Program Specialist

The Program Specialist position serves as representative of the Office of Community Care (OCC) in Erie VA Medical Center, and reports to the Chief, Health Administration Service (HAS). Position acts as a liaison between the medical center and community stakeholders to improve the experience of Community Providers most associated in providing services to Veterans and support local VAMC operations in meeting established goals and objectives.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/22/2026. GS-09

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-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. GS-11

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. GS-09

Grade Determination:

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

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: 1) Developing and maintaining relationships with internal and external stakeholders to support program objectives and resolve operational issues, 2) Analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate program performance and recommend process improvements, 3) Coordinating administrative programs, projects, or initiatives to ensure compliance with organizational policies and performance goal, 4) Researching and resolving complex program or operational issues and providing recommendations to management, 5) Preparing reports, presentations, correspondence, and training materials to communicate program information and outcomes, and 6) Managing multiple projects and priorities while coordinating activities among stakeholders to achieve organizational objectives.

OR, Education:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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.

OR Combination of Education and Experience:

The applicant must successfully completed 2 years graduate level education and 6 months specialized experience equivalent to the

GS-07. GS-11

Grade Determination:

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

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: 1) Skill to negotiate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to accept and to implement recommendations regarding community provider relations, 2) Knowledge of relational databases and related software necessary to independently produce reports and documents for management information in a timely and accurate fashion, 3) Comprehensive knowledge of and the skill to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing. 4) Comprehensive knowledge of and the skill to effectively communicate both verbally and in writing, 5) Extensive knowledge of administrative laws, policies, regulations and precedents applicable to the administration of the program to analyze the efficiency of the local program and recommend solutions. and 6) Comprehensive knowledge of the range of terminology, special and general reimbursement methodologies used in managed care contracting.

OR, Education:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or

LL.M. OR

Combination of Education and Experience:

The applicant must successfully completed 3 years graduate level education and 9 months specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09. 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/ .