Health System Specialist - VISN Operations Center

The Health System Specialist serves as the principal administrative and communications liaison within the VISN Operations Center (VOC) within the new VISN 2. This position is responsible for all administrative and communications functions between the VISN, VA Headquarters, and Health Service Areas. To confirm your new VISN area, please see here: https://digital.va.gov/rise/

Major duties

The Health System Specialist exercises sole discretion and direct authority to manage and coordinate the work Management Analysts and Staff Assistants, and collaborates with Strategic Planners, Veterans Experience Officers, Public Affairs Officers, and Compliance personnel aligned at the VISN level to direct the Health Service Area. The role ensures operational excellence and strategic alignment of the VISN, meeting organizational objectives and engaging stakeholders through robust administrative and communications practices. The incumbent has a direct reporting line to the VISN Network Director and senior VISN leadership, regularly communicating executive-level guidance and operational recommendations without intermediary review. The position is located within VHA and the department that reports directly to the Under Secretary for Health. Major duties can include but are not limited to: Functioning as the primary liaison between the VISN, Health Service Area, and VA Headquarters, facilitating the flow of information and assignments between such offices. Directs and manages all administrative functions within the VISN Operations Center, ensures efficient workflow, oversees resource allocation, and ensures adherence to organizational policies. Has sole authority to set priorities, assign tasks to administrative support personnel, and ensure completion of all administrative requirements for the VISN Operations Center. Prepares daily briefings and delivers information directly to VISN and HSA Senior Executive Leadership Teams as required. Evaluates facility and VISN operations against short and long-range objectives. Performs administrative work in one or more of the following areas: personnel, management/administration, budgeting and financial management, procurement and contracting, property management, and/or supply. Independently determines the methods and approaches used to manage these functions. Acts as the principal administrative lead in all communications and coordination with Strategic Planners, Veterans Experience Officers, Public Affairs Officers, and Compliance teams to achieve organizational objectives. Prepares and issues official correspondence on behalf of the VISN Operations Center, and acts as the primary liaison responsible for all internal and external communications, with direct access to executive leadership. Work Schedule: Will be discussed during the interview process. Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework only. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist - VISN Operations Center/PD00002VS Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/13/2026. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. General Adjustment SF-50's do not provide the information to reflect time-in-grade requirement has been met and therefore cannot be the only SF-50. If you are currently serving in a Hybrid Title 38 position, your SF-50's must reflect you have been in the position longer than one year. 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. Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying 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. Basic Requirements: ***This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) which is a minimum qualification requirement set by OPM. To be considered for the position, you must ensure that the experience is clearly reflected in your resume and/or if applicable, transcripts must be uploaded to support education requirement or substitution. Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR Specialized Experience 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. OR Special Provision for Inservice Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements; Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program. Grade Determinations: You must meet the above IOR and also 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-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. This experience must be listed clearly on your resume. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Manages, leads, organizes and assigns administrative work in one or more of the following areas: personnel, management/administration, budgeting and financial management, procurement and contracting, property management, and/or supply, support work. Tasks include office planning, evaluation of administrative programs or issues, training program administration, correspondence control, liaison, special projects, or board or committee related work Responsible contact for projects from initiation to completion, including presentation of results to senior Leadership. Directly supporting a top management team responsible for planning, organization, development, direction, and evaluation of medical center operations. Prepares and issues official correspondence on behalf of the VISN Operations Center, and acts as the primary liaison responsible for all internal and external communications, with direct access to executive leadership. Has full authority to coordinate and communicate response actions to external reviewers. Directly advises and recommends modifications to systems and procedures for implementation by Network Director and senior leaders. Directs comprehensive data analysis and reporting initiatives, producing actionable recommendations for VISN executive leadership, and representing the network in national initiatives or agency-wide working 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/. 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: 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 work is primarily sedentary. Some travel may be necessary.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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/.

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. 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.