Program Specialist
What you'd do
The incumbent of this position serves as a Veteran Representative Program Specialist for the Lebanon VA Medical Center. The incumbent is aligned under the Chief, High Reliability Department of the healthcare system and reports to the Veteran Experience Officer. The mission of Veteran Representative Program Specialist is to develop and execute strategies and initiatives that will build high levels of engagement across the Health Care System.
Major duties
The Veteran Representative Program Specialist oversees assessments and studies of the current state of the workplace and provides internal consultation with LVAMC organizational leaders at all levels to help them understand gaps and opportunities and utilize engagement strategies to build improvement plans and institute new approaches. Duties include but are not limited to: Provides input to top executive leadership and Service Chiefs/Managers to ensure initiatives are in line with the strategic priorities. Develops programs to ensure that employee engagement provisions are planned, developed and implemented to promote and achieve a culture of service excellence and employee engagement. Develops a survey process and metrics that will enable the facility to track employee engagement progress at both an institution wide and unit level. Uses management tools such as qualitative and quantitative analysis techniques and oversees development of evaluation criteria and monitoring mechanisms for programs. Participates in discussions, meetings, conferences and conference calls with managers, senior subject matter and technical personnel, and other stakeholders to secure and provide information; present conclusions, recommendations, and alternatives; obtain concurrence; develop alternate courses of actions; and mutually resolve problems. Examines and analyzes data as it relates to the current work environment and level of engagement. Prepares for and participles in site visits by accrediting and review bodies such as JC, CARF, ACGME, and IG. Evaluates Health Care System-wide programs against short- and long-range objectives. Reviews and reconciles large amounts of data. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm, Monday - Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD595-02279-0, PD595-02280-0, and PD595-02281-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/21/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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: Specialized Experience GS-07: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Routinely displays courteous and respectful behavior to all customers. Keeps supervisor and/or team leader informed of difficult and/or controversial issues and unique problems. Takes action to effectively solve problems before they have an adverse impact on the organization. Maintains appropriate rapport with internal and external customers to facilitate the accomplishment of the medical center goals and mission. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have one full year of graduate level education. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond one full year of graduate education and specialized experience at the GS-5 level directly related to the work of the Program Specialist position, may be substituted to meet the experience requirements for GS-07 position. Specialized Experience GS-09: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Planning, execution, and close out of assigned projects from Health Care System leadership. Participates in Continuous Quality Improvement Projects in support of VHA Mission and goals of building and sustaining a high reliability culture. Identifies and recommends ways of eliminating, combining, simplifying or improving administrative and clerical office procedures and processes Acts as liaison to other managers and staff throughout the facility to provide accurate advice on procedures, reports, directives, policies, and procedures. Examines and analyzes data as it relates to the current work environment and level of engagement, in order to determine the effectiveness of current VA engagement strategy, and existing best practices, for the Health Care System. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the Program Specialist position, may be substituted to meet the experience requirements for GS-09 position. Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Responsible for the implementation and execution of the Veteran Experience Program. Oversight and implementation of program initiatives such as Patient Centered, Relationship-Base Care, Own the Moment (OTM), Red Coat Ambassadors, and other programs that impact the patient's perception of customer service. Maintains constant surveillance of program compliance with standards of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare. Prepares for and participles in site visits by accrediting and review bodies such as JC, CARF, ACGME, and IG. Participates as a member and facilitator of special committees and/or groups to analyze existing or develop new initiatives in support of the overall Health Care System. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a PhD. or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the Program Specialist position, which may be used to meet the experience requirements for GS-11 position. 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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