Health System Specialist (Quality & Patient Safety)
What you'd do
This position is located in the Quality & Patient Safety service that reports to the Office of the Health System Director at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS). The primary purpose of the Health System Specialist (Governance Specialist) is to provide programmatic management and administrative oversight of all TVHS governance structure activities to include TVHS policies and committees ensuring compliance with higher level agency and regulatory oversight standards throughout TVHS.
Major duties
The core duties of this position include but are not limited to: Provides consultation, direction, and leadership for professional, technical, administrative and clerical employees, particularly with regard to governance-related issues. Develops, plans, coordinates, and directs administrative technical functions, particularly with regard to governance-related issues. Provides full and complete staff assistance to the Executive Director and other leadership as required to meet the goals and mission. Works to establish and implement the primary goals and support the mission of TVHS, setting the direction and overlay for governance-related issues. Provides insight in a variety of operational and management issues and integrates this understanding into the development and implementation of governance programs. Provides full and thorough review, analysis, and evaluation of governance-related programmatic activities and development. Develops tools required to collect and evaluate data and information into reports, tables, charts and graphs, reviews subject matter, and provides a concise analysis to leadership, particularly with regard to governance-related issues. Establishes, in concert with leadership and key support staff, both long term and short-term governance related plans, policies and procedures, assuring that administrative and clinical programs are integrated in order to provide high quality patient care with optimal resource utilization. Serves as the technical advisor and consultant to all levels of TVHS leadership on governance issues such as committee structure, requirements, membership, documentation, responsibilities, and oversight. By thoroughly reviewing all applicable higher level agency, local facility, and external oversight guidance, ensures that all committees are properly chartered, organized, and managed. Oversees the management of all TVHS governance-related documentation to include policies, charters, and minutes ensuring files are properly protected and readily available when needed. Serves as the facility subject matter expert and manager of facility level policy creation, modifications, maintenance, storage, and distribution. Ensures local policies adhere to higher level policy guidance and appropriately support accreditation readiness and external oversight regulations. Creates and maintains a document control system for publications and committee documentation via the most technically appropriate and available system which provides the appropriate level of availability and security protections as determined by law and other applicable guidance. VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) is an integrated tertiary health care system comprised of two hospitals, the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro and the Nashville VA Medical Center, as well as 21 outpatient clinics located in middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky. TVHS provides ambulatory care, primary care, and secondary care in acute medicine and surgery, specialized tertiary care, transplant services, spinal cord injury outpatient care, and a full range of extended care and mental health services. More than 146,000 Veterans in middle Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and northern Georgia trust VA TVHS for their health care needs. TVHS is the seventh largest VA medical center system in the nation serving roughly 75 counties with robust research and development, health care innovation, and more. Middle Tennessee offers an abundance of entertainment such as historic music venues, NFL Titans and NHL Predators, recreational activities, and natural sceneries ideal for any individual. Additionally, Tennessee does not have state taxes making the area more attractive to high-quality candidates. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday | 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM CST Telework: Ad Hoc Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Quality & Patient Safety)/PD70516A 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, 07/30/2026. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT: Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. (TRANSCRIPT MUST BE PROVIDED.) OR Experience: (For positions above GS-5): 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. 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 Individual Occupational Requirement, applicants must have the specialized experience as described below. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as: Interpreting and applying regulatory and oversight standards (TJC, OIG, etc.). Reviewing new/updated applicable VA/VHA guidance/directives and distributing applicable information to facility entities as needed. Writing and interpreting directives, policies, standard operating procedures, committee charters, and other governance related items. Developing, planning, coordinating, and directing administrative technical functions, particularly with regard to governance-related issues and agency issue briefs. Establishing both long-term and short-term governance-related plans, policies, and procedures, assuring that administrative and clinical programs are integrated in order to provide high quality patient care with optimal resource utilization. Possessing significant experience with Microsoft products to include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, & SharePoint. OR EDUCATION: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. (TRANSCRIPT MUST BE PROVIDED) 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 undergraduate education. (EXPERIENCE MUST BE DOCUMENTED IN RESUME AND TRANSCRIPT MUST BE PROVIDED) PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Supporting health care governance by drafting and maintaining policies, procedures, and charters; Coordinating and tracking committees (agendas, minutes, membership, and action items); Working with leadership and services to ensure compliance with VA directives and regulatory requirements. 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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