Summary

This position is located within a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Medical Center (VAMC) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The primary purpose of the Ambulatory Care Operations Director-Group Practice Manager (ACOD GPM) is to provide oversight and administrative management of all ambulatory care services in the VAMC and related Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) as it relates to access to care, as applicable.

Duties

Help

Duties to include but not limited to:

National Program Responsibilities (10%)

• Provides access related consultative services to the VAMC, VISN, and National leadership.
• Works with the National Program Office, in collaboration with VAMC Service Lines, to review and develop national guidance and policies that facilitate standardized processes.
• Reviews and provides input on nationally issued regulations and policies for VA wide implementation, utilizing local ACOD GPMs and communication strategies.
• Works as part of a national group of ACOD GPMs to ensure a wide range of local factors are considered in the development of national policies and procedures.

Veteran Experience Responsibilities (5%)

• Works with Veteran Experience Advocates at the local VAMC to evaluate patient and family concerns regarding access to needed services.
• Coordinates efforts with national requirements, including MyVA alignment.
• Ensures patient concerns are received, evaluated, and addressed in a timely and effective manner by appropriate subject matter experts.
• Ensures processes and procedures developed are data driven.
• Oversees evaluation of outpatient care patient feedback for access and quality measures at the VAMC.

Supervisory / Programmatic Oversight (25%)

• Serves as the supervisor for a unit engaged in clinic access and data analytics; functions independently within broad guidelines provided by the supervisor.
• Maintains overall programmatic responsibility for the efficient operation of the program.
• Leads program planning and execution for the VHA approved program of clinic practice management at the VAMC level; builds the local program to implement all national guidance; oversees execution as the primary agent for VAMC leadership.
• Uses Advanced Principles and Strategies for Access Improvement to review and provide guidance to Clinical Leads (CLs).
• Reviews and provides guidance to identify strategies to reduce backlog.
• Oversees and monitors existing or emerging workflow issues; consult management issues; and provides guidance to CLs and Administrative Leads (ALs) when required.
• Oversees and monitors Information Technology (IT) usage and issues; provides guidance to CLs as needed.

Direction and Long Term (Strategic) Planning (15%)

• Develops both long and short term policies and plans for the VAMC.
• Coordinates ambulatory care medical administration needs of the VAMC for incorporation into annual budget and operating plans.
• Improves care delivery by identifying and anticipating needs, potential issues, and concerns.
• Develops flexibilities in operations and cost effective approaches to ensure Veteran and employee satisfaction.
• Coordinates the establishment of goals, objectives, and long range plans for the VAMC, including use of demand forecasting and strategies to address distinct populations.
• Oversees development of contingency plans to meet unexpected and planned resource demands; ensures annual contingency plans are up to date.

Budget Guidance and Approval (10%)

• Provides insight and evaluation of annual budget plan and staffing plans for outpatient care.
• Assists leadership in forecasting the impact of staff changes and developing countermeasures to mitigate the effect of staff shortages on access to care.
• Develops resource projections and prepares budget submissions.
• Makes recommendations to VAMC leadership regarding allocation of resources, including decisions regarding use of VACAA and non VA community care options.
• Develops, implements, monitors, and adjusts plans to effectively and cost efficiently accomplish the mission within budgetary constraints.

Office Program Planning Work (10%)

• Provides administrative management for ambulatory care clinical support services, which may include interpreting policies; developing and implementing local policies; defining administrative requirements; and/or providing advice to executive leadership on related issues.

Quality / Productivity Goals (10%)

• Provides leadership and direction to promote the development and productivity of all employees supervised.
• Promotes a culture of employee engagement and satisfaction.
• Encourages the development and training of managers and their staff.
• Develops and maintains effective relationships with all clinical and administrative staff.
• Evaluates the performance of direct reports and initiates appropriate action to reward, guide, or counsel.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am- 4:30pm EST

Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized

Telework: Authorized, AD-HOC as determined by the agency policy.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Health System Specialist/PD260501

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

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 or 2-year trial 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 or trial 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, 09/04/2026.

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. 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 as described below:

This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement: - for this series, the following Basic Requirement must be met in addition to the Specialized Experience.

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.

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: Manage performance and staff development - Establish performance standards; monitor and evaluate employee performance; provide formal and informal feedback, coaching, training, and developmental opportunities, Administer personnel and employee-relations actions - Review leave requests, resolve complaints and grievances, counsel employees, address performance concerns, and recommend or implement appropriate personnel or disciplinary actions within delegated authority, Coordinate ambulatory care services - Provide administrative oversight of primary care, mental health, specialty care, ambulatory surgery, and other outpatient clinical services across the VAMC and related CBOCs, Administer personnel and employee-relations actions - Review leave requests, resolve complaints and grievances, counsel employees, address performance concerns, and recommend or implement appropriate personnel or disciplinary actions within delegated authority,

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Conflict Management
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Manages Resources
• Partnering
• Planning and Evaluating

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.

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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) wh