Program Specialist

Veterans Health Administration • New Albany, IN

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Specialist provides administrative and operational support to the Primary Care Service, which oversees eight geographically dispersed Community Based Outpatient Clinics across Kentucky and Indiana. The role coordinates programs and workflows, manages data and reporting, supports projects, and assists with analysis to help ensure efficient clinic operations and compliance with VA policies, standards, and regulatory requirements. It supports leadership through research, performance tracking, program-integrity activities, outpatient clinic oversight, and continuous improvement.

The position helps maintain service continuity and communication between clinic teams and leadership. It supports clinic operations across functional areas, coordinates supplies, equipment, services, clinic space planning, relocations, and new program activations, and collaborates with facility colleagues to address patient-care and access issues. It also supports leadership with clinic utilization and consult-management work, access principles and performance measures, staff training, and clinic-profile updates. The position represents Primary Care at designated committees and task forces and performs other duties as assigned.

The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 0800–1630. Ad hoc telework may be authorized; the position is not virtual. Relocation and recruitment incentives and PCS are not authorized. Applicants must meet the stated experience or education qualifications, complete the required online assessment, and satisfy applicable federal employment conditions. The position requires a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Complete all required application steps, including the online assessment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Meet the GS-9 time-in-grade requirement, if applicable: 52 weeks at GS-7 in Federal service.
• Qualify through one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-7, including relevant program-data collection and analysis, reporting, monitoring outcomes and performance metrics, and knowledge of managing complex health care delivery systems; or qualify through the stated graduate education or education-and-experience combination.
• Submit an official transcript if using education to qualify; qualifying education must be from an appropriately accredited institution.
• Complete a background/security investigation and online onboarding requirements.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as a condition of employment.
• Serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and operational support for clinical programs and coordinate activities across functional areas.
• Assist in planning, implementing, and evaluating program processes to align them with service objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Manage day-to-day documentation, reporting, scheduling, communication tracking, and workflow optimization.
• Support acquisition of supplies, equipment, and services for the Robley Rex VA Medical Center and assist with clinic-space utilization plans.
• Coordinate moves, relocations, and activation of new programs with Primary Care leadership.
• Collaborate with facility colleagues to resolve patient-care issues, including patient complaints, clinic waiting times, missed opportunities, and clinic access.
• Assist Service Leadership with timecards by reviewing provider leave entries in GovTA/VATAS and checking them against clinic cancellation requests in LEAF.
• Communicate clinic requests to stakeholders to support timely clinic management.
• Promptly report accidents and notify the Associate Chief of Staff, Primary Care, of unsafe or unhealthful workplace conditions.
• Represent Primary Care Service at designated medical center committees and task forces, providing input and communicating the service's views and consensus as appropriate.
• Pull and analyze reports related to provider clinic utilization.
• Assist with implementation of leadership plans to reduce backlogs when delays occur and supply is equal to or less than demand.
• Support consult management, including education on consult reports, consult business rules, consult types and process variations, participation in local and national consult communities of practice, and coordination of Care Coordination Agreements.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for clinic teams, staff, and leadership on advanced clinic-access principles, data reports, and tools.
• Promote and enforce compliance with access targets, measures, metrics, and policies.
• Provide ongoing training and process-improvement recommendations for clinical staff development in collaboration with Service Leadership and the Group Practice Manager.
• Review clinic profiles regularly and update them as appropriate.
• Collect, analyze, and organize program data for decision-making, compliance, and reporting.
• Prepare routine and special reports on clinic operations, access metrics, quality indicators, and performance measures.
• Support leadership in monitoring outcomes and identifying opportunities to improve efficiency or quality.
• Monitor performance metrics, staffing requirements, equipment needs, stakeholder engagement, and environmental-care concerns.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and eligibility.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level