Government Information Specialist-Privacy/FOIA Officer

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has adopted the VHA Freedom of Information Act Program for the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and establishes policy to comply with FOIA. The Facility Privacy/FOIA Officer has oversight for the data governance program and initiatives in the VHA Medical Center or Healthcare System and its supporting catchment area. There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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/. The major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

• Supports developing a local level strategy for data governance, which includes leading from the executive office and creating a unique program that includes diverse processes and specific policies which are independent of other facilities.
• Leverages key functions of the authority delegated from the facility Direct to make final decisions of data disclosure, initiates independent investigations, conduct compliance activities and implement physical, technical, and administrative safeguards across the facility.
• Develops and executes strategic management initiatives that establishes areas of control of information within the facility and interfaces with all business operations across service lines/departments.
• Plans and conducts monitoring activities which measure the overall level of operational compliance by the facility.
• Develops and integrates policy-based processes, role and controls that influences how data is created, collected, used, stored and destroyed throughout the organization.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Government Information Specialist-Privacy/FOIA Officer/PD99843S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/24/2026.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: researching, analyzing, and evaluating data for response to information requests; assembling and reviewing proposed FOIA release packages, reviewing and analyzing appeals from denials of access to records requested under FOIA and recommending final agency decision on release/non-release of records; developing, implementing, and maintaining privacy policies and procedures; evaluating the impact of the Privacy Act and regulations on the organization's activities.

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/.