Summary The incumbent is the Program Specialist for the Central Western Massachusetts VA Healthcare System Front Office with a focus on the needs of the Executive Leadership Team. The incumbent reports directly to the Front Office Manager. Incumbent interacts with all programs in the Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System VA, both on professional and administrative levels, in performing assigned duties and is in daily contact with service line chiefs throughout the system. Responsibilities Program Specialist GS-0301-07/09: EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT: Serves as personal and confidential Program Specialist to the Executive Leadership providing administrative support to them and to other medical center operations and programs as assigned, with guidance and support from the Front Office Manager. Performs all secretarial and administrative duties under the guidance of the Front Office Manager. Provides secretarial and administrative duties for the Executive Leadership with guidance from said leaders and the Front Office Manager. Anticipates needs, identifies problems and takes actions to preclude the development of emergency situations, relieving the Executive Leadership from the need to become personally involved in problem-solving matters. Solves office emergencies when they arise, relieving the Executive Leadership from the need to become involved in minor problem solving, or when they cannot be resolved, gathers data, researches the situation fully to provide recommendations for the Leadership's decision making. Required to consult with the Front Office Manager or appropriate Executive Leadership Health System Specialist on all emergency matters prior to any independent decision making. With supervision from the Front Office Manager implements office practices and procedures used by the Front Office, and the offices of the Executive Leadership, and in some cases the offices of the service chiefs. Receives incoming mail, determining what can be handled, forwarding the rest with appropriate notations as to who is to prepare a response, how the reply is to be addressed, and for whose signature, etc. to the appropriate office, following up as necessary to ensure replies are timely. Prepares suspense files to ensure timely completion of replies. Sees that correspondence is accompanied by a proposed response when it reaches the Executive Leader's desk. Reviews replies/correspondence and action documents before forwarding to the Executive Leader to determine that all interested parties have cleared it and ensure it is in accordance with established policy and the preferences of the Executive Leader. If any conflicts between subordinate offices or departures from Director's policies are noted, resolve the problems in consultation with subordinate offices. Exercises exclusive control over the Executive Leaders' appointment calendars with full authority for time commitment. Receives guidance from the Executive Leader or Front Office Manager on calendar matters prior to making commitments. INTERNAL/EXTERNAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT: With supervision from the Front Office Manager serves in a liaison capacity between the medical center and key staff on procedural matters and established policies by an accurate presentation of facts. Keeps informed of current status of work and channels such information to the Executive Leaders. Responds to inquiries and administrative problems brought to the Executive Leaders by service chiefs, the VISN, VACO officials, GAO, IG, state and federal agencies, Veterans service organizations, and congressional offices. Contacts appropriate staff for the need of information or recommendations and coordinates follow-up to ensure timely response by others. Contact requires great tact, judgment, and accurate exposition of facts. Brief and advise people outside of our organization on Leadership's point of view in conjunction with organizing meetings or possibly trying to accomplish a certain task. Maintains regular contact with VACO, VISN offices, service chiefs, selected VHA, VISN and medical center communities and their key staff, verbally and electronically. Responsible for coordinating reports and suspense items ensuring timely and accurate submission, often with very short suspense time. Must be constantly aware of changes affecting the medical center when disseminating information. On own initiative, observes need for administrative or procedural notices or instructions to subordinate offices or services, prepares the necessary issuances and presents them for signature or approval. Assists with VISN and VACO taskings to ensure timely completion of these taskings. Responsible for confidential material and reporting. Coordination of Duties: This position requires flexibility in that the incumbent will provide administrative support to Executive Leadership for the Front Office acting as back-up support for other Front Office Staff. This will require coordination between staff members and the Front Office Manager to ensure continuity of covered service, coordinating leave and breaks to ensure adequate coverage. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD1740675 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 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 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 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, 07/28/2026. 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. Program Specialist GS-0301-07: The GS-7 is a developmental position, composes a career ladder structure to the full performance level of Program Specialist. The incumbent at the GS-7 level will serve in a developmental assignment, to provide the individual with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the full range of duties as described in the target position description. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education is described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: obtaining and interpreting data; conducting research as necessary for various projects; extracts and analyzes data quantitatively and qualitatively to develop reports and/or presentations; develops systems tools to monitor performance of operational and clinical functions. (Must be reflected on your resume). OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate level education or Superior Academic Achievement. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. (Transcripts must be provided). 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 1 full year of graduate level education. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. Program Specialist GS-0301-09: 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-07) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience in positions that required working knowledge of the computer system for entry and retrieval of data; Ability to locate and interpret appropriate applicable regulations; Knowledge of medical records, medical billing programs, and medical terminology; Gathering, developing, and interpreting data from various information systems; and Reviews reports, records, and provides statistical analysis for accuracy. 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 1 full year of graduate level education. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED). Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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: Regular and recurring work is mostly sedentary involving sitting at a desk, although the position requires the ability to move from one geographic location of the facility to another. The incumbent works with a computer screen and keyboard. Some physical effort such as standing, walking, bending or prolonged sitting may be required. The incumbent maybe exposed to walking to outlying areas. The work places no special physical demands on the employee. 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.
