Program Specialist

Summary The VA Maryland HEalth CAre System(VAMHCS) is an integrated facility with primary sites at Baltimore,Perry Point,and Loch Raven. The Major responsibility of this position is to support the Mental Health Clinic Center(MHCC) and to assist in accomplishing the mission of the MHCC and the VAMHCS. The Program Specialist is located at the site that the business manager, MHCC, who will supervise this HSS. This position functions as a member of the MHCC excutive team and operates as backup to the MHCC. Responsibilities Major Duties May Include: The incumbent collects program reports, statistical data, and program performance monitors/measures from MHCC programs and departments and trends, analyzes, interprets, and presents information with recommendations to the Mental Health Executive leadership team. Primary point-of-contact in the MH Executive Team for Extraviews, Congressional inquiries, & White House Hotline communications. This is to include requests from the VAMHCS, VISN, and other congressional groups & leaders. This will require incumbent to be in receipt of all communications for these inquires, to track completions & deadlines. Serves as the MHCC Patient Experience Champion. Responsible for the ongoing review (at least twice annually) of clinic grids and clinic profiles for the MHCC. Responsible for the ongoing updating and completion of Policies & SOPs. Primary point of contact for the MHCC regarding the Insurance Capture Buffer (ICB) initiative. Primary point-of-contact for Equipment Inventory Listing (ElL) reports; ensures that routine EIL reviews are completed. Incumbent is the lead credit card holder and purchases supplies for the entire MHCC. Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 8am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD21012-O Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15 lbs.); light carrying (under 15 lbs.); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; walking (intermittent); standing (intermittent); hearing (aid permitted); clear speech. The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending and carrying of light items like papers or books. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/05/2026. 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. 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-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: I have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (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: Effeciency, Coordination and quality of work produced by the MHCC. Identifies, analyzes and makes reccomendations to resolve conventional problems and situations. May be assigned portions of broader studies of primarily administrative organizaitons or participate in the evaluation of program effectiveness at the operational level. Develops detailed procedures and guidelines to supplement administrative regulations or program guideance. The reports and reccommendations of the incumbent influence decision by managers concerning internal administrative operations and affects the accuracy, productivity, efficiency and reliability of the administrative work services within the VAMHCS. The incumbent is Frequently the first point of contact to VAMHCS staff, VISN staff, Congressional staff, veterna service officers and general public. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have have a 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: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first 2 years) and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements. 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

Created: 2026-02-02