Program Specialist - Lead Patient Experience Specialist

The VA New Jersey Health Care System (VANJHCS) has an opening for a Program Specialist - Lead Patient Experience Specialist. The Lead Patient Experience Specialist serves as a senior program specialist within the Patient Experience Office. The incumbent is responsible for leading, coordinating, and advancing a comprehensive, facility-wide Patient Experience Program designed to enhance the care experience of Veterans, families, caregivers, and staff.

Major duties

Team Leader Duties (50%) - Leads and coordinates the work of Patient Experience Specialists and support staff. - Assigns, monitors, and evaluates work ensuring timely completion and alignment with priorities. - Balances workload and adjusts assignments based on operational demands. - Provides technical guidance and resolves complex or sensitive patient issues. - Coaches staff in communication, problem-solving, and service recovery techniques. - Identifies training needs and develops staff competencies. - Facilitates team meetings and ensures communication of goals and expectations. - Represents the program in meetings with leadership and interdisciplinary teams. - Develops and implements process improvements to enhance service delivery. - Prepares reports, briefings, and presentations for leadership. - Supports performance management by providing feedback and recommendations. - Coordinates cross-service collaboration to resolve systemic issues. - Maintains policies, procedures, and reference materials. - Serves as acting lead in absence of Chief Experience Officer. - Leads development and delivery of Patient Experience training programs. - Creates educational materials including presentations and online modules. - Ensures new employee orientation includes Patient Experience principles. - Evaluates training effectiveness and implements improvements. - Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to enhance program delivery. - Supports HR initiatives and administrative functions as assigned. Quality Assurance (25%) - Develops and implements quality assurance processes for Patient Experience programs. - Conducts audits and reviews to ensure compliance with policies and standards. - Analyzes performance data to identify trends and improvement opportunities. - Develops data collection strategies and collaborates with services to gather metrics. - Prepares analytical reports including statistical and graphical presentations. - Recommends workflow and process improvements. - Applies continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean principles. - Conducts root cause analyses and develops corrective action plans. - Evaluates effectiveness of implemented changes. - Supports leadership in performance measurement and accountability. - Identifies risks and proactively recommends mitigation strategies. - Ensures sustainability of improvements through monitoring and evaluation. Consulting and Advisory Services (25%) - Provides expert consultation to leadership on Patient Experience initiatives. - Interprets VHA policies, directives, and accreditation standards. - Advises on development of policies and standard operating procedures. - Supports audits, inspections, and regulatory reviews. - Analyzes program performance and recommends improvements. - Participates in committees and workgroups supporting organizational goals. - Collaborates with stakeholders to enhance service delivery. - Provides guidance on complex or high-visibility patient concerns. - Communicates findings and recommendations to leadership. - Supports compliance with accreditation and regulatory requirements. - Engages in professional development to maintain subject matter expertise. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc. This position may be authorized for telework at the discretion of the Agenc. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist - Lead Patient Experience Specialist/PD07416A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/19/2026. 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 as described below: 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Developing, implementing, and managing administrative or program activities involving personnel management, administrative data processing, budget execution, and organizational management systems. Performing program data collection, data validation, and analytical reviews to monitor program effectiveness and support data-driven decision-making. Developing or revising policies, guidelines, standard operating procedures, or other governance documents to improve program operations and compliance. 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.

Requirements

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 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 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.