to be aligned and how to do it, and leads or participates on process improvement, root cause analysis and system redesign teams. Exercises expertise in clinical operations, develops and/or oversees the development of information related to patient care, such as patient registries to allow the Clinical Team to track management of patient illnesses; and develops performance management tracking tools. Extracts, analyze and provides data to assess treatment impacts such as: clinical endpoints, health status outcomes and utility estimates; estimated usage; characteristics of treating designated populations; evaluating patterns of substitution against other products such as resource impact assessments. Maintains state of the art knowledge of changes in technology and clinical environment to identify, propose, formulate, and support new or revised major administrative and clinical policies and directives for clinical software packages in accordance with VHA regulations. Advises those in the informatics organizational structure of programmatic (formal and informal methods) and security requirements for data access, and advises staff members on directives, policies, and best practices for making requirements operational. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Analyst (Informatics)/PD99398S and PD99398S Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. 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). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 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 at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Program Analyst - Informatics. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as serving as the primary VHA subject matter expert for Health Informatics, serving as the knowledge expert for the electronic health record and associated clinical software and providing users and staff with consultative support and education. Consulting, advising, and educating all levels of employees including the highest levels of management, on methods and means to make health care operations more effective and efficient. Knowledge of clinical software and processes using creative and well-developed interpersonal skills to achieve effective communication with the end users, Office of information and Technology (OI&T), and management. To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must meet one of the following: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Program Analyst - Informatics. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as serving as the primary VHA subject matter expert for Health Informatics, serving as the knowledge expert for the electronic health record and associated clinical software and providing users and staff with consultative support and education. Consulting, advising, and educating all levels of employees including the highest levels of management, on methods and means to make health care operations more effective and efficient. Knowledge of clinical software and processes using creative and well-developed interpersonal skills to achieve effective communication with the end users, Office of information and Technology (OI&T), and management. 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. Preferred Experience: >1 years working in an Informatics specific role >1 years working in an Informatics service Proven expertise in health informatics, including EHR implementation, optimization, and interoperability, preferably within a healthcare system such as the VA. Experience in building and maintaining effective partnerships with IT, Biomed, clinical services, administrative, and external entities (vendors, affiliates, other healthcare systems) to support informatics initiatives while in an Informatics specific role. Practical experience in a healthcare clinical environment (or extensive collaboration with clinicians), demonstrating understanding of clinical workflows, practices, policies, and needs. Experience building templates, provider order entry functions, and/or clinical decision support tools, or other backend Informatics specific functions Experience teaching and/or training end users on the use of an Electronic Health Record as an instructor Physical Requirements: The work is usually sedentary, but it requires periods of walking, standing, bending, or climbing, and employees may carry light items such as books, instruments, laptops, and other similar materials. The work is conducted in office, conference room, and clinical/hospital patient care settings. Typically, the work is hazard-free, not requiring any special equipment or clothing. The employee is in on-call status as needed and works flexible hours to meet the needs of the facility end user. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. 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.
