Summary The HES- Accreditation Specialist bears the responsibility for advising, consulting, and the oversight and management of accreditation activities for VHA. They oversee the portfolio of health professions accreditations and certification to meet the needs of target audiences of sponsored continuing education activities. This position develops organizational policies and procedures to ensure compliance with accrediting body standards. Responsibilities The major duties of this position include but are not limited to: Interprets the criteria and requirements from different accreditation bodies and translates them into the accreditation policies in VHA ILEAD. Composes self-study of VHA and ILEAD Accreditation for new accreditation application and reaccreditation. Assists with preparing accreditation packages to forward to Accreditation bodies to maintain accreditations and to earn new accreditation. Creates national guidance tools such as job aids, standard operations procedures, and policies for VHA ILEAD Accreditation. Reviews and approves all accreditation packages. Responsible for all accreditation consultations and problem-solving with ILEAD Project Teams and all similar external activities with Agents-In-Place in the Field Accreditation Services on accreditation request packages. Analyzes the return on investment of each accreditation and its impact on VHA clinicians. Promotion Potential: This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed above represent the full performance level of GS-13. At the GS-11 and 12 grade levels, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-13. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher-level work, and availability of funds. The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available 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 is authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Remote: This is NOT a remote position. You must live within or be willing to relocate within a commutable distance of the duty location. Position Description/PD#: HES- Accreditation Specialist/PD02775A, PD02780A, and PD03325A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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 Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/23/2024. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. For a GS-12 position you must have held a GS-11 or higher. For a GS-13 position you must have held a GS-12 or higher. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: In order to meet the basic requirement of the HES Accreditation Specialist position, 1701 series, you must possess one of the following: Degree: that included or was supplemented by major study (at least 24 credit hours) in education or in a subject-matter field appropriate to the position (Healthcare Administration, Clinical Field, Analysis/Performance). or Combination of education and experience -- courses equivalent to a major (at least 24 credit hours) in education, or in a subject-matter field appropriate to the position (Healthcare Administration, Clinical Field, Analysis/Performance), plus appropriate experience or additional course work that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of the 4-year course of study described in number 1 above. Specialized Experience at all grades: In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Preparing Accreditation self-studies, re-accreditation applications, and official accreditation file audits by accreditation bodies. Verifying and processing completion reports for various accreditation bodies. Interpreting the criteria and requirements from different accreditation bodies and translating them into accreditation policies. Creating national guidance tools such as job aids, standard operations procedures, and policies. Reviewing and approving accreditation packages. Analyzing the return on investment of each accreditation and its impact on VHA clinicians. OR, Education to Qualify at the GS-11:: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must possess 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. (TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED) OR, Combination of Education and Experience to Qualify at the GS-11: An equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate education as described above may be used to meet the total qualification requirements for this position. Only graduate education in excess of 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. (TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED) There is no educational substitution at the GS-12 and GS-13 grade levels. Preferred Experience: Extensive Accreditation experience working as an Accreditation Analyst and/or an Accreditation Specialist for at least 3 years or more. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Technical Competence- Uses knowledge that is acquired through formal training or extensive on-the-job experience to perform one's job; works with, understands, and evaluates technical information related to the job; advises others on technical issues. Communication- Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Analysis and Problem Solving- Applies the process of discovery that involves the diagnosis of a problem or issue, identification and gathering of relevant information, formulation and evaluation of alternative solutions or courses of action, and selection or recommendation of the preferred solution or course of action. Organizational Awareness- Knows the organization's mission and functions, and how its social, political, and technological systems work and operates effectively within them; this includes the programs, policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the organization. Decision Making- Makes sound, well-informed, and objective decisions; perceives the impact and implications of decisions; commits to action, even in uncertain situations, to accomplish organizational goals; causes change 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 performed while sitting at a desk, at conferences, briefings, meetings, in classrooms and the equivalent. The work is primarily sedentary. Must work multiple projects simultaneously and handle occasional high levels of stress and conflicting priorities. Work also involves travel and may include prolonged standing, walking, and transport of instructional supplies and/or equipment in excess of 30 lbs. 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. 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 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.