VA Subject Matter Expert (SME) – Team Lead

About the role

Prometheus Federal Services (PFS) is a trusted partner to federal health agencies. We are seeking a VA Subject Matter Expert (SME) who will serve as a Team Lead supporting the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Women’s Health (OWH) Women Veterans Quality Improvement Project (WV-QIP). The SME will provide executive-level healthcare operations expertise and strategic guidance to support comprehensive evaluations of Women’s Health Programs, identification of opportunities for improvement, and implementation of Evidence-Based Quality Improvement (EBQI) initiatives across VA Health Care Systems (HCSs).

Leveraging extensive experience in hospital and health system administration—preferably within VHA—the SME will provide insight into VA organizational structures, healthcare delivery models, leadership and governance, clinical operations, staffing, care coordination, quality improvement, organizational culture, and the environment of care.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior VA healthcare SME and Team Lead for assigned VA HCS evaluations, site visits, and quality improvement activities
• Provide executive-level expertise regarding VHA organizational structure, hospital administration, healthcare operations, governance, clinical service delivery, and implementation of national VA policies and priorities
• Lead and participate in on-site evaluations of Women’s Health Programs, including engagement with facility executive leadership, clinical leaders, program managers, subject matter experts, and Quality Improvement (QI) Practice Teams
• Conduct and support stakeholder interviews, document reviews, and assessment activities to evaluate program operations, staffing, care coordination, organizational culture, environment of care, and adherence to applicable Women’s Health policies and standards
• Apply extensive VA operational experience to identify organizational, operational, and implementation barriers affecting the delivery of high-quality care to women Veterans
• Synthesize qualitative and quantitative findings to identify strengths, gaps, risks, opportunities for improvement, and recommended areas of focus for facility leadership and OWH
• Present evaluation findings and recommendations to VA facility leadership and facilitate discussions regarding improvement priorities and potential interventions
• Support selection and development of facility-specific EBQI focus areas, goals, objectives, and action plans based on evaluation findings and local priorities
• Provide strategic guidance and coaching to QI Champions, QI Practice Teams, and facility leaders throughout implementation of EBQI initiatives
• Facilitate collaboration among executive leaders, clinical teams, administrative stakeholders, and project personnel to advance improvement initiatives and promote stakeholder accountability
• Contribute executive-level perspective to site-specific assessment tools, evaluation summaries, EBQI Action Plans, final site reports, and cross-site findings
• Identify recurring themes, systemic barriers, promising practices, and opportunities that may inform OWH’s broader understanding of Women’s Health Program performance across VHA
• Collaborate with Program Managers, Project Managers, Senior Program Analysts, Data Analysts, Clinical Informaticists, and other SMEs to integrate operational, clinical, analytical, and informatics perspectives into project recommendations
• Support effective communication and coordination with OWH, VA Central Office, Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), VA HCS leadership, and facility-level stakeholders
• Ensure all activities and recommendations remain consistent with applicable federal requirements, VA policies, procedures, security requirements, and established project methodologies
• Travel to VA HCSs and affiliated facilities to support multi-day site visits and other project activities, as required

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BS) from an accredited institution
• Minimum of 10 years of experience at the executive leadership level within hospital or integrated healthcare system administration
• Executive leadership experience in roles such as Medical Center Director, Network Director, Medical Director, Associate Director, Chief/Executive-level healthcare leader, or comparable position
• Significant knowledge of healthcare system operations, organizational governance, clinical and administrative functions, quality improvement, and healthcare delivery
• Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with senior healthcare executives, clinical leaders, multidisciplinary teams, and other key stakeholders
• Experience evaluating complex healthcare programs, identifying operational or organizational improvement opportunities, and advising leadership on strategies to improve performance
• Experience working with or within affiliated healthcare education systems
• Ability and willingness to travel to VA facilities nationwide, as required

Preferred Qualifications

• Significant executive leadership experience within the Veterans Health Administration
• Deep knowledge of VHA organizational structure, VISNs, VA Medical Centers, Community Based Outpatient Clinics, and VA Central Office operations
• Experience with VHA policies, healthcare delivery models, clinical operations, performance improvement, and organizational transformation
• Experience conducting healthcare system assessments, site visits, executive interviews, or operational reviews within VA
• Experience supporting women Veterans’ healthcare programs, Women’s Health Programs, or other national VHA clinical initiatives
• Experience with Evidence-Based Quality Improvement (EBQI), quality improvement, implementation science, Lean, PDSA, or comparable healthcare improvement methodologies
• Demonstrated experience translating assessment findings into practical, sustainable recommendations and implementation strategies within complex healthcare environments

Benefits

PFS offers a benefits package that may include health, dental, and vision coverage; flexible spending accounts; disability and life insurance; a retirement plan; paid time off; and other programs to support employees and their families.