Program Specialist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Tuskegee (AL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System in Alabama is actively recruiting for one Program Specialist within Environmental Management Service (EMS). This position reports directly to the Chief of Environmental Management.

The incumbent provides advisory support on program evaluation, applies analytical techniques, and coordinates administrative and budgeting activities to ensure compliant, efficient operations for EMS leadership. Work Schedule: Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m.

Qualifications

• Time-In-Grade requirements apply to current Federal employees.
• One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9.
• Education options: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education; LL.M. (if related).

Responsibilities

• Serves as the key advisor to service leadership on evaluation and effectiveness of service programs and operations; provides data-driven information for decisions and process improvements.
• Administrative oversight of EMS budget requests and distribution; fund control point oversight and reporting.
• Identifies, analyzes and researches problems, issues, or program requirements for the Service.
• Reviews information and applies standard analytical techniques.
• Analyzes new or proposed regulations to determine impact and develop policies for compliance.

Education

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

LL.M. - if related

Job description

Summary

Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System is actively recruiting for one (1) Program Specialist within Environmental Management Service (EMS). This position is a direct report to Chief of Environmental Management.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement - 09/24/2026. 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: Manage and coordinate all administrative aspects of a Service/Department. Gather data analyzes budget needs for a service. Plan and maintain a system of internal controls which assures that the fiscal management is maintained in accordance with accepted accounting practices - participate in the manpower utilization program assuring recruitment and retention within the approved ceilings. At least 2 years providing Operational Support drafting administrative rules - guidance - and reports that directly support agency programs - staffing - and financial management. And at least 1 year of experience identifying bottlenecks in workflow or administrative systems and proposing - planning - and implementing improvements. 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. Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond. 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

• Serves as the key advisor to service leadership on the evaluation and the effectiveness of service programs and operations - compliance - safety and survey readiness Provides leadership with independently developed data and objectively based information for making decisions on the administrative and programmatic aspects of operations and management and advises on potential benefits/uses of process improvement strategies to improve efficiency of programs
• Administrative oversight of Environmental Management budget requests and distribution - fund control point oversight and analyzing data and providing reports as needed
• Identifies - analyzes and researches problems issues or program requirements for the Service
• Reviews information and apply standard analytical techniques
• Analyzes new or proposed regulations to determine impact on operation and management to develop new or modified administrative program policies - regulations - goals or objectives to ensure compliance with regulations - usually without further review
• Acts as a liaison for EMS
• Maintains and communication with persons and groups from both within and outside the organization - speaking for the Chief EMS on administration issues
• Provides position management advice and recommendations to EMS leadership including providing advice on the distribution of workload among positions and recruitment strategy - execution - position management - staff education - training - competency assessment and performance management
• Determines pertinent issues and collects relevant Information from a variety of sources
• Develops recommendations and proposals to the Chief - EMS or CAVHCS leadership and provide guidance to the administrative staff within the Service
• Prepares written documents and correspondence with minimal grammatical or formatting errors to ensure they are current and effectively communicates its intended purpose on behalf of EMS Leadership - usually without further review
• Incumbent is involved in interactions with veterans - their families and representatives - in addition to internal and external stakeholders to EMS
• Performs other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm - work schedule subject to change based on agency needs
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD088240 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized