Federal
Health System Administrator (Associate Director) Alvin C York VAMC
Veterans Health Administration · Department of Veterans Affairs
About This Position
TVHS provides health care services at 21 locations serving central Tennessee and southern Kentucky. Facilities include our Nashville VA Medical Center and Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro. We also have 19 community-based outpatient clinics in Bowling Green and Hopkinsville, Kentucky; and Dover, Clarksville, Chattanooga, Arnold Air Force Base, Cookeville, McMinnville, Harriman, Columbia, Athens, Nashville, Gallatin, and Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/20/2026. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-15 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-14. 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. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education s described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-14 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Progressively responsible analytical, administrative, 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. Management ability to delegate authority, evaluate and oversee people and programs, recognize and adapt to changing priorities, and knowledge of the interrelationships and interdependencies among various medical and administrative services. 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. OR, Education: There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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 . Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. Candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below: The position requires knowledge of standardized rules, procedures, and operations or requirements to perform and coordinate a wide variety of interrelated work supporting one or more specialty or program areas sufficient to research and resolve recurring error problems, issues, or questions, as well as to plan, coordinate, develop facts and/or resolve support problems in one or more specialties. Knowledge of the full range of position management principles, concepts, practices, and techniques sufficient to advise managers; and provide management with insight in establishing organizational structures that are efficient, cost effective, support desired grade levels, and facilitate career development. Knowledge of the substantive functions of VHA Central Office customers. Positions typically include a requirement for skill in conducting recurring types of interviews to develop facts, analyzing readily understood technical subjects or kinds of work, and composing narrative reports or letters explaining routine and non-routine technical actions. Ability to research, decide and determine the best approach when resolving complex problems/issues when precedence has not been set. Knowledge of and ability to extract and record data from various automated systems. Ability to enter data, complete forms, detect errors and omissions, and identify required information on all types of documents. Proficiency in personal computers is required to prepare documents with complicated formatting, e.g., headers and footers; and to extract, revise, or sort information from files, records, or databases. Uses online resources to obtain information over the internet as needed. Note: You must provide detailed information of your experience performed. Information such as "I was a Health System Administrator (Associate Director" is insufficient to determine your qualifications. Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week. Preferred experience serving as a permanent Executive Leadership Team member or similar level in other organizations, such as CEO, COO, etc. Candidates will be rated on the following competencies for this position: Decision making, Flexibility, Leadership, Organizational stewardship, Systems thinking, and Technical competence. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Decision Making Financial Management Human Capital Management Organizational Awareness Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. There will be some walking within the campus area. There will be frequent transportation to and from medical center facilities and occasional travel outside the duty station is to be anticipated. Reference:For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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/.
Major Duties
The Associate Director shares with the Executive Leadership Team a level of responsibility for the direction and management of the healthcare system and is directly responsible for all facilities operations. The incumbent has direct line authority and leadership responsibility for all administrative operation support services. The incumbent participates on a day-to-day basis in top level executive discussions, decisions, policy making and actions of all administrative functions and indirectly of all clinical matters impacting patient care. The Associate Director is responsible for taking an active leadership role in coordinating and developing customer and stakeholder support and resourcing to meet objectives of the healthcare system. Develops collaborative partnerships with stakeholders and makes program execution decisions that affect or determine long range courses of action of critical importance. The incumbents managerial duties and responsibilities involve final decisions which have a direct and substantial effect on the health care organization and programs related to facility operations. These include, but are not limited to decisions affecting the nature, scope, quality of, and emphases on, the facility's patient care programs and activities. Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Sharing with the Executive Leadership Team a level of responsibility for the direction and management of the Medical Center and is directly responsible for all facilities operations. A direct line authority and leadership responsibility for all administrative operation support services. May serve as the Acting Medical Center Director in the absence of the Director. Taking an active leadership role in coordinating and developing customer and stakeholder support and resourcing to meet Medical Center objectives. Determining operational services and programs goals and objectives, develop short-and long-range plans for achieving them in conjunction with the overall plans of the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and consistent with the strategic planning process. Directing a comprehensive evaluation of operational services goals and objectives and makes necessary adjustments to improve delivery of patient care services. Establishing local policy in such areas impacting facility operations as program emphasis and operating guidelines. Administering and ensuring compliance with a system designed for the development and communication of program policies and procedures in accordance with new or existing rules and regulations. Administering a management reporting system which provides appropriate data for decision making for facility operations, impacting organizational improvements. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available at supervisory discretion Telework: Available, ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Administrator (Associate Director) Alvin C York VAMC/PD99902S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidate. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): May be authorized for highly qualified candidate. Financial Disclosure Report: Required
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 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 dentification 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Education
There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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/.
How You Will Be Evaluated
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy. 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. Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Additional Information
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.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 02/20/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12884911. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Resume The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information. Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) Other (1) PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility): Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee An SF-50 showing 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 Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade. Examples of appropriate SF-50's include: Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old. Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the salary for the Health System Administrator (Associate Director) Alvin C York VAMC position at Veterans Health Administration?
The salary range for this position is $146,481 - $190,424/yr. This is a GS-15 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Health System Administrator (Associate Director) Alvin C York VAMC job located?
This position is located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/20/2026. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the clo...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Feb 20, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
No security clearance is required for this position.
What does GS-15 mean?
GS-15 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.