Health Science Specialist

This position is located in the VHA Office of Research Oversight (ORO), Research Information Security (RIS) Workgroup, reporting to the RIS Workgroup Director. The RIS Workgroup conducts periodic reviews of VA research programs to ensure compliance with research information security laws, regulations, and policies; investigates alleged serious noncompliance; and oversees VA facility corrective actions to resolve identified deficiencies.

This announcement will close on 11/16/2026. The first 50 applications received will receive first consideration. Applications that are submitted after the initial cut-off number has been reached will not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management.

Major Duties Include:

• Conducts site reviews and investigations at VA medical facilities to evaluate for programmatic compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies governing the review, conduct, and oversight of VA research.
• Oversees/Leeds activities of site review teams for on-site, for-cause, and remote research compliance reviews focusing on information security of human subjects research.
• Provides advice and technical assistance related to research compliance to research personnel.
• Develops reports and presentations summarizing analyses and proposing well-supported data-driven recommendations.
• Evaluates the determinations and actions of research oversight committees and programs for compliance with applicable requirements.
• Performs complex analyses of the requirements in, and intent of laws, regulations, policies, and guidance to be able to make well-reasoned and supportable findings of noncompliance in frequently encountered situations where the requirements, or the applicability of requirements, are vague or unclear.
• Participates in interactions and coordination with other offices regarding research and research information security and privacy-related practices.
• Evaluates adequacy of proposed actions to fully resolve research.
• Reviews and evaluates research noncompliance and adverse event reports and allegations submitted to ORO by VA medical facility personnel, research accrediting and oversight entities, and others.
• Documents review-related actions and outcomes adhering to established business rules for tracking compliance activities.
• Keeps apprised of all applicable statutes, regulations, policies, guidance, and best practices in human subjects research, research information security, and privacy-related areas.
• Coordinates all aspects of site reviews and investigations.
• Assures compliance with established review processes.
• Maintains records and prepares project administrative and statistical reports for review processes.
• Makes programmatic and policy interpretations and recommendations.
• Develops strategies reflecting the most promising directions in research compliance and research bioethics.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Virtual: This position is not 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/PD86626A and PD86625A
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, 11/16/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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 the Individual Occupational Requirement you must meet specialized experience below:

GS-13 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:

• Participates in site reviews and investigations at facilities to evaluate for programmatic compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies governing the review, conduct, and oversight of research.
• Oversees activities of site review teams and leads on-site, for-cause, and remote research compliance reviews focusing on information security of human subjects research.
• Provides advice and technical assistance related to research compliance to research personnel.
• Establishes research and compliance standards for review teams to utilize in conducting reviews and framing recommendations.
• Evaluates the determinations and actions of research oversight committees and programs for compliance with applicable requirements.
• Participates in interactions and coordination with other offices regarding research and research information security and privacy-related practices.
• Evaluates adequacy of proposed actions to fully resolve research noncompliance and/or mitigate apparent research-related risks.

GS-14 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:

• Leads and oversees activities of site review teams and leads on-site, for-cause, and remote research compliance reviews focusing on information security of human subjects research.
• Independently conducts site reviews and investigations at medical facilities to evaluate for programmatic compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies governing the review, conduct, and oversight of research.
• Evaluates highly technical and complex research study protocols for compliance with applicable Federal laws, regulations and policies governing research information protection and privacy-related practices.
• Leads interactions and coordination with other offices regarding research and research information security and privacy-related practices.
• Develops reports and presentations summarizing such analyses and proposing well-supported data-driven recommendations.
• Reviews and evaluates research noncompliance and adverse event reports and allegations submitted by medical facility personnel, research accrediting and oversight entities, and others.
• Performs complex analyses of the requirements in, and intent of, laws, regulations, policies, and guidance to be able to make well-reasoned and supportable findings of noncompliance in frequently encountered situations where the requirements, or the applicability of requirements, are vague or unclear.

Quality Ranking Factors:

• An advanced degree (e.g., PhD) in a biological, biomedical , health science, or similar field.
• Major course of study or degree in health informatics, computer science, or cybersecurity.
• At least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade conducting biomedical or clinical research as a principal investigator in a healthcare setting, academic institution, or Federal agency (NOT including conducting research to fulfill degree requirements).
• Experience managing large organizational-level research datasets/databases, implementing information security and related privacy policies to ensure data use and sharing were compliant with applicable Federal and institutional policies.
• Knowledge of the principles, methods, and tools that perform super intelligence (SI) functions.

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
• 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
• 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.
• 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.