Health System Specialist (Strategic Planner)

Summary

This position is located at VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Healthcare System executing VHA/VISN/HSA/HCS planning requirements which generally includes reviewing new base year data and modeled projections, updating the VHA Health Systems Planning Application, evaluating Access Expansion Plan submissions, and co-leading the Strategic Capital Investment Planning process with the HSA 4.3 and VISN 4 Capital Asset Management Office/Team.

Duties

• The incumbent in this position serves as the Strategic Planner at VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Healthcare System (VATVCBHCS) located in Harlingen, Texas. VATVCBHCS provides a wide range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology as well as education. The incumbent is a senior health systems specialist with responsibilities for a variety of planning functions. All tasks include but are not limited to research and data analysis, process design, stakeholder engagement, project management, and written and oral communication. The incumbent will be responsible for a portfolio/duties, which may include but not limited to: Development of Strategic Plans Works with relevant clinical and administration Services Chiefs and staff members to develop and share strategic plans for programs, services, and/or the facility. Will lead in the creation of the VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network (HSA 4.3 and VISN 4) Strategic Plan as the principal document to facilitate the continuous development of our integrated health care delivery system. Operational Oversight Serves as a high priority responsible for the coordination, implementation, oversight, and ongoing development of the VATVCBHCS organizational strategic plan as determined by HSA 4.3 and VISN 4, VCB Healthcare Director and AD/OPS and provides supervision and oversight of the Program. Responsible for managing and integrating all strategic and facility planning activities for the VATVCBHCS. Oversees space and occupancy planning and documentation for all VATVCBHCS sites. Provides support to develop, submit, and defend capital projects (new construction and leases) and equipment applications to HSA 4.3 and VISN 4 and VACO. Collaborates with the Engineering Chief to develop the annual Strategic Capital Investment Plan. Assures that proposals are integrated with existing programs and that they are phased to meet future needs as they arise. Is the chief facility consultant for the quadrennial Market Assessment initiative mandated by the MISSION Act of 2018 and PACT Act of 2022. Provides oversight in the coordination of facility efforts to share medical services and other health care institutions, as well as the contracting for scarce specialty services. Long Range Capital and Facility Planning, and Space Optimization Will coordinate and develop stakeholder support to meet the Health Care System priority strategic/tactical programs and objectives. Initiates health care system wide planning activities to develop, communicate and continuously update a comprehensive strategic planning process. Identifies and coordinates a health care system planning process which is customer driven and integrates aspects of performance improvement activities. Serves on and sometimes chairs local councils/boards/ committees, offering related expertise and leadership to optimize resources (space, dollars, personnel and equipment) utilization, plans to develop long and short-range objectives to meet the dynamic changes in health care, and seek solutions and alternatives to complex health systems operational problems. Works with Section Chiefs and Fiscal for analyses of budget data and advising management of shortages or ensuring the use of cost-effective measures. Engages with regional, national, and other agency partners on as-needed tasks programs and policy development, and formal planning processes. Develop, Track and Report Strategic Plans Develops comprehensive reports, studies, business plans and presentations for the Health Care System Director, HSA 4.3 and VISN 4 and VACO. Coordinates consolidated information requests pertaining to data analytics through workgroups and data analysis teams. Designs, develops, and implements the VA TVCBHCS strategic planning and system wide improvement tools, resources and analysis and will develop organization-wide strategic planning initiatives, goals and objectives for healthcare delivery, performance improvement, purchased care, utilization management and financial solvency throughout the medical center and translate into specific actions and policies. Works with relevant clinical and administrative chiefs and staff members to develop, track actions and progress on those actions, and share plans and outcomes for programs, services and/or the facility. 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. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Strategic Planner)/PD006640 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/10/2026. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. Candidates must meet the following Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): In addition to meeting the time in grade requirement, you must meet the following minimum qualifications 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. (Transcripts Required) 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. Special Provision for In service 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 above IOR, 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-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge of the management and organizational structure of hospitals and health care institutions; experience in healthcare delivery; apply global knowledge to plan, schedule, and execute programs, projects, studies and designs that have unique characteristics specific to health care delivery systems; adapting analytical techniques and evaluation criteria that will measure and improve program effectiveness and/or organizational productivity; applying advanced qualitative and quantitative techniques to collect, analyze, plan, organize, develop, coordinate, integrate, and interpret a wide variety of data and reporting results in a concise, usable manner; effective written and oral communications; and uses a broad spectrum of computer-based programs for communication, report generation, and presentations. 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/.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13056215. The application process is as follows: 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. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 09/10/2026. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. NOTE: Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit