Health System Specialist - EA to HSA Director

This position is a Health System Specialist (Executive Assistant to the HSA Executive Director) with each VHA VISN 1 Health Service Area. The incumbent serves as a principal advisor to the HSA Executive Director, coordinating networkwide initiatives, analyzing operations, and managing executive-level programs and special projects. The incumbent also advises leadership on organizational performance and improvements to healthcare delivery across facilities.

Major duties

The Health System Specialist (Executive Assistant to the HSA Executive Director) serves as a principal advisor and action officer to the Health Service Area (HSA) Executive Director. The incumbent provides expert-level program management, operational analysis, and executive coordination across multiple VA medical centers and associated facilities throughout the Network. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Serves as a principal advisor to the HSA Executive Director on complex administrative, operational, and program management matters affecting healthcare delivery across the Network. Coordinates and manages networkwide initiatives, assignments, and operational priorities involving HSA leadership, VISN programs, VA medical centers, and other organizational stakeholders. Represents the HSA Executive Director at executive-level meetings, committees, and conferences, communicating leadership priorities and exercising delegated authority within established limits. Plans, develops, coordinates, and evaluates major administrative and operational programs involving healthcare management, strategic planning, resource management, and organizational performance. Conducts comprehensive management studies and organizational analyses to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of programs and operations across multiple facilities. Collects and analyzes qualitative and quantitative data, identifies operational deficiencies, and develops recommendations to improve program effectiveness and healthcare delivery. Leads special projects and studies involving complex, sensitive, or high-visibility issues, including operational concerns, patient safety matters, and Congressional inquiries. Advises executive leadership on organizational changes, policy development, resource allocation, and corrective actions to address operational challenges. Coordinates with facility directors, senior executives, program officials, and external stakeholders to resolve conflicting priorities and implement networkwide initiatives. Develops and reviews executive correspondence, management reports, briefings, and other official communications to ensure accuracy, consistency, and alignment with leadership priorities. Establishes and maintains systems for tracking executive assignments, monitoring organizational performance, and ensuring timely completion of required actions. Develops and recommends administrative policies, procedures, and guidelines to improve operational efficiency, strengthen accountability, and support organizational goals. Supports executive management functions, including performance planning, appraisal timelines, governance processes, and coordination of administrative operations. Organizes and supports executive-level committees, boards, conferences, and workgroups, ensuring appropriate coordination, documentation, and follow-up on decisions and recommendations.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:00pm

Telework: This position may be authorized for ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist - EA to HSA Director/PD00017VS

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, 10/15/2026.

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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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 Requirements (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series. To qualify for the GS 0671 occupational series, applicants MUST possess one of the following:

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.

In addition to the IOR, candidates must also fully meet the below grade requirements.

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

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/.

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.