Supervisory Health Science Specialist

Summary

Supervisory Health Science Specialist is assigned to the VA Capitol Health Care Network (VISN 5), Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC). The VISN 5 MIRECC is a component of a national consortium of VA Mental Health Centers of Excellence (CoEs) created to generate new knowledge about the causes and treatments of mental disorders through research, to apply new research findings to model clinical programs and to widely disseminate new research findings through education

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Duties

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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

Requirements

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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 ( 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

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

"Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care."

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.