Health System Specialist

Veterans Health Administration • Long Beach, CA

7d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located in the Quality & Patient Safety Service (QPS) at the Long Beach VAMC. The incumbent serves as the System Redesign & Improvement Specialist, delivering performance-improvement techniques to programs and services throughout the Medical Center. Methods include Lean, Six Sigma, coaching, project management, and training.

The specialist works with subject matter experts and facility leadership to define project scope and goals, interpret hospital operations and applicable policies and regulations, research current-state issues, analyze data, identify metrics and root causes, and develop statistical models to measure improvement. The role leads teams through project-management and improvement processes, facilitates solution development and prioritization, designs and monitors experiments, and develops standard work and sustainability measures.

The specialist prepares statistical, graphical, and narrative reports and presents findings to executive leadership, service chiefs, supervisors, staff, committees, and work teams. The role also coordinates group activities and provides formal instruction and mentoring in improvement methodologies, project management, statistics, coaching, facilitation, and leadership. The position is not virtual. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; compressed or flexible scheduling is at management's discretion.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Meet the applicable time-in-grade requirement for the grade sought if currently or formerly a qualifying Federal employee: 52 weeks at GS-7 for GS-9, GS-9 for GS-11, or GS-11 for GS-12.
• Meet the Health System Administration Series 0671 occupational requirements through qualifying education, specialized experience, or an eligible agency-sponsored in-service training program.
• For GS-9, have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-7, including relevant health care service administration, quality improvement, data analysis, planning, or administrative support experience.
• For GS-11, have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-9, including relevant health care service administration, quality improvement, data analysis, planning, or administrative support experience.
• For GS-12, have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-11, including relevant health care service administration, quality improvement, data analysis, planning, or administrative support experience.
• Complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
• Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered for Selective Service.
• Satisfactorily complete required background/security investigation and online onboarding requirements.
• Participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program as a condition of employment.
• Serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.
• Submit a transcript if using education to qualify; foreign education must be supported by a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency.

Responsibilities

• Define project scope and goals collaboratively with subject matter experts and facility, service-line, program, or unit leadership.
• Read and interpret hospital operations, policies, procedures, VA regulations, policies, and program guidelines.
• Research and analyze current-state operations, conduct background research, and identify performance metrics.
• Extract, isolate, and manipulate data to identify root causes of performance issues and develop statistical models to measure improvement outcomes.
• Transform data into formats such as SPC charts, histograms, and Pareto charts using advanced statistical models.
• Lead teams of subject matter experts, front-line staff, and leaders through project-management processes using Lean, Lean Six Sigma, System Redesign, and related tools.
• Facilitate brainstorming sessions to develop solutions for defined deliverables or goals.
• Identify solution approaches and lead prioritization exercises using tools such as affinity diagrams, PICK charts, and multi-voting when needed.
• Design experiments aligned with project goals and proposed solutions, monitor iterative hypotheses, and assess their effectiveness or failure.
• Develop standard work with subject matter experts, incorporate mistake-proofing, and build sustainability measures into processes.
• Prepare statistical, graphical, and narrative reports; communicate findings to medical center executive leadership, service chiefs, supervisors, staff, committees, and work teams.
• Organize, direct, control, and coordinate group activities in a timely and effective manner.
• Provide formal instruction and mentoring in Lean, Lean Six Sigma, Systems Redesign, and other improvement methodologies.
• Develop written and verbal teaching materials and deliver training curricula on project management, statistics, coaching, facilitation, and leadership.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package; specific benefits depend on position eligibility.
• VA may consider job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service for annual-leave accrual credit if requested and approved before appointment; credit is not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed