Lead Patient Representative -Detail/Temporary Promotion NTE 120 days

Veterans Health Administration • Portland, OR

1d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is located in Portland, OR serving as the Facility Lead Patient Advocate. This position is a key point of contact for patients and staff and to work in collaboration with facility Patient Advocates on complex issues or complaints where use of tact, diplomacy, sound judgment, compassion, flexibility, and a good sense of humor are extremely important. This is a detail/temporary promotion with a not to exceed (NTE) 120 Days and may be extended to 1 year, or terminated at any time, based on management needs. If selected for the temporary promotion, this position may be made permanent without further competition. Patient Advocacy within VA exists to ensure patient concerns are heard and addressed to improve the overall experience and quality of care for patients. Effective, high-functioning Patient Advocacy is integral to fulfilling the goal of providing Veterans with world-class health care.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Must complete all required steps in the process, including application, questionnaire, and an online assessment
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Acceptable forms of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements
• Subject to background/security investigation
• To be eligible for a temporary promotion, applicants must meet time-in-grade and specialized experience requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/19/2026.
• 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.
• Specialized experience includes working directly with health care teams and management as a patient advocate to facilitate resolution to problems; ensuring patient advocacy goals, policy and requirements are met; collecting, analyzing, and evaluating relevant data; identifying existing or potential problem areas and suggesting solutions or alternatives; serving as a liaison between a medical facility, patients, and staff to ensure Patient Rights and Responsibilities, advocacy, and services are available.
• Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

Nice To Haves

• May be extended to 1 year, or terminated at any time, based on management needs.
• If selected for the temporary promotion, this position may be made permanent without further competition.

Responsibilities

• Leads the team and provides the day-to-day work direction, review, and distribution, balance, and adjustment of workload
• Monitors and reports on the progress of the team's work and provides updates to the supervisor
• Coaches and develops the team using appropriate tools and techniques to address a variety of issues and situations
• Oversees general administrative issues regarding subordinates' leave, scheduling, appointments, etc.
• Provides the team formal and informal training information related to patient advocacy service, customer service, techniques, and resources needed to educate themselves
• Provides higher-level data management and analysis function for the Patient Advocate team
• Develops and maintains organizational dashboards and data sets
• Regularly produces cumulative reports which includes a categorization of patient inquiries to track and trend the patterns to identify opportunities for improvement
• Leads and oversees the facility Veteran Centered Complaint Resolution (VCCR) process, including complaint resolution, data capture, and analysis of issues/complaints to make system improvements
• Works in collaboration with Patient Advocates, Service-Level Advocates (SLAs), and front-line staff to resolve complex issues that occur at the point of service or due to further investigation of the problem(s)
• Addresses complaints and proactively explores all avenues to identify the nature and scope of the problems and initiates appropriate action to expedite resolutions
• Serves as the liaison between the facility, patients, staff, and the community, ensuring Patients understand their rights, in addition to, their responsibilities
• Determines causes of patient dissatisfaction, misinformation, or complaints and documents patient encounters and contacts appropriate services to establish resolutions
• Leads and ensures that rounds throughout the facility are conducted on a routine basis to solicit patient feedback and build strong relationships with SLAs and service leadership.
• Leads staff in responding to patients' inquiries through multiple VA approved forms of contact (e.g., Inquiry Routing and Information System (IRIS), My HealtheVet, Secure Messaging, E-mail, Phone, Walk-in, Town Halls, etc.), where patients pose questions, complaints, compliments, and suggestions.

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.

What This Job Offers

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