Program Specialist

Description:

This position includes daily interaction with the members of the facility Executive Leadership Team (ELT), their Executive Assistants, Secretaries and Service Chiefs. This key staff member is administratively responsible for the daily operations of the Director's office.

Requirements:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/12/2026.

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-09. 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 s described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Utilizes views, policies, objective, and major responsibilities of the Medical Center Director.
• Utilization of public laws, code of federal regulations and veterans' administration directives.
• Written and oral communication skills
• Prepares and administers awards budget
• Understands hospital administrative functions

OR,

Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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, in a field related to this position that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. (transcripts required).

OR,

Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond beyond the first two graduate years or 36 semester hours and specialized experience to meet the total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. Note: Transcripts are required.

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

• Administration and Management
• Interpersonal Skills
• Knowledge Management
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Problem Solving

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: Work is sedentary. No special physical qualifications required. It requires sitting, walking, bending and carrying light items such as books, papers and files.

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/ .