Program Applications Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/13/2026.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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07 and for 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 at the GS-09 grade level based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: (In addition to meeting time and Grade), 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: prepare reports, performance improvement, data processing, VISTA, software programs, program operational decisions, VA policies, VA directives, PI, MS software, business metadata. (must be in resume) 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: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level.

You may qualify at the GS-11 grade level based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: (In addition to meeting Time and Grade) You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: prepare reports, performance improvement, data processing, VISTA, software programs, program operational decisions, VA policies, VA directives, PI, MS software, business metadata (must be in resume) 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., if related, 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 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.

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.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/.

Duties include but are not limited to: Coordinates ongoing data collection and performs analysis to determine optimalorganizational performance. Uses available data to determine current performance and develops and implements local performance measures as needed to assess current status and determine areas targeted for improved effectiveness and efficiencies of Business Office practices.

Develops initiatives which will enable the facility to provide quality health care to its population while operating in a more effective and efficient manner. The incumbent performs a continuing evaluation and analysis to assess program effectiveness and to identify areas requiring management attention.

Incumbent designs and develops dissemination and training materials, local standard operating procedure (SOP) manuals, develops and utilizes monitoring tools, and provides for the implementation of Business Office programs through on-site education and training. Identifies system inefficiencies and develops studies or data collection techniques relatedto specific identified problems.

Coordinates with other staff to identify information needs and develops data collection methods and report formats to meet those needs. The Program Application specialist organizes, compiles, summarizes, and analyzes the data collected and develops reports which reflect the scope of activities and identifies trends and opportunities for improvement. Incumbent researches problems that impact the quality and efficiency of Business Office operations.

Follows through to insure program requirements are met and planned actions have been initiated and are effective. The incumbent recommends and implements amendment of business office programs where necessary. The incumbent is responsible for the coordination, planning, implementation, and training for service and facility staff in business and functional areas for various information technology.

The incumbent serves as the functional "expert" for matters relating to the Patient Information Management System (PIMS) core package. The incumbent provides training and troubleshooting for clinical and administrative staff in business processes and associated supporting software. The incumbent plans initiatives for hardware and software needs for the service.

The incumbent is responsible for the preparation and implementation of the business contingency plans for system failure specifically addressing manual system backup plans addressing how day to day business will be conducted for long and short-term outages. 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 from 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Applications Specialist/PD11940A