Program Specialist

Summary

The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System is currently recruiting a Program Specialist in the Surgery Service. This position is located at the Bay Pines VA HCS, C.W. Bill Young Campus in Bay Pines, Florida.

Duties

• The Program Specialist is responsible for working collaboratively with Surgery leadership, surgical providers, the Clinical Staff Affairs Office, and other administrative teams in managing the FPPE/OPPE process for the Surgery Service. Other duties include, but are not limited to, the following: Program Analysis and Support Work collaboratively with Surgery leadership, surgical providers, the Clinical Staff Affairs Office, and other administrative teams in managing the FPPE/OPPE process for the Surgery Service. Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for Surgery Service regarding FPPE/OPPE processes. Analyze clinical evaluation plans to ensure they meet standards and are thorough and appropriate to measure and document the competence of the Licensed Independent Provider (LIP). Coordinate and consult with surgical providers when evaluation plans lack specificity or required information. Participate in developing and updating FPPE, OPPE, and privilege forms for Surgery Service. Manage data collection for chart reviews, including specialty-specific clinical indicators. Prepare and obtain signatures on FPPE/OPPE forms at specified intervals according to VA policy. Compliance Ensure initiation, completion, and compliance of FPPE and OPPE clinical evaluations. Provide guidance and assistance in accordance with evaluation requirements and standards. Monitor evaluation status and implement tracking and monitoring systems for actions indicated by the Credentials Committee and supervisor requirements. Ensure Functional Categories are assigned and signed yearly according to local VA policy Ensure all sections of Surgery Service competency folders are current and maintained. Integration and Management Data Bases Analyze data generated from clinical, administrative, and corporate systems (e.g., data warehouse, Vista, DSS, Live Data, Access) to identify and report issues by provider, program, clinic, and service. Employ informatics to develop and manage data systems that support managers' understanding of the VA care system and data-driven decision-making. Use clinical, demographic, and administrative systems to develop Surgery Service information bases (demographics, productivity models, statistical analyses, cost-based practice data, risk assessments, etc.). Use data subsets to understand clinical practice patterns, clinical operations, comparative private-sector/national VA models, and system performance. Serve as the Automated Data Processing Application Coordinator (ADPAC) for Surgery Service. Resource and Operational Management Understand clinical programs, clinical practice models, VA operational systems, resource utilization, and cost accounting systems. Create and manage information streams incorporating aggregate cost analysis for current operational models. Manage workload capture systems to ensure visits, procedures, consultations, and workload entries are completed within required timeframes. Oversee encounter forms, consultations, visits, and other data capture processes. Performs other duties as assigned by the Chief of Surgery Service and/or Supervisory Management Analysis Officer. 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, 8:00am-4:30pm. Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD112030 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, 09/21/2026. 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-07 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Applying established evaluation methods to complete routine data reviews, collect clinical or administrative information, and enter findings into local tracking systems. Preparing routine documentation such as draft evaluation forms, data reports, or written summaries that support ongoing program review or compliance activities. Following standardized procedures to analyze information for completeness and accuracy and resolve straightforward discrepancies with guidance from senior staff. Using basic research, data-gathering, or verification techniques to support program operations, including identifying missing information or supporting documentation. Performing entry-level tasks requiring familiarity with regulatory requirements, internal policies, or standard operating procedures to support program workflow. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 1 full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement*. Degree must be relevant to the position to be filled. 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 a bachelor's degree. The education and experience must be directly related to the work of the position to be filled. GS-09 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Independently analyzing program data, conducting complex reviews, and preparing detailed reports to advise leadership on operational or clinical program effectiveness. Resolving complex administrative or operational issues impacting service delivery, recommending improvements, and implementing workflow enhancements. Evaluating new products, systems, or processes and recommending changes to optimize operational efficiency or improve compliance outcomes. Extracting, analyzing, and reporting program or operational data to support metrics tracking, trend identification, and management-level decision-making. Leading or coordinating program activities, training staff, or developing detailed written guidance, reflecting knowledge of program policies and advanced analytical methods. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Degree must be relevant to the position to be filled. 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 1 year of graduate level education may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-09. The education and experience must be directly related to the work of the position to be filled. Preferred Experience: Knowledge of procedures for assessing, evaluating, and monitoring programs or projects for compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and guidance. Organizes work, sets priorities, and determines resource requirements; determines short- or long-term goals and strategies to achieve them; coordinates with other organizations or parts of the organization to accomplish goals; monitors progress and evaluates outcomes. Knowledge of the principles, procedures, and tools of data management, such as modeling techniques, data backup, data recovery, data dictionaries, data warehousing, data mining, data archiving, data disposal, and data standardization processes. Identifies and analyzes problems; uses sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions; finds alternative solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical judgements. Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming. 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/13019656. 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