Summary

The incumbent serves as the Health Systems Specialist (HSS) to the Executive Director and is responsible for the administrative and operational functions in support of the Executive Director and subordinate services (hereafter referred to as the Office). The position requires working closely with all levels of administrative and technical staff within the Office and other clinical staff throughout the Medical Center.

Duties

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VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) is an integrated tertiary health care system comprised of two hospitals, the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro and the Nashville VA Medical Center, as well as 21 outpatient clinics located in middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky. TVHS provides ambulatory care, primary care, and secondary care in acute medicine and surgery, specialized tertiary care, transplant services, spinal cord injury outpatient care, and a full range of extended care and mental health services. More than 146,000 Veterans in middle Tennessee, southern Kentucky, and northern Georgia trust VA TVHS for their health care needs. TVHS is the seventh largest VA medical center system in the nation serving roughly 75 counties with robust research and development, health care innovation, and more. Middle Tennessee offers an abundance of entertainment such as historic music venues, NFL Titans and NHL Predators, recreational activities, and natural sceneries ideal for any individual. Additionally, Tennessee does not have state taxes making the area more attractive to high-quality candidates.

The major duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:

• Provides consultation, direction, and leadership for professional, technical, administrative and clerical employees, particularly with regard to governance related issues and agency issue briefs.
• Develops, plans, coordinates, and directs administrative technical functions, particularly with regard to governance related issues and agency issue briefs.
• Provides full and complete staff assistance to the Executive Director and other leadership as required to meet the goals and mission.
• Works to establish and implement the primary goals and support the mission of TVHS, setting the direction and overlay for governance related issues.
• Provides insight in a variety of operational and management issues and integrates this understanding into the development and implementation of governance programs.
• Provides full and thorough review, analysis and evaluation of governance related programmatic activities and development.
• Develops tools required to collect and evaluate data and information into reports, tables, charts and graphs, reviews subject matter, and provides a concise analysis to leadership, particularly with regard to governance related issues and agency issue briefs.
• Establishes, in concert with leadership and key support staff, both long term and short term governance related plans, policies and procedures, assuring that administrative and clinical programs are integrated in order to provide high quality patient care with optimal resource utilization.
• Serves as the technical advisor and consultant to all levels of TVHS leadership on governance issues such as committee structure, requirements, membership, documentation, responsibilities, and oversight. By thoroughly reviewing all applicable higher level agency, local facility, and external oversight guidance, ensures that all committees are properly chartered, organized, and managed.
• Oversees the management of all TVHS governance related documentation to include policies, charters, and minutes ensuring files are properly protected and readily available when needed.
• Serves as the facility subject matter expert and manager of facility level policy creation, modifications, maintenance, storage, and distribution. Ensures local policies adhere to higher level policy guidance and appropriately support accreditation readiness and external oversight regulations.
• Creates and maintains a document control system for publications and committee documentation via the most technically appropriate and available system which provides the appropriate level of availability and security protections as determined by law and other applicable guidance.
• Reviews all new and updated higher level directives and other mandatory guidance and distributes to the relevant parties for awareness and action.
• Ensures all Issue Briefs are properly written to provide clear, concise, and factual information about unusual incidents, deaths, disasters, or other items of interest higher level leadership, up to the Secretary of VA and potentially White House or Congressional representatives.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday | 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM CST

Telework: Ad Hoc Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Executive Director)/PD70516A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification 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 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 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, 09/22/2026.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT:

1. 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
• Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.

OR

2. Education: Undergraduate or graduate education with a major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. (TRANSCRIPT MUST BE PROVIDED.)

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.

NOTE: CANDIDATES USING EDUCATION TO MEET THE INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT MUST SUBMIT AN UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT OF CONFERRED DEGREE BY THE ANNOUNCEMENT CLOSING. LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 level, you must meet one of the following:

• SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties as a Health System Specialist. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as:
  
  • Performing data collection and information gathering to generate performance reports, tables, charts, and graphs used to develop recommendations to resolve issues/problems.
  • Providing written reports and oral presentations of data that has been collected and information that has been gathered.
  • Reviewing subject matter and providing concise analytical reports to the Integrity & Compliance Officer, other leaders, and staff at TVHS in support of the healthcare system's strategic goals.
  • Performing intakes, inquires, and fact-finding under conditions in which conflicting points of view and incomplete information are common.
  • Collaborating with TVHS Service managers and other HSSs, both long-term and short-term plans, policies, and procedures, assuring that administrative and clinical programs are integrated to provide high quality patient care with optimal resource utilization.
  • Assessing and providing keen insight into a variety of operational issues of TVHS and integrates this understanding into the development and implementation of corrective actions to help improve operations in the healthcare system, service, section, etc.

NOTE:Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, GS levels (if federal positions), duties, month and year start/end dates, AND hours worked per week.

OR

• EDUCATION: Successfully completed 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. The education portion must include courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university.

NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

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. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position.

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/.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere wit