Program Specialist

Veterans Health Administration • Washington, DC

12d • Onsite

About The Position

The Program Specialist provides specialized administrative, analytical, and program support across assigned programs and sections. The posting describes the role within Surgical Care Service at the Washington, DC VA Medical Center, while also identifying it as a developmental position in Community Care Service and part of a career ladder leading to the full performance level of Program Specialist, GS-0301-09. Promotion to the full performance level may occur without further competition when regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met; selection at a lower grade does not guarantee promotion.

The position is not virtual. Work schedules are Monday through Friday, with either 7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m. or 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m. available. The work is primarily sedentary and is performed in an office setting. Some walking, standing, bending, and carrying lightweight items are involved in handling documents and files. The employee may occasionally be exposed to communicable diseases and to patients who are mentally or emotionally/psychologically disturbed. Mental concentration and sustained performance under prolonged stress are required because of the complex and time-sensitive nature of the work.

The role requires U.S. citizenship, completion of the application and online assessment, and satisfaction of applicable federal employment, security, and qualification requirements. A one-year probationary period or two-year trial period may apply. The posting gives GS-07 and GS-09 qualification routes based on specialized experience, education, or combinations of both. The announcement closing date is 10/30/2026.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Complete all required application steps, including an online assessment measuring critical general competencies.
• Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing-designated position must undergo urinalysis for illegal drug use; refusing the test results in denial of employment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Meet the applicable time-in-grade requirement if a current or former federal employee applying under the stated circumstances: 52 weeks at GS-05 for GS-07, or 52 weeks at GS-07 for GS-09.
• GS-07 qualification: one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-05 in the federal service, or one year of qualifying graduate-level education, or superior academic achievement at the baccalaureate level, or an allowable combination of graduate education and specialized experience.
• GS-09 qualification: one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-07 in the federal service, or a master's or equivalent graduate degree, two years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a related LL.B. or J.D., or an allowable combination of graduate education and specialized experience.
• Specialized experience described for GS-07 and GS-09 includes administrative daily operational management of non-VA authorized and unauthorized medical care; financial and program oversight involving fund control point management, Community Care cost estimates, budget formulation, and payment audits; coordination with VISN and Payment Operations Management on budget, claims, and payments; and coordination of the State Home.
• Education used to qualify must be from an accredited college or university and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for the work. Submit transcripts when relying on education; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with the transcript.
• Follow applicable computer-access rules and instructions.
• Serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program as a condition of employment.
• The work requires sustained mental concentration and performance under prolonged stress; physical demands include occasional walking, standing, bending, and carrying lightweight documents and files.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with timekeeping.
• Experience with account provisioning/deprovisioning (APD) systems.
• Experience with onboarding.

Responsibilities

• Manage long-term and short-term projects for the program.
• Initiate, plan, and implement process-improvement initiatives.
• Ensure program compliance with applicable policies and regulations.
• Manage program workload in alignment with organizational goals and mission.
• Recognize how health administration programs relate to other medical services and programs.
• Investigate complex issues and analyze problems affecting organizational management.
• Communicate with Veterans, their representatives, visitors, and VA staff in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.
• Follow regulations and instructions governing access to computerized files and release of access codes.
• Conduct and participate in facility risk assessments, security evaluations, and audits, and ensure recommendations are implemented.
• Provide weekly productivity documentation, including lists of operations by surgical specialty and reports of CPT coding accuracy to quality management and infection disease service.
• Enter residents’ privileges into MS PowerPoint, recording major and minor surgical procedures as required for Joint Commission accreditation.
• Update information on the Medical Center website and information related to monthly on-call schedules.

Benefits

• Comprehensive federal employee benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and eligibility.
• VA may offer newly appointed federal employees credit for qualifying job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service when determining annual leave accrual, subject to prior request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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