Health System Specialist

Summary

Primary purpose of the Ambulatory Care Operations Director - Group Practice Manager (ACOD-GPM) is to provide oversight and administrative management of all ambulatory care services as it relates to access to care, clinical utilization, and productivity. The ACOD-GPM is responsible for primary care, mental health, specialty care, ambulatory surgery and all other ambulatory clinic oversight and integration into an efficient Clinic Practice Management model.

Duties

• Responsible for supporting high quality, accessible, cost effective health care services, and for ensuring high quality patient experience for the Veteran. Measures and assesses clinical business activities; development, standardization, implementation, and sustainment of key operational/business processes. Will identify and implement improvements to optimize clinic management processes, access strategies, and "make-buy" decisions through an in depth analysis. Continuously evaluates the current outpatient services model in order to propose national access changes that will result in extensive changes in agency policy. National Program Responsibilities Provides access related consultative services. Provide input on nationally issued regulations and policies for VA-wide implementation. Review and evaluate local processes and procedures to determine areas of effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement for proposal. Review and evaluate system-wide training plans to optimize local use. Veteran Experience Responsibilities Work with Veteran Experience Advocates to evaluate patient and family concerns regarding the access to services needed. Align local processes with planning and policies at the network and national access levels. Programmatic Oversight Function independently. Lead program planning and execution for VHA-approved program of clinic practice management. Use Advanced Principles and Strategies for Access Improvement to review and provide guidance to Administrative (ALs) and Clinical Leads (CLs). Work with local personnel to integrate data analytics and measures with continuous process improvement. Incorporate Lean management, system redesign, and process improvement based upon knowledge of VHA's and local MyVA organizational philosophy, policies and management principles. Work independently with medical leadership and personnel at the AVAHS, CBOCs, and other facilities to implement national and VISN standards. Work in collaboration with facility leadership in the preparation for JC accreditation. Work with Logistics and Resource Management offices to oversee contracting services. Ensures record management guidelines are adhered to in the clinic setting. Recommends and coordinates with the facility manager on facility improvements. Exercise consultative authority involving work review. Direction and Long Term (Strategic) Planning Develop both long- and short-term policies and plans for the AVAHS. Lead ambulatory care managerial planning. Understand the requirements of the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act (VACAA) and develop and implement strategic planning initiatives to achieve all requirements. Ensure the timely review, analysis, and adjustment of marketing strategies, plans, and programs with the marketing office. Budget Guidance and Approval Develop and maintain annual budget plan and staffing plans for outpatient care. Work closely with medical leadership and personnel at the AVAHS, CBOCs, and other facilities to formulate budget recommendations for all outpatient clinical services. Office Program Planning Work Provide administrative management for ambulatory care clinical support services. Act as the expert on policies and requirements for ambulatory care clinical support and administrative services. Ensure effective use of office staff and recommend needed changes to enhance central support services. Provide direct oversight of business managers for ambulatory care both at the main campus and at CBOCs. Quality/Productivity Goals Provide leadership and direction to promote the development and productivity of all employees supporting Ambulatory Care operations (Primary Care, Mental Health, Specialty Care, Ambulatory Surgery and all other ambulatory clinics). Evaluate performance as it relates to productivity and efficiency and recommend appropriate action. Develop and maintain a system to ensure complaints and inquiries are appropriately received and resolved. Due Process Represent management at labor management meetings as directed. Negotiate, decide upon, and coordinate work-related changes affecting the organization. Establish and maintain good relations with various groups and organizations. Liaison and Communications Act as a liaison or point person for communications. Promote effective vertical and horizontal communication and optimal information flow. Create standardized weekly/monthly templates for Access Reporting. Act as a representative of ambulatory care management and the EA to the Chief of Staff. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:30pm Telework: AD-HOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD502520 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved 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, 09/21/2026. 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-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. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0671 occupational series. All applicants, regardless of grade level must meet minimum education requirements. For this occupation, the education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Applicants must meet one of the following requirements: 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. OR Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. In addition to meeting the IOR, you may qualify based on your experience as described below: Specialized Experience: Must possess 1-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Specialized experience will include: knowledge of, and skill in providing oversight and administrative management of ambulatory care operations across the medical center and Community Based Outpatient Clinics to improve access, utilization, productivity, and the Veteran experience; Developing, standardizing, implementing, and sustaining clinic practice management processes, including scheduling practices, to support efficient and effective ambulatory care operations; Monitoring access, clinical utilization, productivity, and patient experience performance across primary care, mental health, specialty care, ambulatory surgery, and other outpatient clinics; Analyzing complex clinical and administrative data to identify trends, causal relationships, performance gaps, and opportunities for operational improvement; performing demand-and-capacity, clinic profile, templating, and scheduling analyses to ensure clinical supply accurately reflects Veteran demand. Preferred or Specialized Experience: Expertise in clinic practice management, access improvement, and performance optimization gained through 3+ years in a GPM role. 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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

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/13055647. 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, 09/21/2026. 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