Health Science Specialist

This position is assigned to the Office of Research Oversight (ORO) in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). ORO reports directly to the Under Secretary for Health (USH) and is the primary office for advising the USH on matters related to assurance and compliance with VA and other Federal requirements for the protection of human research subjects, laboratory animal welfare, research safety and laboratory security, research information security, and research misconduct.

Major Duties Include:

• Monitors and evaluates VA medical facility and VISN responses to allegations of research misconduct
• Conducts procedural reviews of research misconduct cases referred for an Investigation to assess and ensure compliance with applicable VA policies and procedures.
• Serves as subject matter expert on VA and VHA policies pertaining to investigation of research misconduct and Interacts with personnel at VA facilities to clarify issues and provide advice and technical assistance.
• Collects and analyzes historical and real-time data on the disposition of allegations of research misconduct involving VA research.
• Tracks appointments of VA medical facility Research Integrity Officers (RIOs), maintains an updated RIO contact list, and provides information to RIOs as necessary.
• Develops and implements a training program, as needed, for VA medical facility RIOs on VA and VHA policies applicable to the investigation of allegations of research misconduct.
• Prepares oral briefings and written briefing materials on VA research misconduct cases for VHA senior leadership and others. Ensures presentations and products (reports, seminars, trainings, exit briefings, memoranda, forms and checklists for the VA research field, etc.) are professional, factually accurate, clear, logically organized, balanced and objective in tone, and grammatically correct.
• Develops/implements new and/or improved strategies for compliance oversight.
• Provides analysis of VHA facility compliance with Federal and VA policies pertaining to research misconduct, and analysis of complex research data sets and results associated with research misconduct cases.
• Establishes ORO Research Misconduct program goals and identifies results demonstrating effectiveness; making programmatic and policy interpretation; leading and holding primary responsibility for ORO research misconduct program; and representing VA on inter-agency committees/groups.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
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#: Health Science Specialist/PD015450
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/21/2026.

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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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 Requirements:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Monitoring and evaluating VA medical facility and VISN responses to allegations of research misconduct.
• Conducting procedural reviews of all research misconduct cases referred for an Investigation to assess and ensure compliance with applicable policies and procedures.
• Interacting with personnel at VA facilities to clarify issues, and provides advice and technical assistance on VA policies pertaining to research misconduct.
• Collecting and analyzing historical and real-time data on the disposition of allegations of research misconduct involving VA research.
• Tracking appointments of VA medical facility Research Integrity Officers (RIOs), maintaining an updated RIO contact list, and providing information to RIOs as necessary.
• Developing and implementing a RIO training program as needed, for VA medical facility RIOs on VA and VHA policies applicable to the investigation of allegations of research misconduct.
• Preparing oral briefings and written briefing materials on VA research misconduct cases for VHA senior leadership
• Maintaining records and preparing statistical and administrative reports. Providing analysis of VA medical facility compliance with Federal and VA policies pertaining to research misconduct, and analysis of complex research data sets and results associated with research misconduct cases.
• Developing integrated systematic strategies to meet short, medium, and long term goals for the program. Assuring that strategies reflect the most promising directions in research compliance and research bioethics.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Attention to Detail
• Research
• Communication
• Critical Thinking
• Analytical Thinking

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 sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to perform portions of the work. However, there is periodic walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as research records, instructional material, books, manuals, and laptop computer. No special physical demands are required to perform the work, however, travel forms a significant component of the program.

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/.

A transcript must be submitted with your application.

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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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.