Duties

The Program Applications Specialist will work with VISN 5 CCC S&A Section Chief Program Analyst, Quality Assurance Program Analyst and Supervisors to monitor and develop training material that will help improve organizational efficiency, staff awareness and customer service.

Major Duties to include but are not limited to:

• Assist the VISN 5 CCC S&A Section leadership team in the establishment of an annual strategic training plan, as well as a training calendar for the organization.
• Completes a quality assurance study of programs as required.
• Reviews results from the All-Employee Survey and works with the VISN 5 CCC leadership team to develop an action plan to alleviate staff concerns and promote engagement.
• Develop and update courses (including web-based) policies, guidelines, instructional methods, materials, etc., for training programs and provides instructions regarding on-line training methods.
• Responsible for preparing operating level policies on staff development issues.
• Serve as the VISN 5 CCC S&A Section coordinator for tracking of all employee education and training hours.
• Utilizing the VA's established computer system software (i.e. Talent Management System (TMS)) and will use this to prepare reports on the status of training hour.

Work Schedule: Multiple tours available, 7:30am to 4:00pm and 8:00am to 4:30pm.
Telework: Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Program Applications Specialist - Clinical Contact Center (CCC)/PD220100
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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, 07/08/2022.

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. 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: ability to research and comprehend pertinent laws, regulations, policies, and procedures that relate to all aspects of the administration of VA healthcare benefits; knowledge of The Joint Commission standards to assure compliance and recommend improvement to meet standards; ability to develop pertinent policies related to clinical and administrative programs, as well as call center operations; knowledge of computer systems and technical aspects of the hardware and software for output or input and analyses of data; computer skills (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, TMR+); Familiarity with VA Computer Programs (VA Video Connect, VistA, CPRS, Fileman); Comprehension of various reports (Cisco, Scheduling, Consults, EWL); Knowledge of the TMS training program and the ability to organize materials, training documentation and records for the section; Knowledge of training and educational concepts in order to instruct all levels of employees, students, volunteers, and management; ability to adjust education materials and presentations to the level of the learner in order to maximize the learning process. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a master's degree or equivalent graduate level degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B or J.D., 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 the first year of graduate level education to meet total qualification requirements at the GS-9 level. Only education in excess of the first year (18 semester hours) may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-09 level.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position

• Auditing
• Creative Thinking
• Customer Service
• Information Management
• Education and Training
• Leadership
• Organizational Awareness
• Planning and Evaluating
• Self-Management
• Teaches Others

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, although some light physical effort may be required. There may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items including training paperwork or manuals, or small equipment, such as laptop computers, mobile LCD projectors; or driving an automobile. Incumbent may be susceptible to eyestrain from working long hours on the computer.

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/ .

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ . 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified : applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/ .

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

To ensure compliance with an applicable preliminary nationwide injunction, which may be supplemented, modified, or vacated, depending on the course of ongoing litigation, the Federal Government will take no action to implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to Executive Order 14043 on Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees. Therefore, to the extent a VA job announcement includes language requiring applicants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 pursuant to Executive Order 14043, that requirement does not currently apply to this Job Announcement. VA may request information regarding your vaccination status, if selected, for the purposes of implementing other workplace safety protocols, such as masking, physical distancing, testing, travel, and quarantine.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .