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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

NOTE: This is a TERM appointment (not-to-exceed 4 years). Term appointments are non-status, nonpermanent appointments of limited duration (more than 1 year but not more than 4). Term employees are eligible to earn leave and generally have the same benefits as permanent employees including health and life insurance, within-grade increases and Federal Employees Retirement System and Thrift Savings Plan coverage. Term appointments may be extended without further competition (up to the 4 year maximum). The appointment to a Term position does not confer eligibility for promotion or reassignment to other positions or the ability to be non-competitively converted to permanent employment.

Duties include, but may not be limited to the following:

• Project Leadership: provides operational leadership and coordination for the implementation of VA research and quality improvement projects as directed, according to the principles set forth by the Center of Innovation and study Principal Investigators. Handles project questions and problems independently in coordination with the Principal Investigator. Manages timelines and deliverables for successful completion of the projects, writes research policies, guidelines and procedures, and other documents, facilitating compliance with all regulatory and administrative requirements. Monitors the activities of all sites to maximize achievement of scientific aims of their assigned projects, including issues of accuracy of data and accrual of project participants.
• Management of Local Health Services R&D Programs: works closely with the Principal Investigators and project sites to develop and implement procedures for data collection and management, to identify information technology (IT) needs and to coordinate scientific management; identifies data access, management and storage requirements; and organizes the response to scientific (merit) review and evaluation of research programs. Monitors compliance with program requirements, conducts program assessments, and prepares reports.
• Procurement/Contracting/Fiscal Management: ensures timely execution of all study-related research contracts; manages contracts for logistics, services and personnel; coordinates the acquisition of supplies, equipment and services; originates and manages Intergovernmental Personnel Agreements (IPAs) with affiliate institutions and non-profit agencies.
• Supervision of Research Personnel: develops appropriate work plans based on broad consultation with study Principal Investigators regarding priorities and overall project needs; oversees Study/Project Coordinators, Research/Program Assistants, support staff, assisting the Principal Investigators and Co-Investigators to monitor their work and set priorities; plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets and adjusts short-term priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of work; assigns work to subordinates based on priorities, consideration of the difficulty of work and capabilities of employees. Identifies and arranges for development and training needs of staff.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm.
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: 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 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

BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT - Applicants must possess a Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree with 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS - In addition to meeting the above requirement, you must also meet one of the additional requirements as described below to qualify for this position.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE - Applicants must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the knowledge, skill and ability to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, this specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-9 grade level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: providing project management services essential to the direction and operation of a clinical/health services research program to include budget/fiscal management and oversight of staff and human resources requirements; collecting and analyzing data to ensure the effectiveness of research program operations; identifying and arranging for staff development and training; ensuring research studies are conducted in accordance with applicable guidelines and regulations; and utilizing software programs to formulate presentations, maintain and manipulate databases, and prepare reports.
OR
SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) - Successful completion of 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree with a major in a field appropriate to the work of this position that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work is qualifying at the GS-11 grade level.
OR
COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) - Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements.


You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Administration and Management
• Project Management
• Research

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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.

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; religious; 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.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. There is periodic walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as files, instructional material books, and manuals. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.


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. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

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.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category (except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher).

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.