Program Specialist

Summary The Program Specialist is in the Education department and is responsible for a wide range of supportive and administrative tasks for program within the department. Responsibilities Robert J Dole VAMC is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans. Program Support : Provides support to programmatic matters related to the daily successful operation of Education services in the Medical Center. Participates collaboratively in developing strategies for the service to meet its goals and mandates in efficient and effective ways, ensuring alignment with Medical Center strategic initiatives. Primary responsibility for the functioning of the Voice Activated Mannequins (VAMs), ensuring maintenance / preventive maintenance occurs as required. Monitors, analyzes, and ensures first line measures are used to maintain, troubleshoot, and prevent disruptions to staff compliance with CPR certification. Performs simple remedies, as allowed by Resuscitation Education Initiative (REdI) program. Supports and educates staff at the medical center and five Community Based Outpatient Clinic on the appropriate use and maintenance of, the VAMs. Maintains Basic Life Support (BLS) Instructor certification to assist staff with successful, quarterly BLS certification. Conducts BLS classes and assists or leads mock codes, twice each month, in various departments throughout the medical center Training Affiliation Agreements : Facility expert in all facets of negotiating, initiating, developing, coordinating, reviewing and follows to completion, all inter-service and intra-service federal and nonfederal Training Affiliation Agreements / Memorandum of Understanding (TAA / MOU). Negotiates, initiates, develops and follows to completion, renewals of these agreements and develops amendments thereto as needed. Manages the process from the Education Department perspective for scholarships and tuition reimbursement, which includes completion of appropriate documentation requesting payment; ensuring presence of appropriate supporting documents from requesting staff; submitting for leadership approval and signature; submission to Finance Department for payment; and recording / tracking amount paid and impact on the budget; and providing process education to the applicants each semester. Administrative Management : Manages the proficiency process for the registered nurses in the department. Tracks proficiency due dates, notifies staff of pending due date, provides appropriate forms for staff utilization, and ensures data is correct (Grade / Step). Provides communication reminders to staff to ensure leadership has adequate time to contribute / approve before the due date. Creates end of year performance award tracking for reporting to Human Resources. Creates and maintains tracking / reporting system for other human resource utilization reports. Resource Management : Serves as the Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for programs within the Education Department. Serves as the technical liaison between contractors and the Contracting Officer. Monitors, reviews, and determines whether the contractor's performance follows terms and conditions of the contract specifications and inspects all work for full compliance with contract requirements. Notifies the Contracting Officer of violations of labor standard provisions, work that does not comply with contract requirements, and if contractor fails to remove, correct, or replace rejected work. Assists the contracting officer and Education Chief in matters related to contract requirements and contract administration (i.e., coordinates with the contracting officer on proposals for contractor work not specified in the basic request for negotiations) and provides cost estimates for breakdown to determine the most economical methods to provide services. Resolves disputes, implements changes and interprets regulations and contract specifications. Promotion Potential : The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule : Monday-Friday, 8 : 00-4 : 30 Telework : VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Position Description / PD# : Program Specialist / PD094450 Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12 / 31 / 1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background / security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01 / 13 / 2025. Current Title 38 Hybrid employees : To qualify for a Title 5 position based on the Interchange agreement, you must meet the following : 1. Be currently serving under a permanent appointment. 2. Served continuously for at least 1 year in the other merit system prior to appointment under the interchange agreement. 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. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and / or education as described below : GS-09 Specialized Experience : You must possess one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Your resume must clearly reflect your experience. No assumptions can be made. Specialized experience includes, providing day-to-day operational support to a department. This includes but not limited to supporting Program Managers within the department to ensure compliance with directives and regulatory agencies; maintaining affiliation agreements with schools and universities; managing inventory and simulation resources; maintaining budget with four control points that support the department and the facility. OR Education : Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. A transcript must be uploaded to support your answer. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree OR Two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D. OR Combination : Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. GS-11 Specialized Experience : You must possess one-year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09. Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. Your resume must clearly reflect your experience. No assumptions can be made. Specialized experience includes, providing day-to-day operational support to a department. This includes but not limited to supporting Program Managers within the department to ensure compliance with directives and regulatory agencies; maintaining affiliation agreements with schools and universities; managing inventory and simulation resources; maintaining budget with four control points that support the department and the facility. OR Education : Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. A transcript must be uploaded to support your answer. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR Three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M if related OR Combination : Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. Education Information : One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position : Attention to Detail Financial Management Manages Resources Oral Communication Problem Solving Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note : A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements : The work is primarily sedentary, but occasional standing, walking, stooping, bending and carrying items weighing 25 pounds maybe required. Assignments may occasionally involve longer periods of standing, bending and stooping to observe and facilitate group projects or activities. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note : Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here : If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit : Additional Information VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration / Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA / OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.