Veterans Experience Officer

This position is located at the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center. The primary purpose of the position is to serve as the facility's Veterans Experience Officer for Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS). This position is organizationally the Service Line Manager of the Office of Veteran Experience andVeteran Experience Office for the Health Care System and VA clinics.

Major duties

Serve as liaison between the Health Care System, patients, staff, and the community regarding patient experience, rights, and advocacy. Manage and oversee the Office of Veteran Experience and Patient Advocacy. Assure full implementation and management of Veteran Experience and Advocacy programs. Identify system issues and participate in corrective actions. Educate staff on patient centered strategies and customer service. Analyze patient data, identify trends, and monitor facility performance. Support proactive training initiatives (New Employee Orientation, customer service, patient focused care). Provide technical and administrative supervision to Patient Advocates Establish performance standards and evaluate staff performance. Review subordinate recommendations for hiring, promotions, and disciplinary actions. Manage Veteran Experience and Patient Advocacy Service operations. Assist in developing long and short term strategic goals for the Office of Veteran Experience and the Health Care System. Document patient status, summaries, and trends (monthly/quarterly). Communicate relevant issues to leadership. Work across the Health Care System to prevent and resolve patient issues. Interpret policies, resources, and services for patients and families. Identify and help remove institutional barriers to care. Maintain liaison relationships with Veteran organizations and community groups. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description/PD#: Veterans Experience Officer/PD136290 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved 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, 09/30/2026. 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: functioning as a liaison between the Health Care System, patients and staff, and the community regarding patient experience; coordinating staff activities, and facilitating timely resolution of complaints; using data analysis to identify trends and patterns that create difficulty for patients or families; managing Patient Advocate Tracking Systems to document issues and evaluate Veteran satisfaction; developing, reviewing, analyzing, and making recommendations on proposed departmental policy and procedure changes, organizational changes, etc.; working with health care providers and administrative support staff throughout the Health Care System to prevent and resolve patient complaints; and have a comprehensive knowledge of Microsoft products and their applications. 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. 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.