Health System Specialist

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Maywood (IL); On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Health System Specialist at the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital in Illinois. This role reports to the Chief of Quality and Systems Improvement and focuses on building an infrastructure for lifestyle change as the VA advances toward High Reliability.

Candidates must meet the IOR criteria, including specialized health systems experience or doctoral-level education, with time-in-grade considerations for current federal employees.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate/graduate education in hospital or health care administration or related fields.
• Specialized experience in analytical, administrative or clinical management roles.
• Experience coordinating with facility managers and implementing quality improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Plan studies and organize projects to improve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Coordinate with facility managers and clinical service lines to drive improvements.
• Analyze administrative, clinical, and service activities to meet regulatory standards.

Skills

Analytical experience

Administrative experience

Clinical management

Supervisory experience

Education

Hospital administration

Public health administration

Business administration

Public administration

Ph.D. or doctoral degree

Job description

The position is located at Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital and is organizationally aligned to and supervised by the Chief of Quality and Systems Improvement. The position is established within each Medical Center with the intent of developing an infrastructure for lifestyle change as the Veterans Health Administration advances along the journey to full implantation of High Reliability. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/05/2026.

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:

The Health System Specialist occupation has a Individual Occupation Requirement that must be met to qualify for the position.

Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR)

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration.

-OR-

Specialized Experience (for positions above GS-5) Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following:

1. Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
2. Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
3. Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.

Special Provision for In-service Placement

Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included:

• Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements;
• Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and
• Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.

In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement, you may qualify for this position based on your experience and/or education as described below.

GS-11 Qualification Requirements

Specialized Experience GS-11: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-09) in the Federal Service in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization, that is typically in or related to the work of this position and has equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully duties of the Health System Specialist. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following:

1. Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
2. Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
3. Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.

At this level,applicants would have obtained this experience working within a health care setting, coordinating with managers, clinical service lines, and other organizational components, to plan studies, organize projects, analyze, evaluate, and make recommendations for improvement in the effectiveness, efficiency, and appropriateness of operational functions and find solutions for management in support of the delivery of Quality and Patient Safety.

-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 a 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., if related.

Preferred Experience: Completed NCPS Master Trainer Course and HRO Trainings

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/.