Program Specialist

Summary

This position is located in the Executive Director for Greater Los Angeles Department of Veterans' Affairs. The incumbent is responsible for assisting the Research Compliance Officer in developing and implementing the Research Compliance program at GLA. This would include increased responsibility for special projects, interpretation and reporting of audit results and assessment of risks of non-compliance for the institution and the research component.

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Duties

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Duties include but are not limited to:

• Coordinate with the Research Service; Research Pharmacy; and Radiation Safety; and R&D Committee/Subcommittees to ensure the ethical conduct of research for all GLA, Non-profit, and Academic Affiliate-projects involving human subjects.
• Work closely with the HRPP Administrator and the Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in ensuring continuing accreditation by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP).
• Develop appropriate audit tools and conduct routine and "for cause" audits of the HRPP program including, but not limited to: informed consent monitoring, protocol audits, investigation device audits, investigation drug audits and verification that all research is approved by the V A Research and Development Committee.
• Prepare audit reports and compliance analysis, including recommendations for quality improvement and performance standards for review by the RCO.
• Coordinate with the Veterinary Medical Officer (VMO) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) in insuring continuing accreditation by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC).
• Work closely with the Bio-safety Subcommittee and Radiation Safety to ensure that animal laboratory self-inspections are completed and deficiencies corrected, and that any bio-safety issues are identified on proposals for review submitted by Investigators.
• Identify, report, and correct problems related to the ethical conduct of research, issues of conflict of interest, and issues involving intellectual property rights.
• Training of Investigators, Research Staff, Research Committee and Subcommittee Members and Research Administrative Staff.
• Facilitate and participate in compliance education opportunities, including presentations at local and national meetings.
• Exercise judgment and ensure that any patient safety issues revealed during audits are communicated to the principle investigators promptly in lieu of a formal report.
• Assist in the development of new research compliance assurance technologies, including the evaluation and refinement of a computer-based compliance software package.
• Attend and participates in appropriate meetings including VISN Research meetings, and ORD directed site visits, training and travel.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday from 8:00am-4:30pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/ PD078770

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the 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, 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, 07/02/2026.

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: (In addition to meeting time and grade) 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: Research-related expert knowledge, experience coordinating/scheduling audit, preparing audit reports and compliance analysis, preparing reports and recommendations for quality improvements, ability to make oral and written reports and presentations, knowledge of advance computer skills, including office software, and providing accurate information in an understandable manner when responding to questions/providing information to Principal Investigators and study team members, etc.. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a 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, (transcripts must be submitted with your application)
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level.

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.

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

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.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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

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.