Health System Specialist-Strategic Planning and Innovations Officer

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Montgomery (AL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS) seeks a Strategic Planning and Innovations Officer to lead planning and innovation initiatives across Business and Health Operations, including coordinating with Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

The role requires navigating regulatory requirements and driving strategic priorities to improve veteran care and system performance.

Qualifications

• Experience in health system planning and hospital administration.
• Knowledge of budgeting, procurement, and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to lead planning initiatives across multiple facilities.
• Experience with performance improvement and strategic initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate strategic planning and innovation initiatives for CAVHCS.
• Represent the Pentad on committees and workgroups supporting hospital mission.
• Plan and manage major office projects with broad impact.
• Analyze market conditions and demographics to inform decisions.
• Develop reports identifying market opportunities and recommended actions.
• Travel up to 50% between campuses as required.

Skills

Strategic planning

Innovation leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Education

Health administration degree

Tools

MS Project

Excel

Data analysis

Job description

Summary

The Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS) was formed in 1997 because of the merger of the Tuskegee and Montgomery - Alabama VA Medical Centers. The incumbent serves as the Strategic Planning and Innovations Officer for all Business and Health Operations functions within CAVHCS - including overseeing all planning development processes for CAVHCS projects - including Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's).

Summary

The Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVHCS) was formed in 1997 because of the merger of the Tuskegee and Montgomery - Alabama VA Medical Centers. The incumbent serves as the Strategic Planning and Innovations Officer for all Business and Health Operations functions within CAVHCS - including overseeing all planning development processes for CAVHCS projects - including Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC's).

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 11/02/2026. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 grade level. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for this occupational series. Education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. All applicants must meet one of the following for this position: 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: Missions - organizations - programs - and requirements of health care delivery systems; Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and Government-wide - agency - and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget - personnel - and procurement. OR - Special Provision for Inservice 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. Specialized Experience GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include - but are not limited to: Assists the Pentad in planning - organizing - directly evaluating - advising and coordinating - administrative activities; Represents the Pentad on Medical Center committees and workgroups and in meetings that support the hospital mission; Plans and/or accomplishes special projects and manages special projects for major office or program issues of broad impact; Conducts appropriate studies related to the development of planning initiatives determining the methodology and gathering data that is factual - historical and statistical to meet study objectives. Physical Requirements & Work Environment: The work is primarily sedentary - although some slight physical effort may be required. Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office. 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/. 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

• The position serves as the Strategic Planning and Innovations Officer responsible for leading - coordinating - facilitating - and providing ongoing support to CAVHCS in the design and implementation of innovation initiatives and is accountable for identifying and developing new ideas - products - services - or processes as well as soliciting innovative ideas from CAVHCS staff through forums and venues designed to support and enable a culture of creating innovation and spread of best practices and ideas
• Strategic Planning: Responsible for areas including the following: development of the facility's strategic plans
• assistance in the development of specified joint strategic alliances between CAVHCS and all affiliate - local - state - and federal - military - and private healthcare organizations - VISN 2 - HSA 2.2 and elsewhere - as necessary
• analyses of demography and epidemiology of the respective market area
• development of new organizational initiatives - and liaison with VISN and VHA staff concerning planning activities
• Leads self-directed projects - as well as projects assigned by the Director or by other Executive Leadership
• Project deliverables often require formal or informal presentations - including narrative - graphic - and visual mediums
• Analyzing customer feedback to identify potential improvements to existing products or processes
• Management of Innovations - Initiatives and Revenue Opportunities: Provide direction and leadership to department heads - administrative officers - and program managers regarding local planning and operational issues - new budget initiatives - evaluation of special programs - cost benefit analyses - workload tracking - and clinical and administrative support issues
• As the facility Innovation Officer - the incumbent may develop entirely new concepts or focus on improving existing products or services
• The incumbent is responsible for creating an innovation development pathway to help generate new ways of serving Veterans tied to strategic priorities - site priorities - and local Veteran needs
• Support the Diffusion of Excellence initiative by fueling more promising practice identification and implementation at VA Innovators Network sites
• Demographic and Market Analysis: Maintain open lines of communication with customers - community leaders - clinical and administrative chiefs and staff members to quantify Veterans' needs and service gaps
• The Strategic Planner oversees planning activities that serve as a framework for project decisions and provides a basis for more detailed planning requirements
• Guides field-level planners through a systematic planning process involving steps that identify the status of health care system needs - prioritizes actions and strategies - and monitors plans to ensure that short and long-range goals are met at higher levels in the organization
• Collect and interpret information about market conditions and consumer behavior to assist the executive leadership in making informed decisions to determine future trends that may impact facility operations and improve the facility's market reach
• Write detailed reports on findings - identify potential market opportunities - and advise the executive leadership on calculated tactic
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm
• Work schedule subject to change based on agency needs
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist-Strategic Planning and Innovations Officer/PD111360 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized for highly qualified individual
• Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Authorized Travel Required 50% or less-You will be expected to travel for this position
• This is a dual campus facility
• Weekly travel is required between CAVHCS campuses located in Montgomery and Tuskegee - AL
• Occasional travel to CAVHCS Community Based Outpatient Clinics located in AL and GA will be required.