Program Analyst

Summary

The Battle Creek VA Medical Center is recruiting for a Program Analyst. The Program Analyst is organizationally aligned under the Medical Center Director and serves as a Program Analyst supporting strategic and tactical planning and data analysis functions.

Duties

• Major duties: Strategic Planning Support Lead the development, communication, and ongoing updates of the Battle Creek VAMC strategic plan. Engage the Executive Leadership Team in all phases of strategic planning and align initiatives with VHA goals. Design analytical approaches for planning studies, identifying key questions, data needs, and appropriate methods. Collect, reconcile, and synthesize data from multiple VA systems into clear, actionable findings for leadership. Conduct demographic and population-based studies, including trend analysis, forecasting, and capacity and demand modeling. Perform utilization analyses, workflow assessments, and patient population studies to support organization-wide planning. Track strategic plan milestones, performance measures, and action items and flag variances for leadership attention. Prepare status reports, briefings, and related materials to communicate planning progress. Advise leadership on planning matters related to VA and DoD Sharing, VAST, Clinical Inventory, Rural Health, and Telehealth using appropriate strategic planning frameworks. Data Analysis and Reporting Collect, analyze, and present data related to healthcare operations, strategic priorities, and performance outcomes. Translate quantitative findings into narrative recommendations supported by reports, charts, graphs, and briefings. Apply analytical tools such as trend analysis, forecasting, demographic analysis, needs assessments, feasibility studies, flow charts, and decision trees. Monitor KPIs, workload metrics, and performance data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities. Develop independent analytical approaches when situations fall outside established guidance. Prepare periodic and ad hoc reports for leadership and external stakeholders. Maintain and update planning databases, capital asset inventories, and related tracking systems to ensure data accuracy. Use VA data systems and analytical tools including VSSC, SEPS, SCIP, and MS Office Suite. Administrative and Collaborative Support Coordinate with service chiefs, section leads, subject matter experts, and stakeholders to support planning activities. Facilitate meetings, record minutes, track action items, and ensure timely follow up. Represent the planning team in interactions with VISN, VACO, private organizations, and community partners. Present evidence based recommendations to influence decision making and build support for strategic initiatives. Exercise judgment regarding information sharing with external partners. Participate in policy and planning development discussions and contribute to management decision making.Perform other duties as assigned. 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. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am -4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework based on supervisor approval Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Analyst/PD94207-0 and PD94208-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/09/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the normal line of progression for the occupation. Specialized experience is defined as work that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of this position-typically involving program or management analysis tasks. Qualifying examples include collecting, interpreting, and analyzing data; performing trend, comparative, or ratio analyses; identifying program issues; preparing reports, charts, tables, and briefing materials; and supporting program evaluation or improvement efforts. Experience must be clearly documented on your resume, including job title, duties, month and year start/end dates, and hours worked per week. OR, Education:No education substitution is available at the GS-09 level according to OPM's group coverage standard for Administrative and Management positions (Series 0343). Only specialized experience qualifies for this grade. OR, Combination:Because education substitution is not authorized at GS-09, combination of education and experience is not applicable. Qualification is based solely on specialized GS-07 level experience. GS-11 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-09. 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. 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/. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: lperforming analytical work to evaluate program effectiveness and efficiency; collecting, interpreting, and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data; identifying issues and recommending solutions; preparing reports, presentations, or briefing materials; supporting program planning, development, or improvement efforts; ensuring compliance with applicable policies and procedures; and collaborating with individuals across organizational levels to exchange information or support program objectives. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Successful completion of a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, from an accredited college or university. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts (unofficial or official) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. . OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify for this grade level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and graduate education beyond the second year of graduate study. The graduate education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position and must come from an accredited college or university. Transcripts (official or unofficial) must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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 if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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/.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Grade: GS 9 to 11. . Apply by 2026-11-09 on USAJOBS.