Program Specialist

This position location is Loch Raven VAMC Baltimore in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&RS) of the VA Maryland Health Care System (VAMHCS) which includes Maryland, the District of Columbia, and portions of Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service (PM&RS) provides a variety of rehabilitation services.

**Qualifications:**
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/11/2026. 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: Familiar with the internal organization of VA, VHA, and VAMHCS. Thorough knowledge of administrative requirements of the health care delivery system and sufficient knowledge of clinical practice, procedures and standards of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service to analyze administrative processes and recommend improvements. Knowledge of problem identification/solving and using services to anticipate, define and solve the administrative aspects of patient care problems. Thorough knowledge of VA regulations and policies and procedures at the VISN, VACO and medical center levels in order to make appropriate recommendations and provide analysis to the Director, PR&MS and all other medical staff so their decision and action will be consistent with VA policy. Working knowledge of The Joint Commission standards; Medical Staff Office credentialing and privileging processes. Working knowledge of the policies and procedures of the University of Maryland in order to expedite resident staff with the formation and sustainment of residency programs. Knowledge of the Academic Affiliation program and requirements to manage and advise on academic affiliation functions and issues. Knowledge of Federal HR and recruitment processes and policies. Knowledge of local union management contract to advise leadership on staffing needs and recruitment. Familiarity with Federal position classification and position management to write and review position descriptions and advise on succession and retention plans. Knowledge of employee development, competencies, performance, and appraisals to oversee PM&RS evaluation calendars, rating schemes. Knowledge of various VA computer systems, databases, HR info systems, and websites to gather and query data, track requests, assist PM&RS leadership and staff, and troubleshoot issues. Advanced knowledge of MS 365, Excel, Lists, PowerPoint, SharePoint and Teams management and design to set up and adjust platforms, design and implement workflows and automations, and categorize and organize files and information. Ability to build Teams and channels that integrate Apps and advanced functions like Power Automate, ability to use power query in Excel to clean and organize data.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 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 must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond. Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first 2 years) and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements. 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/. Preferred Experience: Preferred Administrative experience: Data analysis, purchasing, time-keeping.