Prosthetic Representative (Assistant Chief)

Summary

The Prosthetic Representative (Assistant Chief) for the Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks is fully responsible for sharing full responsibility with the Chief for directing, supervising, and managing all phases of the prosthetic service operations. This individual serves as Chief of the service in the Chief's absence. The VHSO has active specialty services including Spinal Cord Injury, Home Based Primary Care, Low Vision services, and Prosthetic Implants.

Duties

• Duties of the Prosthetic Representative (Assistant Chief) include, but are not limited to: Manages procurement and contracting for the VHSO Prosthetic Program to include, distributing national prosthetic contract requirements and guidelines as part of the National Prosthetics Clinical Management Program (PCMP) to staff, reviewing PCMP contract compliance, ensuring usage of Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts, and VISN 16 contracts and blanket purchasing agreements (BPA), preparing procurement requests, evaluating proposals for work, acting as a COR for procurements and VISN 16 contracts, and/or maintaining procurement and contracting records. Reviews contracting and procurement for small procurements that require varying approaches initiation of new ideas and demonstrated resourcefulness. Initiates and prepares contracts to secure adequate resources to facilitate operations to include determining appropriate costs, performs costs analyses, and communicates both orally and in writing with contractors. Incumbent exercises authorizations for obligation and expenditures of funds. Contributes to developing an annual specific-purpose budget for the Prosthetics and Sensory Aids Service by evaluating financial trends, ensuring compliance with agency guidance, and executing the budget on a facility program level. Coordinates budget and planning processes in order to inform upper management on key issues, which impacts agency processes and decision-making and future facility budget planning. Gathers information for programs and reviews budget formulations and workload analysis submissions. Monitors budget allocation and execution to ensure that operating program objectives are met. Performs in-depth, rigorous analysis of budget requests by employing techniques such as cost benefit analysis, program trade-offs, and exploring alternative methods of funding. Monitors the use and rate of expenditure of budgeted funds through continuing dialogue with facility administrative and clinical staff, review of written documents, and examination of obligations and expense totals. Determines the service's personnel requirements and controlling expenditures. Determines resource requirements and recommends resource allocations based on priorities and needs. Follows the network business plan through the coordination and cooperation of the facility's prosthetic program and ensures that the functions, abilities, and plans link to and effectively supports VHA, Network, VHSO and VISN 16 Prosthetics initiatives, goals, plans, programs, and achievements with internal and external stakeholders. Ensure that objective requirements of Public Law 104-262 (Provision of Prosthetic Services) and Public Law 107-135 to maintain capacity to provide for the specialized treatment and rehabilitative needs of disabled Veterans (including spinal cord dysfunction, blindness, amputations, and mental illness) are met. Participates in national initiatives, intra-agency workgroups and/or committees. Assists in the drafting and/or recommending national policies or directives. Works with facility to develop policy, SOP's, and memorandums that align with national policies and directives. Seeks best practices from other VHA facilities to enhance PSAS's program to meet Veteran's needs. Develops functional statements, performance standards and competencies. Handles administrative matters pertinent to all issues related to the facilities Prosthetic Program. Prepares specific instructions for ongoing operations and/or implements policies designated by higher-level personnel. Serves on or chairs various committees such as the Home Oxygen Committee, or any others as assigned by the Medical Center. Ensures compliance with Joint Commission Home Care and hospital standards and other regulations governing this function; works closely with oxygen and medical equipment companies to assure maximum delivery of their services and compliance to their contracts; coordinates quality assurance monitoring of this equipment program and represents program to Joint Commission and VA audit teams. Furthering the goals of equal employment opportunity by taking positive steps to assure the accomplishment of affirmative action objectives and by adhering to nondiscriminatory employment practices in regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or handicap. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 564-00584-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Experience and Education. Individual must meet at least one of the requirements below. Experience. One year of creditable experience that demonstrates: Knowledge of basic anatomy and medical terminology; knowledge of accounting methods; ability to research, analyze, comprehend, and apply decisions; basic knowledge of inventory management procedures; ability to use computer software packages for word processing, spreadsheet development, and database management; and ability to work independently and as a member of a team; or Education. A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution AND at least 24 semester hours in course work related to health care, public administration, or business. The 24 semester hours could include but is not limited to any combination from the following fields: occupational therapy, physical therapy, kinesiotherapy, social work, psychology, prosthetics, orthotics, respiratory therapy, assistive technology, business law, leadership, healthcare, public administration, or business management. This course work may have been completed within the degree or in addition to the degree; or Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the United States must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials, and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to experience gained in conventional United States programs. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-12 Prosthetic Representative (Assistant Chief) Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties, including responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; assessment of competencies; evaluation of performance; selection of staff; and recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. 2. Ability to analyze data and make recommendations to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity within the service. 3. Ability to manage a health care program that provides home medical equipment, rehabilitation services, home oxygen, visual or hearing impairment devices, assistive technology, orthotics, or prosthetics. 4. Knowledge of compliance and regulatory accrediting organizations. 5. Ability to manage, interpret, and present fiscal data (i.e. fund controls, contracts and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer an allocated budget; Preferred Experience: One year of experience actively monitoring prosthetic program contracts; Experience training new staff and provide refresher training when needed; Experience developing budgets for fund control points and ensuring budgeted amounts are not exceeded; Experience identifying needs/excess of prosthetics funds; Experience with monitoring purchasing to include credit card purchase orders and reconciliations; Experience working with multi-disciplinary teams and upper management; Experience generating reports and interpreting results from several different data source. i.e. NPPD and PCM reports; Experience with prosthetic consult management to include reviewing open and pending consults, prioritizing, and assign work to staff; and experience formulating policies and processes related to current Prosthetics and Rehabilitative items and service laws, regulations, directives, handbooks and clinical practice recommendations. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Must be able to independently operate Government Vehicle. Must provide clean driving record report from the DMV during the pre-employment process. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/21/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13057422. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.