Summary Serves as the Health System Specialist responsible for providing administrative oversight, operational coordination, and evaluation of assigned Community-Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) within the Eastern Kansas Health Care System. The incumbent evaluates clinic operations, access to care, resource utilization, workflow efficiency, organizational performance, operational initiatives and develops recommendations to improve organizational effectiveness and support executive decision. Responsibilities This position is for the Junction City, KS as their duty location. Provides comprehensive operational oversight and coordination for Junction City, Iola, and Lawrence VA Clinics, ensuring efficient day-to-day functioning and continuous improvement of clinical and administrative operations. Evaluates outpatient service delivery models and develops recommendations to improve access, efficiency, and patient experience within assigned clinics and market areas. Supports the delivery of high-quality, accessible, cost-effective health care services by coordinating resources, workflow processes, access initiatives, and support functions across multiple clinical disciplines to promote efficient clinic operations, timely access to care, and effective utilization of available resources. . Leads and supports advanced analytical studies to evaluate clinical workload trends, patient flow, scheduling practices, and capacity management across assigned clinics. Uses data-driven methodologies to identify inefficiencies, forecast demand, and recommend organizational improvements. Optimizes provider and care team scheduling by assessing clinic grid utilization, supply demand alignment, face to face and virtual visit distributions, staffing acuity, and clinical productivity indicators. Evaluates the impact of Community Care referrals on internal capacity, access to care, patient wait times, and care continuity. Collaborates with clinical leaders to rebalance services between VA-delivered care, virtual modalities, and purchased care when appropriate. Leads efforts to improve patient workflows by partnering with Primary Care, Mental Health, Specialty Care, and Nursing leadership to evaluate room utilization, care team composition, visit modality mix, appointment cycle times, and bottlenecks impacting throughput. Develop operational solutions such as standardized workflows, enhanced scheduling procedures, process redesign, escalation pathways, and care coordination practices to enhance access and patient experience. Identifies and implements improvements to optimize clinic management processes and access strategies. Standardizes, implements, and sustains key operational and business processes, including scheduling practices, to support efficient clinic operations and enhance the Veteran experience Incorporates remote healthcare considerations, including telehealth demand, virtual care readiness, space requirements for telehealth operations, and staffing support, to ensure seamless integration of virtual modalities into clinic operations. Conducts analyses of telehealth utilization patterns, no show rates, broadband limitations, and patient adoption trends to support operational decision-making and service delivery planning. Administers management reporting systems and dashboards to support data informed decision making related to organizational performance, staffing models, access metrics, quality indicators, and workload distribution. Develops and coordinates quality assurance and performance improvement activities ensuring compliance with accrediting and regulatory bodies (e.g., Joint Commission, OIG, CARF). The HSS measures and assesses clinical business activities with an emphasis on improving clinical product line performance. The HSS is responsible for regularly presenting key management indicators to the Executive Staff. Integrates administrative services-including Finance, HR, Acquisition, Facilities, Environmental of Care, and Health Administration Service-in support of clinic goals and market objectives. Resolves complex operational, personnel, and cross service issues that impact patient care, staff performance, and organizational effectiveness. Provides leadership during change management initiatives, operational disruptions, and emergent contingencies that affect clinic operations. The incumbent collaborates closely with key clinical leadership officials as an impartial facilitator in addressing disagreements related to scheduling practices, workload distribution, resource prioritization, and workflow redesign. Employs conflict resolution strategies, mediation techniques, and interest-based problem solving to ensure concerns are addressed objectively, respectfully, and in alignment with EKHCS policies and organizational values. Work Schedule: 7:30 AM - 4:00PM or 8:00AM - 4:30PM, Monday through Friday Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist - Project Manager/PD105350 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 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 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, 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, 09/04/2026. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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: Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series and it is something that can't be waived. To qualify for the GS 0671 occupational series, applicants MUST possess one of the following: (for positions above GS-5): Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following: Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. In addition to the individual occupational requirement, you must meet the specialized experience for the position as well:GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Demonstrated mastery in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of agency and program operations. Expert knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents, major issues, program goals and objectives, work processes, and administrative operations which affect the administration of GBO program and committee functions. Mastery of VHA organization structure and operations to support VHA-wide assessments to improve the VHA system for health care. Expert knowledge of missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems in general and in the country at large. Excellent interpersonal skills to facilitate and coordinate vast needs for communications and information, between and among the stakeholders, including the Department, VHACO, VISNs, facilities and non-VA groups. 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. 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/.
