Supervisory Health Science Specialist
What you'd do
This position is located in the Research Information Security (RIS) Workgroup within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Research Oversight (ORO) and reports to the ORO Executive Director. The incumbent of this position is responsible for overall management, operations, and supervision of the RIS Workgroup.
Major duties
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 Telework: Not Authorized 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
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/13/2026. 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 Requirement 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 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/.
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