Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all current Department of Veterans Affairs employees and Career Transition personnel only.

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Major duties of this position include but are not limited to...

• Develops and implements program processes designed to assess internal controls administered to attenuate fraud, waste, and abuse in research business practices
• Assess financial relationships between VA healthcare professionals and other internal and external stakeholders as it pertains to time and attendance, medical billing and coding, conflicts of interest, etc.
• Instrumental in the preparation and application for accreditation of the Facility's Human Research Protection Program (HRPP)
• Ensures Research & Development Program compliance in the areas of credentialing, training, and education of investigators and research staff
• Serves as the primary liaison with outside stakeholders concerning compliance issues IAW "Common Rule" (45 CFR 46) and other federal agency regulatory guidance and policies
• Reviews Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) activities and records to ensure compliance with national requirements
• Determines audit guidelines based on review of Directives and Central Office guidance for monitoring compliance with VHA administrative policy and directives associated with, but not limited to financial relationships between health care professionals and industry
• Performs or monitors formal audits of Research Physician timekeeping and attendance and assesses for compliance with anti-kickback laws regarding open payments
• Evaluates compliance with federal and VA requirement for the conduct of research, (i.e. protection of human research subjects, laboratory and animal welfare, and research safety and security)
• Reports accurate and timely findings and recommendations of review, audit, and/or investigation activities to the Medical Center Director, Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) for R&D, and the R&D Committee
• Participates in the development and delivery of education and training for research employees regarding compliance requirement
• Designs and implements training programs and develops organizational strategies for identifying quality improvement opportunities relating to the compliance program
• Assists managers and technical specialists in identifying compliance areas with potential for significant compliance improvement

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.

Physical Requirements: Requires effective speaking ability for training/education purposes and manual dexterity; requires some walking and periods of standing; may be required to carry light objects

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD137150 and PD14702-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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, 11/18/2025.

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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level.
For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level.

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.

This position contains the following Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR):

Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration....OR,

Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of:

• Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
• Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
• Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.

Special Provision for Inservice Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included:

• Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements;
• Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and
• Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below:

Specialized Experience GS-12: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade of GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to... a broad knowledge of healthcare administration, organizational management, and research-compliance concepts sufficient to evaluate operations, interpret regulations, and recommend improvements within defined program areas; demonstrates understanding of the interrelationships among clinical, administrative, and research functions, applying established analytical and evaluative techniques to assess efficiency, workload, and compliance with applicable requirements; skilled in interpreting and applying policy and regulatory guidance; collecting, analyzing, and synthesizing data; and formulating recommendations supported by analysis; ability to apply accepted analytical methods to defined problems, consults with the supervisor or senior specialists on complex or precedent-setting matters, and prepares reports and recommendations reviewed for policy and technical accuracy; utilizes analytical and evaluative techniques to conduct studies, interpret results, and recommend improvements promoting compliance with medical, scientific, and administrative standards.

Specialized Experience GS-13: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade of 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...Research-related expert knowledge and experience in performing verifiable research auditing that utilizes accepted national and VA methods for auditing of research projects; knowledge of auditing research is required of nationally recognized auditing and monitoring systems, as well as applicable laws, regulations, and policies; ability to address the Agency's wide range of research activities and the requirements of other federal departments and agencies; knowledgeable and skilled in applying analytical and evaluative methods and the techniques to issues or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of program operations; knowledge of requirements regarding human subjects' protections in research, and credentialing of research staff; in-depth mastery and knowledge of the interrelated federal and state laws, regulations and of VA and VHA requirements; expert knowledge of the major issues, program goals and objectives, work processes, VA policies and administrative operations of the organization; broad knowledge of quality improvement principles and methodologies used to evaluate programs and the quality of health care delivery; ability to make oral and written reports and presentations, graphically prepare and present statistics and other data, and develop conclusions, recommendations and actions based on analysis and evaluation in such form and manner that are most useful, and knowledge of and ability to develop a risk management system of internal monitoring and auditing that identify potential business integrity risks in research operations through trending and analysis, implementation, corrective action, and measured outcomes.

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

• Administration and Management
• Auditing
• Compliance
• Education and Training

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.



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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.