Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.201) for this occupation. First Area of consideration will be given to current, permanent VISN 15, employees. Second area of consideration will be given to current, permanent VHA employees. Third are of consideration will be all other applicants.

Major duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Provides the Associate Chief of Staff for Research, (ACOS/R) with sound opinion, advice and recommendations for actions concerning all administrative aspects required in management concepts and techniques.
• Actively guides qualified research investigators interested in research but without experience to develop and submit intricate research study protocols for approval.
• Is responsible for the day-to-day service operations to include planning, organizing, and executing administrative actions, preparing complex memorandums and communications, VISN 15 and National purposes.
• Reviews all research protocols submitted to the Service for budgetary accuracy, completeness, and compliance with regulatory requirements.
• The position will be required to respond to requests for information from VA agencies such as the Office of Research and Development, Office of Research Oversight, Office of Research Budget among others.
• The position is responsible for the development of mechanisms for the appointment of research staff and for the development and oversight of scopes of work.
• The position will manage the onboarding of Without Compensation Employees (WOC) who support the facilities research program.
• Expected to oversee and be thoroughly familiar with all VA fund control points assigned to research in this institution.
• The position is expected to work closely with Fiscal Service to ensure that expenditure for research come from the appropriate accounts and that funds received for research go to appropriate accounts.
• Position will be required to manage multiple financial databases and prepare quarterly and annual fiscal reports to be presented to and verified by the facility Director.
• The position is expected to work with researchers and research staff on utilization of research funds for their projects. This position is expected to serve in a liaison capacity between Midwest Veterans' Biomedical Research Foundation (MVBRF) and the facility regarding privately funded studies.
• Expected to serve as the facility's IRB and Research and Development Committee Liaison managing all submissions, continuing reviews, annual reviews and coordinating unanticipated event notifications.
• The position is expected to be the facilities liaison for the establishment of Collaborative Research and Development Agreements (CRADA) agreements with private sector study sponsors.
• The position assigns work to WOCs based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and the capabilities of employees.
• The position gives advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on administrative matters.
• The position interviews candidates, onboards new staff, hears and resolves complaints from employees, referring to group grievances and more serious unresolved complaints to a higher-level supervisor or manager; and finds ways to improve production or increase the quality of the work directed.
• The position will be required to manage non-profit funded research staff's time and attendance records by certifying sick and leave requests and pay period timecard verifications

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Position Description Title/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD249420

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.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required
• 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.
• Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office. May require occasional travel.

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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Qualifications: In order to be considered for the GS-0671-11 Health System Specialist position, you must meet the following requirements:

• Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration.

~OR~

• Specialized Experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-09 level in the federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically related to the work of a Health System Specialist. 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.

GS-11 grade level: One year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-09 grade level in the federal service); experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to:

• Management of health care delivery systems.
• Skill in applying Federal, State and VA laws, rules, and regulations relative to compliance and the conduct of investigative studies involving human subjects, research safety and security, and research information security
• Providing advice and consultation to IRB chairs, members, and staff, and to educate the investigative community of local and external policies and procedures with regards to research involving human subjects.

~OR~

Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-09 level with the following:

• Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

~OR~

• 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

~OR~

• LL.M., if related

~OR~

Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-11 level.
To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 60 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-11. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Preferred Experience: Research Administrative experience.

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.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Applicants will be referred in the order in which they were received.

Documents Accepted:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Other (1)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Documents Required:

• Resume

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.

Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

Next steps