Supervisory Health Science Specialist

Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and status candidates.

Duties include:

• Serves as the central contact and reviewer of all MIRECC research study protocol submissions to the local Institutional Review Board (IRB), the VA Central IRB (CIRB), and the local VA Research and Development (R&D) offices and those at collaborating remote sites.
• Develops and with assistance from the Associate Director of the MIRECC's Research Core and the MIRECC's Director, oversees multiple standard operating and regulatory policies and procedures guiding the management of the large MIRECC human subjects' research program.
• Prepares information for research project evaluation functions, such as audits by the local Research Compliance Office or the VA Office of Research Oversight (ORO).
• Creates, maintains, updates and implements templates for required IRB and R&D research forms, applications, and processes.
• Ensure that protocols involving human participants have quality controls and measures in place to assure compliance with the conduct of the approved research.
• Gather statistical and narrative data on project status, including resource utilization, statistical data on participation, adherence to protocols on matters such as participant education, control of data, and other similar matters.
• Arrange data in formats required by review process; all MIRECC research protocols involving human participants have quality controls and measures, appropriate to their individual protocol, in place to assure compliance with the conduct of the approved research; this includes the storage of information, ensuring that participant identifiers and data are kept in separate, secure locations.
• Interpret and reports on findings from independently developed evaluation, data review, and internal audit processes.
• The incumbents serve as one of two Supervisory Health Science Specialist for the VISN 5 MIRECC Research Program's Human Subjects Protections and Quality, Assurance sub-unit, leading all sub-unit hiring, training, administrative, operational, and supervisory functions.
• Provides technical and administrative supervision and related performance evaluations to the following range of subordinate positions.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8am-4:30pm
Telework: Ad-Hoc only
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Supervisory Health Science Specialist/PD22110A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 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, 08/19/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 must meet the individual occupational requirements (IOR) for the General Medical and Healthcare Series, 0601 as follows:

General Medical and Healthcare Series 0601 Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR)
Basic Requirements

• Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Individual Occupational Requirements Basic Requirements Education 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 meeting the Individual Occupation Requirement above you must meet the specialized experience below.

GS-0601-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to interviews candidates for research support positions; recommends appointments, promotions, and reassignments to other MIRECC positions; identifies and provides for training needs; and finds ways to improve production or increase the quality of work within the area of authority. Carry out Equal Employment Opportunity policies and program activities. The incumbents oversee and manage day-to-day aspects of multiple concurrent grant-funded studies. This involves overseeing data collection, tracking, and storage; subject scheduling and payment; equipment needs and ensure staff adherence to research protocols. Create and submit IRB reports and help prepare protocol submissions to VA Research & Development Committees. Incumbents are also responsible for obtaining and keeping current training as a VA Records Liaison for the appropriate management of research records archival.

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

• Administration and Management
• Education and Training
• Managing Human Resources
• Planning and Evaluating
• Research

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.

Preferred Experience: Experience in mental health research, specifically with Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI). Experience with regulatory oversight of MIRECC research study protocols submitted to Institutional Review Boards (IRB). Experience implementing MIRECC research study protocols.

Physical Requirements:
The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary.

Work Environment: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require safety precautions typical of hospital, offices, and meeting rooms. There is also the risk of unknowing contact with contagious disease

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.

Area of Consideration- Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:

1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. All other applicants.

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

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 (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Proof of Marriage Status
• 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.

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