Program Specialist
What you'd do
The Program Specialist is located in the Specialty and Hospital Medicine Service Line of the Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System. The incumbent reports to the Administrative Officer in the Specialty and Hospital Medicine Service Line. Provides support to all subspecialties and units comprising the Specialty and Hospital Medicine Service Line.
Major duties
Major duties include but are not limited to: Collect and review clinic utilization data; make recommendations on effective utilization of providers within Specialty Medicine clinical areas Review data and workload in outpatient clinical areas including overbooking of patients, scheduling of new patients, clinic note closures and resolving consults; provide recommendations to leadership to improve productivity and expand services. Use data/metrics to monitor and identify quality of health outcomes in areas of data quality, accuracy, and timeliness. Recommend clinical capacity and needs based on thorough knowledge of policies, costs and operating procedures. Review and develop guidance and policies that will facilitate standardized processes within the facility and applicable CBOCs. Analyze Care in the Community and healthcare access trends; Collaborate with various groups at CBOCs to explore expansion of services, maximize productivity, and improve access to care. Evaluate assigned processes to determine areas of effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement; recommends areas of improvement to Administrative Officer and Service Chief Provide technical advice to clinical personnel regarding labor mapping and workload Assist with procurement of clinical equipment within Specialty Medicine Department Serve as service Level ADPAC; troubleshooting basic IT issues such as Active Directory accounts, CPRS account issues, requests new/updates/terminates user accounts. Performs other duties as assigned. 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: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 6:00pm (flexible/compressed schedule available, 80 hours bi-weekly) Compressed/Flexible: Available 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#: Program Specialist/PD707120 and PD707110 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/13/2026. 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-09 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 for GS-09 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-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: analyzing processes/procedures; planning and organizing work to achieve goals; interpreting regulatory guidelines; generating various reports; and implementing department best practices. 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 degree or two (2) full years of graduate level education leading to such a degree in a related field of study that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. 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 one year of graduate level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. You may qualify for GS-11 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-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes, but are not limited to: analyzing processes/procedures to solve problems; planning and organizing work to achieve goals and objectives; interpreting regulatory guidelines; serving as a liaison between services to ensure smooth, efficient workflow; generating various reports for managing data; and implementing department best practices. 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 three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education beyond the first two years. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. *Preferred Experience: One (1) year experience working in hospital or clinic administration working with leadership to solve problems relating to clinic access, patient scheduling, provider productivity, management of clinic utilization, or other data drivers. 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/. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort is involved, such as bending to file and retrieve files and walking to and from meetings. Work Environment: Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office. May require occasional travel.
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