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Research Health Science Specialist

Veterans Health Administration · Department of Veterans Affairs

Open to the publicTemporaryIntermittentSecurity clearance required
Location
Palo Alto, CA
Salary
Unpaid (volunteer)
Pay grade
GS 00
Openings
1
Posted
Nov 3, 2026
Closes
Closes in 9 days

Summary

**NOTE: This is a Without Compensation position. There is no pay associated with this position.**

This position serves as a Without Compensation (WOC) Research Health Science Specialist within the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Office of Research and Development (ORD).

Duties

The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 50 applications. The first 50 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (50 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management.
Major Duties:
  • Provide operational support and coordination for the implementation of VA research.
  • Handles project questions and problems independently in coordination with the PI.
  • Writes research policies, guidelines and procedures facilitating the compliance with all administrative project requirements.
  • Manages timelines and deliverables for successful completion of projects.

Work Schedule: Intermittent (Without Compensation)

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/16/2026.

The Individual Occupational Requirement Basic Education Requirement for this position is: 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(external link) at the time the degree was obtained.

Additionally, you must also have:

Experience: Experience in how local ancestry patterns influence health and disease risk; experience managing timelines and deliverables for successful completion of projects; and guidelines and procedures.

OR

Combination: Applicants may also combine education (above the required Bachelor's degree) and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of experience and education.

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 predominantly sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably to do the work. However, there will be some walking, standing, bending and carrying of items of moderate weight such as large binders, banker style file boxes, meeting materials, papers, books or small parts. Hand and eye coordination for delicate testing procedures may be the only special physical demand required to perform the work.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.

Requirements

  • U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
  • 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.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Apply for this role

Applications are handled on the official USAJOBS site — we never sit between you and the employer. You'll find full duties, qualifications and the application form there.

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Source: USAJOBS / U.S. Office of Personnel Management. HealthJobsFinderUSA is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by OPM or USAJOBS.

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