Program Specialist

Veterans Health Administration; City of Syracuse (NY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Veterans Health Administration seeks a Program Specialist to lead the Scheduling Training and Audit program at the Syracuse VA Medical Center and associated CBOCs. You will coordinate with leadership to plan and implement training for staff, ensuring effective scheduling practices and rigorous audit processes.

Candidates must meet GS-9 qualifications, including time-in-grade requirements or applicable education/experience, and be proficient with standard office software to develop materials

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7 in scheduling programs and audit processes.
• Knowledge of management principles, analysis and evaluation.
• Experience using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Internet, and VHA databases to develop training materials.
• Education: master's degree or 2 years of progressively higher graduate education; LL.B./J.D. if related.
• Time-In-Grade requirements may apply for current Federal employees.

Responsibilities

• Overall management of the Scheduling Training and Audit program for Community Care Service.
• Collaborate with leadership to plan, organize, and facilitate training for program staff.
• Prepare training aids, materials, and data reports; work with Syracuse VA Medical Center and CBOCs.

Skills

Management principles

Scheduling programs

Audit programs

Oral and written communication

Data extraction

Data organization

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

VHA databases

Internet

Education

Master's degree or equivalent graduate degree

2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education

LL.B. or J.D., if related

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Outlook

Access

Internet

VHA databases

Job description

The Program Specialist is responsible for the overall management of the Scheduling Training and Audit program for the Community Care Service, in collaboration with leadership, for the staff at the Syracuse VA Medical Center and all associated Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs).

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/20/2026. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of management principles, techniques of analysis, and evaluation, along with knowledge/skill in performing technical aspects of scheduling programs, practices, and procedures and audit programs to plan, organize, and facilitate training for all program staff. Oral and written communication with a variety of people from different backgrounds and different levels of understanding. Knowledge and skill in the use of computer equipment with a wide variety of software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Internet, and VHA databases to develop training aids and materials, extract and organize data, produce letters, memorandums, conduct data searches, and to prepare a variety of specific working documents and forms such as spreadsheets, databases, word processing, desktop publishing, graphics, and other similar projects. 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., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Creative Thinking Interpersonal Skills Partnering 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: No special physical demands such as above-average ability, dexterity, or strength are required to perform the work. Work is sedentary, and the employee may sit comfortably. 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/.