Program Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 06/03/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5 and for the 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: GS-0301-07 Program Specialist Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: Working knowledge of primary care healthcare delivery processes, knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents which affect the use of requires the incumbent to have advanced skills in regards to primary care operations, requires advanced skills in regards to primary care operations and systems knowledge and analytical skill in adapting analytical techniques and evaluation. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have One (1) full year of graduate level education in a course of study that directly reflects the competencies necessary to satisfy the minimum qualifications and perform the duties of the position. OR, SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) at the baccalaureate level in the qualifying curriculum detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below. To qualify for SAA, applicants must have completed all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and meet one of the following: 1. Class Standing: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision. 1. Grade Point Average: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. 1. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies. For a list of recognized honor societies please visit http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. 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. Possess equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required GS-0301-09 Program Specialist Specialized Experience: You must have One (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 level in the Federal service that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes: Developing new or modified work methods, management processes, procedures for administering program services, guidelines and procedures and for the conduct of administrative support functions or program operations, General knowledge of PACT operations and components within a Primary Care setting at the start. Responsible for performing operations which use advanced knowledge of primary care systems and operations; creating and updating various reports which require incumbent to apply analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to the identification, consideration, and resolution of issues or problems of a procedural or factual nature. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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. Combination: Possess equivalent combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. 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/. This position is located in the Medicine Service of the Maryland Healthcare System, Baltimore, MD. The primary purpose of this position is to implement the Primary Care system guidance as described below at the Veteran Affairs Maryland Healthcare System.