This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the VA Medical Center (VAMC) Salt Lake City, Utah, in the Anesthesiology Service. The Program Specialist provides comprehensive staff support and assistance to the Chief of Anesthesiology and the Administrative Officer (AO) of Anesthesiology.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/14/2026.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05 . 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

GS-07 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

One full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: knowledge of VA policies and directives and will develop a knowledge of management theories and principles including administrative practices and procedures to effectively collaborate with physicians/medical staff, managers, administrators, and internal and external stakeholders to apply analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification, consideration, and resolution of issues or opportunities for improvement. Pulls standard reports, performs reconciliations, documents data sources and limitations. Drafts internal management reports and updates SOP. Tracks assigned indicators and open encounters; escalate deficiencies. Maintains orderly files; follows retention and destruction procedures. Validate timesheets, support premium pay requests, and maintain attendance.

OR, Education:

- Successfully completed one (1) full year of graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

NOTE:

Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR, Combination:

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education beyond a bachelor's degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level.

NOTE:

If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required.

GS-09 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE

One full 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: Knowledge of the VA policies and directives, management theories and principals including administrative practices and procedures to effectively collaborate with physicians/medical staff, managers, administrators, and internal and external stakeholders to apply analytical and evaluative techniques to the identification, consideration, and resolution of issues or opportunities for improvement. Gather information/data; research, analyze, validate data and develop reports for the Anesthesiology Service and local management meetings. Knowledge of agency databases, healthcare systems (databases), computer processing equipment and programs, healthcare productivity dashboards, Excel spreadsheets (developing, manipulating, creating, editing, etc.) to research, track, trend, and integrate data; to develop recommendations for access plan improvement strategies; and to develop reports. Ability to prepare and deliver briefings to the Anesthesiology Service leadership relating to study findings and provide recommendations. Skill and ability to communicate orally and in writing to disseminate information to Section Chiefs, AOs, and leads as it relates to staff & space utilization, appointment management, quality improvement, and clinical assessment data. Knowledge of Quality Assurance (QA) fact finding techniques and the skill to analyze and evaluate facts relative to unsatisfactory clinic or provider performance. General knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations and VA Acquisition. Basic writing skills, including a command of English grammar is required. A qualified typist is required for this position.

OR, Education:

Successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education, or masters or equivalent graduate degree, or LL.B. or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position.

NOTE:

Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

OR, Combination:

Equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level.

NOTE:

If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. 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/ .