Health System Specialist
What you'd do
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans? DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.
Major duties
This position is organizationally aligned to the Office of the Executive Director at the Clement J. Zablocki Health Care System (CJZ HCS) (695)- a Level 1a Complexity VHA Facility. The primary purpose of this position is to develop, implement, maintain and provide leadership, strategic direction, and oversight of compliance and training activities for the Research Program. The CJZ HCS is a healthcare system with one (1) hospital, four (4) community-based outpatient clinics of care located in Oconomowoc, Appleton, Union Grove, Cleveland (WI), and one (1) Health Care Center in Green Bay. The Research Compliance Officer (RCO) evaluates compliance with Federal and VA requirements for the conduct of research, which may include requirements in one or more of the following areas: the protection of human research subjects, laboratory animal welfare, and research safety and security. Incumbent may also be assigned responsibilities related to facility programs for research information security, research privacy, conflict of interest in research, training of research personnel. research program accreditation, research misconduct, and/or other research compliance activities consistent with VHA requirements. Major Duties: Develops procedures and systems for establishing, operating, and assessing the effectiveness of· research compliance control systems and the accomplishment, evaluation, and/or monitoring of audits, inspections, and other reviews as needed. Effectively uses Research Service and research review committee information systems such as VAIRRS/IRBNet to complete audits. Uses audit worksheets and auditing tools for the informed consent audits and regulatory audits that incorporate national requirements and may include local requirements. Develops, uses, and maintains spreadsheets or other tools to track audits of facility research. Performs a variety of duties to assure full compliance in each of the five compliance programs human studies, animal studies, laboratory safety and radiation safety, conflict of interest, information security and privacy. Reports data related to research program compliance with regulations as required by the national program office. Prepares consolidated reports for management functions and higher echelon review, within and outside of the facility. Performs thorough auditing that identifies apparent systemic deficiencies that have a reasonable likelihood of substantially compromising the VA medical facility's research protection programs or information security processes, ensures prompt reporting to the relevant research review committees, and ensures reporting of determined systemic deficiencies to ORO and applicable federal agencies. Develops strategy, policy and/or standards covering the facility's research compliance program activities and records. Analyzes and evaluates the effectiveness of programs or operations in meeting established compliance goals and objectives. Develops and maintains strong working relationships with the facility Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) and other individuals relevant to the assigned areas of responsibility, such as the facility Privacy Officer (PO); the Chairpersons of the facility's Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and/or Subcommittee on Research Safety; Research Safety Officer and Radiation Safety Officer; etc. Ensures that relevant regulatory and policy updates in assigned areas of responsibility are disseminated to research administrators, research oversight committees, research investigators, research personnel, and facility leadership in a timely manner. Serves as subject matter expert to the Executive Director, the HCS's research leadership team, and to all VA researchers to assure compliance with regulations related to human subjects involved in research. Incorporate information learned into training to research personnel with potential for significant improvement and facilitates innovative application of best practices and quality management methods. Develops or adapts new or revised training or testing materials for formal course use. Responsible for effective verbal and written communications with facility leadership, research review committees and staff and with research investigators to advise them on changes and updates in policy matters, process issues, and procedural requirements necessary for conducting audits, as well as externally with Program Office staff such as ORD and ORO. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm Telework: This position is not authorized for telework. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD253340 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/06/2026. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) 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: 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. Working with administrative laws, policies, regulations, and precedents applicable to the administration of the CJZ HCS research program. Working with Human subjects in Research, Research Safety and Security, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations. Using appropriate software and establishing and maintaining database applications. Working skills in the operation of computer and telecommunications equipment and software typical in a business environment. Applying principles, theories, and processes of management including monitoring and auditing techniques, fact-finding, investigation and reporting mechanisms. 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/.
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