Program Application Specialist

The Program Application Specialist functions as an integrator who coordinates business processes and software functions and provides continuous business oversight for a variety of software programs integral to the overall administration and operation of the business. They coordinate ongoing data collection and analysis and use knowledge of System Redesign principles to determine organization performance.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/25/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 (GS-11): You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience with methods, techniques, and tools used to analyze program, organizational, and mission performance; utilizing methods that deliver key performance information to inform decisions, actions, communications, and accountability systems; analyzing, evaluating, and making recommendations on major aspects of commercial off-the-shelf computer packages; retrieving tracking and trend information for analysis and reporting; applying user acceptance testing principles, methods, and approaches sufficient to test, debug, and maintain software applications; training employees, identifying inconsistences, and participating in management discussions regarding capabilities of computer software; validating new programs and options; and, troubleshooting computer packages, which require developing specifications and business process models.

OR, Education:

Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. (One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one (1) year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours will be considered as satisfying the one (1) year of full-time study requirement).

OR, Combination:

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the graduate level. Specialized Experience (GS-12): You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience working with Veterans Integrated Systems Technology Architecture (VistA) packages that support business processes to ensure the success of integration. analyzing, evaluating, and making recommendations on major aspects of VistA and commercial off-the-shelf computer packages; implementing and operationalizing new and updated software applications and programs; utilizing methods that deliver key performance information to inform decisions, actions, communications, and accountability systems; preparing project administrative and statistical reports; applying user acceptance testing principles, methods, and approaches sufficient to test, debug, and maintain software applications; training employees, identifying inconsistences, and participating in management discussions regarding capabilities of computer software; validating new programs and options; expertise in PIMS software to provide reports; and, troubleshooting computer packages, which require developing specifications and business process models. 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/ .