Supervisory Health Science Specialist

Clarification from the agency

Open to Office of Research Oversight (ORO) employees and CTAP eligible only.

Major Duties Include:

• Supervises and provides management and subject matter leadership to Research Information Security Workgroup professional staff to ensure ORO' s mission, roles, and functions are fulfilled with regard to the integrity of research compliance, oversight, and assurance in VA research programs.
• Provides oversight of the conduct of complex site reviews and investigations at VA medical facilities to evaluate for programmatic compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies governing the review, conduct, and oversight of VA research.
• Directs and manages the evaluation of highly technical and complex research study protocols for compliance with applicable Federal laws, regulations and policies governing information protection and privacy-related practices.
• Oversees and performs complex analyses of the requirements in, and intent of, laws, regulations, policies, and guidance in order to ensure the validity of findings of noncompliance in frequently encountered situations where the requirements, or the applicability of the requirements, are vague or unclear.
• On behalf of VA, collaborates and negotiates with other Federal departments and agency (ies) on multi-jurisdictional research noncompliance matters, including identifying lead agency to conduct investigations into such matters.
• Develops and implements national (VHA-wide) policy and guidance to ensure VA research program compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies governing human subjects research, particularly with regard to research information security, conducted at VA medical facilities across the country.
• Utilizes knowledge of statistical methods to analyze research, compliance data in order to develop data-driven research compliance policies, procedures, and strategies; and identify at risk research programs and enterprise-wide common and emerging research noncompliance and vulnerabilities.
• Conducts strategic planning for the management and delivery of services for major health science research compliance programs and policies, including multidisciplinary programs.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to the in-person work mandate in their current position.
Definition of Virtual Work: Employee works outside of original hiring duty station at a VA-owned or leased space.
Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in-person work unless they are approved for an exception or an exemption. Any approval for an RTO exception, exemption, or extension will happen after a tentative job offer, but before a final job offer.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Health Science Specialist/PD715950
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. This position requires the application, assessment, and questionnaire to be fully completed. The assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.

• 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 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 or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/23/2026.

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-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. 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 education as described below:

Individual Occupational Requirements:

Education: You must possess a bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained.

In addition to Individual Occupational Requirements:

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. In order to meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet 6/9 of the following examples of specialized experience: Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Developing and implementing research information security policies applicable to human subjects research across a research enterprise to ensure data use and sharing are compliant with applicable regulations and institutional policies.
• Comprehensively directing all aspects of a human research protection program, including research information security components.
• Leading site reviews or a program to comprehensively evaluate research programs for compliance with regulations and policies pertaining to information security protections for human subjects research.
• Developing employee performance standards and evaluating employee performance.
• Directing and managing the evaluation of highly technical and complex research study protocols.
• Implementing and overseeing a national research oversight program that monitors, evaluates, and investigates matters of research compliance involving research information security.
• Making programmatic and policy interpretations and recommendations.
• Developing and recommending new and improved programs and strategies for compliance oversight.
• Overseeing the process by which research facilities initiate written, systematic action plans to correct deficiencies and provide oversight to documents remediation.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Mastery level knowledge of biological and disease processes, health sciences or allied sciences.
• Knowledge of the theories, principles, concepts, methodologies, and techniques of designing, conducting, and analyzing biomedical and/or clinical research.
• Knowledge of statistical methods.
• Knowledge of healthcare delivery and operations.
• Knowledge of Federal laws, regulations and policy governing human subjects research and human subject protections, research privacy, research information security and general research administration.
• Ability to plan, develop, and carry out vital programs in research compliance, oversight, and assurance related not only to specific problems, projects, programs, and functions, but also to systemic and programmatic functions at all levels of research compliance, oversight, and assurance throughout VHA.
• Leadership
• Oral Communication
• Written Communication

Supervisory Situational Judgment Test. Applicants will be required to complete a Supervisory Situational Judgment Test (SSJT) as part of the assessment process for this position. The SSJT evaluates judgment and decision-making skills that align with relevant competencies, organizational values, and best practices. Assessment results may be used as part of the evaluation, ranking and referral process. This is not a timed test, however, the assessment is expected to take approximately 45 minutes or less to complete. The assessment for this application does not include a cut score for a minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. However, you must answer each item in the assessment.

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.

Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary; however, there is periodic walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as a laptop computer. No special physical demands are required to perform the work; however, travel is a significant component of the position.

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/.

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.

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• 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.

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