Summary The Long Beach VA Medical Center is currently recruiting for one (1) Government Information Specialist. The incumbent serves as the facility Privacy/FOIA Officer having oversight for the data governance program and initiatives in the VHA Medical Center supporting catchment area. The position makes unique facility-level determinations about disclosures, issuance of denials, redaction, access, use and dissemination of federal agency records. Welcome to VA Long Beach Tibor Rubin - History Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: Make facility-level determinations about disclosures, issuance of denials, redactions, access, use & dissemination of federal agency records. Formulate policy, ensure compliance with federal & state laws & conducts thorough research of federal regulations. Provide guidance while communicating complex information to the Executive leadership, facility staff & outside stakeholders. Responsible for all aspects of the Privacy/FOIA Program to include Strategic & Risk analysis, planning, program outreach, coordination training, developing metrics & ensuring that federally mandated information governance & accountability measures are in place. Research, interpret & apply laws, regulations, policies & guidance for access & disclosure of VA agency records. Make decision of data disclosure, initiate independent investigations, conduct compliance activities & implement physical, technical & administrative safeguards across the facility. Develop & execute strategic management initiatives that establishes areas of control of information within the facility. Approve all facility policies & reviews business practices to ensure appropriate use & protection of information. Develop communication strategy that fosters awareness for both internal & external partners to improve compliance, provide training & engage the public. Provide subject matter expertise directly & independently with senior leadership, local & facility Law Enforcement, Office of Chief Counsel in the District, VHA Central Office & VISN leadership regarding data governance. Represent the agency authoritatively to key officials and organizations. Resolve major issues & concerns with regards to data governance in the absence of VHA program office or GC oversight. Contribute to significant agency decisions, policy recommendations & executive leadership consultations based on an in-depth knowledge of FOIA. Serve as senior team leader and independently plans, coordinates & administers major, high-priority privacy investigative cases. Coordinate & delegate complex investigative responsibilities that collaborate with Office of Chief Counsel, human resources, executive leadership & labor partners. Lead a team that analyzes & evaluates complex data, conducts meetings, briefings & suggest potential administrative action. Plan & conduct monitoring activities which measure overall operational compliance. Assess gaps in policy, measure the knowledge of individual staff & facilitate improvements against changing policies, regulations & statutes. Create communications process & tools that are flexible, customizable & interactive to address the VHA Medical Center's unique compliance & training needs. Contribute to national VHA performance data by submitting reports with findings & recommendations to senior leadership & national program offices. Use technology to provide required privacy/FOIA training & supplemental education to staff. Teach staff to identify, respond & report potential violations of sensitive information. Educate executive leadership, managerial & front-line staff annually on FOIA. Coach staff on conducting record searches in response to requests to ensure compliance with FOIA regulations. Develop & integrate policy-based processes, roles and controls that influences how data is created, collected, used, stored & destroyed. Assess privacy-related risks associated with business activities that involve processing of personal & sensitive data. Participate in planning, development & evaluation of procurement & acquisitions for goods & services for the entire organization. Review & approve business agreements Independently investigates non-compliance of privacy related issues by conducting investigatory interviews with staff, patients and vendors to collect facts in response to privacy complaints. Advocate for Veterans, patients & employees that are victims of privacy violations. Adjudicate complex privacy & FOIA decisions that affect employees, Veterans, patients & commercial businesses. Ensure agency correspondence is transparent, timely, accurate & complete in response to request for information. Performs supervisory personnel management responsibilities. Advises and provides counsel to employees regarding policies, procedures and directives of management. Work Schedule: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist/PD12961O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Requirements 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/31/2024. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. 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-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience with Privacy Act, FOIA, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); Skill in the development of a system-wide program including the training of a large group; Reviewing documents and requests in detail; Experience with formulating policy, ensuring compliance with federal and state laws and conducting research of federal laws and regulations; Experience with communicating to higher echelons, general public, and leadership personnel; Training individuals on protected information requirements; Assessing privacy risk; and advocating for victims of privacy violations. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Decisiveness External Awareness Partnering Problem Solving Technology Management 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: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Work Environment: Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate controlled office and may require occasional travel. The work is performed in an office setting with adequate light, heat, air conditioning and ventilation. 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 or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.