Program Specialist

Summary The incumbent serves as a Facility Research Compliance Officer (RCO) at VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System (SNHCS). This position is organizationally part of the Facility Director's Office and reports directly to the Facility Director. The 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 Responsibilities Major Duties: Assigned areas of responsibility are dependent upon the particular needs of the SNHCS and its research programs in meeting VHA auditing, monitoring, and related research protection and oversight requirements. Performs ongoing research monitoring and auditing in assigned areas of responsibility. Develops and maintains strong working relationships with the facility Information Security Officer (ISO) 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; Safety Officers; etc. Provides routine reports to the Facility Director and others (e.g., COS, ACOS/R) in accordance with VHA and facility requirements. Conducts routine and "for cause" reviews and other performance improvement activities to promote compliance, reduce violations of regulations and standards, identify unsatisfactory trends and conditions, and correct factors that may contribute to non-compliance. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Ad Hoc Telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD040330 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidate Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Requirements 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 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/05/2026. 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 may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Developing policies, procedures, and criteria for the administration of research programs; Implementing data collection and auditing protocols for complex clinical studies; Reporting and analyzing research compliance oversight matters; Participating on various committees related to research compliance; and Utilizing knowledge of Human Subjects Protection principles, regulations, standards, and procedures. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond GS-11. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Reasoning Manages and Organizes Information Project Management Quality Management 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. Preferred experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience includes what is stated in the above Individual Occupational Requirement, as well as: Applying federal research regulations and institutional policies in areas such as human subjects protection, animal research oversight, laboratory safety, privacy/security, conflicts of interest, and research misconduct, ensuring regulatory compliance and program integrity. Conducting audits, monitoring, inspections, investigations, or quality assurance reviews within research, healthcare, regulatory, or scientific programs, and documenting findings for leadership. Performing compliance analyses to identify risks, deficiencies, or system vulnerabilities, and recommending corrective actions, process improvements, or internal control enhancements. Providing compliance guidance, training, technical assistance, and policy interpretation to researchers, staff, committees, or program stakeholders to support regulatory adherence and operational effectiveness. 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, although some slight physical effort may be required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Additional Information The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.