Program Specialist (Controlled Substance Coordinator/Assistant Privacy Officer)

The incumbent serves as the Controlled Substance Coordinator/Government Information Specialist for the Medical Center Director's Office handling a broad range of routine to moderately complex management of Controlled Substance Program and Privacy Act (PA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and Freedom of Information Act (FIOA) cases.

Qualifications:

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

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-9 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. 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: D eveloping /implementing Privacy , HIPAA, and FOIA policies and procedures. Orienting and training inspecting officials of the controlled substance program. Analyzing data, documenting discrepancies, compiling reports, and requesting action plans for corrections. Ensuring the facility's full compliance with regulatory requirements and adherence to regulations. Developing and maintaining tracking logs of actions and correspondence. Composing, proofreading, and editing correspondence. Interpreting and applying laws, regulations, policies, and guidance to provide access to VHA agency records and information, while ensuring protected information is appropriately disclosed. Establishing, updating, and maintaining office files and records. Operating and utilizing the Microsoft suite of software in creating, building, publishing, and writing reports. Identifying opportunities for improvement of operations and providing recommendations for improved processes.

OR, Education:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 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., if related (MUST

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PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

The work is sedentary but requires walking from building to building across a large campus and carrying files and a laptop, weighing up to 30 pounds. Boxes of files may be carried seasonally supporting research, controlled substance program, file close out, contract management files, FOIA, HIPAA, PA, and PIA investigations. 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/ .