Health System Specialist (Strategic Planning Officer)
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
Summary
The incumbent serves as the VISN 5 Strategic Planning Officer and performs duties guiding the strategic and administrative management of the integrated health care delivery system. S/he is primarily responsible for planning the effective and efficient delivery of health care for VISN 5 using strategic thinking and planning principles specific to health care management. S/he serves as a senior advisor and reports directly to the Network Director or Deputy Network Director.
Learn more about this agencyOverview
- Accepting applications
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Open & closing dates
01/07/2025 to 01/22/2025
This job will close when we have received 75 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more -
Salary
$106,382 - $138,296 per year
Locality pay will be added to base salary listed above based on final location
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Pay scale & grade
GS 14
- Help
Locations
1 vacancy in the following locations:
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Remote job
No
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Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
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Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
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Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
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Appointment type
Permanent
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Work schedule
Full-time
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Service
Competitive
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Promotion potential
None
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Job family (Series)
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Supervisory status
No
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Security clearance
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Drug test
No
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Position sensitivity and risk
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Trust determination process
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Financial disclosure
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Bargaining unit status
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Announcement number
CBTF-12654791-25-SP-T Echo
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Control number
826985000
Videos
Duties
Strategic and Capital Planning - 50%
The incumbent serves as the primary resource for Network strategic planning activities, incorporating national strategic planning guidance, VHA policies, performance measurement initiatives, and VISN strategic planning. Provides staff support in the monitoring and analysis of changes in mission, goals, new legislation, and technological advances to assess the impact of these changes on work methods/procedures to develop new systems which address these changes.
The incumbent is responsible for coordinating contracts for strategic planning activities for VISN 5. Incumbent is required to lead a multi-disciplinary team through the planning cycle per VHA and VISN guidance, eliciting input from senior leadership and coordinating planning related activities of the VISN Boards, Councils, or Committees (e.g., VISN Strategic Planning Committee, Executive Leadership Council).
Performs ongoing environmental analyses to understand local market dynamics and the impact of industry trends and health care policy on the organization's strategic direction. Ensures the completion of VHA Planning Guidance requirements (e.g., strategic-operational planning, service delivery and capital planning for all VISN Markets, Access Expansion Plan submissions, assessing and adjusting Market boundaries as health care system dynamics change).
Incumbent uses a comprehensive planning approach to evaluate market and geography demographics; estimate supply and demand; assess quality, satisfaction, accessibility, cost, facility condition and impact on mission capabilities; conduct site visits and interviews; review analysis with key stakeholders; develop opportunities and finalize Market and VISN plans.
Advises senior leadership on policy changes, resources, capital infrastructure, historical workload, utilization projections and demographic trends which may influence current and future VISN planning.
Strategic Partnerships - 10%
Researches, engages, and collaborates with public and private community health care providers and organizations to expand VHA's health care delivery network, improve access to care, identify innovative solutions and leverage all community resources in support of the Veteran population. Establishes an understanding of and/or working relationships with federal, state, and local government agencies that can impact and support service delivery planning (e.g., U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Census).
Coordination and Support of Market Planning - 30%
Serves as Team Lead of Facility Planners, directing the completion of planning tasks and responsibilities; and coordinating planning activities to ensure the integration of health system planning priorities into a consolidated service delivery plan. Develops and manages related tracking mechanisms for VISN planning activities and actions. Facilitates recurring meetings with facility planning personnel to provide planning-related updates and training (as necessary), track planning processes and implementation progress and foster communication and collaboration among planning personnel.
Performs VISN population-based demographic studies involving data collection and analysis, forecasting and related methodologies; and advises facilities on planning issues associated with program development and expansion initiatives. Analyzes data using a variety of different sources and tools, including but not limited to: VHA Support Service Center (VSSC), Geospatial Service Support Center (GSSC), Health System Planning Application, Allocation Resource Center (ARC), Census Bureau, State/Local Health and Veteran Agencies, Pyramid Analytics, Strategic Capital Investment Plan Automation Tool, Veterans Health Information & Technology Architecture (VistA), productivity and efficiency tools, space planning tools and the suite of Microsoft Office products.
Special Projects/Staff Support 10%
Performs special projects for the VISN Director and Deputy VISN Director involving facility-specific or VISN-wide initiatives (e.g., Congressional Briefings, White Papers, Joint VISN meetings, special focus studies).
Conducts and evaluates special studies on various subjects, most of which require extensive investigation and analysis. Assists the Network Director in special complex assignments often of a highly sensitive and confidential nature. He/she provides input to and makes decisions that have impact on Medical Center and VISN matters. The incumbent is required to have a working knowledge of all the facilities in the VISN so that support can be provided to them, as needed.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8a - 4:30p
Compressed/Flexible: To be decided by supervisor
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Strategic Planning Officer)/PD240540
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- You may be required to serve a probationary period
- Subject to background/security investigation
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
- Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
Qualifications
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
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.
- 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.
GS-14 Health System Specialist Requirements
Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) 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.
Examples of specialized experience and the GS-13 level would typically include, but are not limited to:
- Mastery and advanced knowledge and professional experience in the principles and techniques of strategic and operational planning and analysis; and a sophisticated understanding of VA, VHA, VISN and facility missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems.
- Mastery of assessment and analytical tools to support planning and implementation; identifying and interpreting trends and significant factors; and knowledge of social, economic, and other conditions affecting performance of health care delivery systems; including the population, demographics (Veterans and community), economics and budget.
- Knowledge and understanding of the relationship between strategic, operational, capital, financial and workforce planning, clinical program development, resource management, customer experiences and internal/external review programs to advise the VISN executive leadership on management/planning issues.
- Demonstrated skill in project management, effective written and oral communications, and the ability to use a broad spectrum of computer-based programs for communication, report generation and presentations.
- Skill in conducting management improvement studies; analyzing management processes and practices for improving organizational effectiveness; and analyzing VISN-wide programs, functions, and organizations to determine whether current management systems efficiently accomplish the organization's priorities and provide controls necessary for sound management.
Preferred experience:
* Non-supervisory leadership / project management
* Analysis / evaluation of data, policy, procedure
* Creation / presentation of studies and recommended forward-looking plans
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
- Analysis and Problem Solving
- Organizational Performance Analysis
- Planning and Evaluating
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
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: Work is primarily sedentary, although some walking is involved in assessing operational space and evaluating problems.
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
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.
Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- Resume
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
- Cover Letter
- Performance Appraisal
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
- Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
- An SF-50 showing 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
- Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
- Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
- Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
- Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
- SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/22/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12654791.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
To verify your application is complete, log into your USA JOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Application page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. To return to an incomplete application, log into your USA JOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USA JOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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/.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
Agency contact information
- Address
- VISN 5 VA Capitol Health Care Network
849 International Drive, Suite 275
Linthicum, MD 21090
US
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.
Fair & Transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.