Health System Specialist
What you'd do
Incumbent serves as key member of multi-disciplinary project teams with other NCPS and VHA field staff in addressing the challenges of patient safety, performing operational, analytical and evaluative work in direct support of the operation of the VHA national patient safety program.
Major duties
Monitors internal VHA and external sources for information that could potentially impact patient safety. Gathers and integrates alert, advisory, and recall information from many different sources such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ECRI Institute, and manufacturers and vendors regarding medical devices and products used within the VHA. Reviews recall notices to assess the impact of removing products and devices. Identifies alternate products and devices to ensure patient care is not adversely impacted. Develops background information and drafts notification and instructions related to recalled devices and products in use within the VHA. Researches, classifies, and prioritizes potential recall information, and makes recommendations regarding the optimal dissemination method. Works collaboratively with NCPS staff and staff of other VHA program offices, as appropriate, to the device or product in question. Prepares key elements and/or full drafts of recalls that do not require clinician action that that are issued directly from the NCPS to VHA field facilities, which mandate actions that must be taken to safeguard the life or health of VHA patients. Coordinates and consults with other VHA program offices, VISN, and field staff to initiate, develop, and execute projects in support of development of data needs. Reviews and interprets regulations, directives, and memoranda for currency and applicability to NCPS programmatic functions and advises leadership of potential impact. Monitors internal VHA and external sources for information that could potentially impact patient safety. Ability to effectively communicate in writing with professional, administrative and technical staff at all levels in order to persuade and influence clinical and management decisions. Devises and implements ways to clearly communicate NCPS program and project information with internal and external stakeholders. Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Ad hoc is defined as occasional, non-recurring telework. Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to the in-person work mandate in their current position. Definition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA-owned or leased space. Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in-person work unless they are approved for an exception or an exemption. Any approval for an RTO exception, exemption, or extension will happen after a tentative job offer, but before a final job offer. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD02986A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/20/2026. 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. 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. Quality Ranking Factors (QRF) that are ideally sought: Experience working in a health care setting (clinical or nonclinical) Experience with recalls, supply chain, or patient safety in VHA Demonstrates technology savvy through experience or training with advanced software tools such as Microsoft Power Platform 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-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Use of wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods and ability to analyze patient safety data. Dissects important components of patient safety adverse events and write clear reports about the information. Provides safety analysis techniques including root cause analysis and proactive risk assessment systems and apply to health care setting. Search and analyze large healthcare databases. Provides analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to research medical device and product alert, advisory and recall information to perform a thorough analysis of facts to develop recommendations for course of action to address issues. AND The Individual Occupational Requirement: For the 0671 Occupational Series you must have 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. 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/.
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