GHATP Trainee – Health System Specialist

Job Description

About the job

Summary

Serves as a GHATP Trainee functioning as a Health System Specialist in the Office of the Director of the Manchester NH – VA Medical Center and is responsible for managing projects and assisting in the coordination of daily office activities. The incumbent is responsible for all program matters under the direction of the Medical Center Director that are delegated to them. You must be willing to relocate.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/20/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

RECENT GRADUATE REQUIREMENT: The Pathways Recent Graduates Program is open to recent graduates who are legally permitted to work in the U.S. To be eligible, you must have obtained one of the following qualifying degrees, certificate, career, or technical education programs: associates, bachelors, masters, professional, doctoral, or technical/vocational degree or certificate (which may include Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Job Corps, Climate Corps, AmeriCorps, and Peace Corps) from a qualifying educational institution within the previous two years. Preference eligible veterans who were precluded from applying due to their military service obligation begin their 2-year eligibility period upon release or discharge from active duty. Eligibility for these veterans cannot exceed 6 years from the date on which the degree (certification and/or career/technical program) was completed.

In addition to meeting the recent grade requirement for Graduate Healthcare Administrative Training Program (GHATP Trainee), you must meet the following minimum qualifications requirements.

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENT: Positions in the occupational series 0671 MUST MEET 1 of the following bullet points:

• Possess an Undergraduate or Graduate degree with a major field of study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)
• OR; Possess progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following:
  • Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
  • Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
  • Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.
• OR; Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included:
  • Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements;
  • Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and
  • Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual’s progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.

YOU MUST Provide a Statement of Purpose: Explain how you believe the VHA Health Systems Management Trainee Program will assist you in further defining your primary personal and/or professional life goals. Why is now the best time for you to pursue this training? Your explanation should include, but not necessarily be limited to, a description of both your intermediate and longer-term career goals, as well as a current vision of your desired position upon program completion. Please limit your response to no more than 4000 characters (about one page).

GS-9 EXPERIENCE

GS-09: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service that includes performing the following duties:

Qualifying specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following:

• Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
• Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
• Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration.

-OR-

Combination: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate-level education (beyond 18 semester hours) as described above.

Preferred Experience: Preferred candidates will possess a degree from a program approved by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) or the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

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 primarily sedentary, although slight physical effort may be 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/.

Duties

The GHATP Trainee serves as a Health System Specialist within a one-year formalized national training program. The GHATP training program is designed so that the incumbent acquires the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies necessary to assume progressively more complex responsibilities and assist the Office of the Medical Center Director in successfully meeting its mission and strategic goals. The incumbent will develop an individual development plan (IDP) and receive recurring progress reviews by the supervisor. At the GS-09 grade level, 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-11. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds.

Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Utilizes data and reporting tools to develop health-planning service line strategies.
• Analyzes data trends in budget and fiscal expenditures supporting the preparation and execution of budget and committee meetings.
• Gathers organizational data from reports and media request packages in preparation for media and community events either separately or in conjunction with the Public Affairs Office.
• Displays knowledge of Department priorities and mission statements to recommend improvements to policy and procedures related to budget and administrative processes.
• Analyzes organizational charts, policies, and resource data to represent the facility/Network, and program office priorities during resource allocation committee meetings.
• Manages, leads, and administers project plans which include meeting objectives, assigning resources, giving briefings and presentations as project representative, maintaining quality assurance processes, creating project documentation, and completing after action review reports and follow-up procedures in conduct comprehensive project management.
• Participates in local hospital council, veteran organization, and community organization meetings with facility and regional senior leader staff members.
• Reviews and reports on policies in preparation for surveys, audits, and inspections in quality assurance, compliance, and procedures governed by internal and external organizations.

Promotion Potential: 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 (GS 11).

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 07:30 am- 4:00 pm

Telework: Ad-hoc Authorized

Relocation Incentives: Not Authorized

Position Description Title/PD#: Health System Specialist Graduate Healthcare Administrative Training Program (GHATP) Trainee/PDS0001A

Education Reduction Program: Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Notifications: This position is not a Bargaining Unit position. May be required to attend conference at other facilities or other VA sites on occasion. This position is in the competitive Service.