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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 1/2/2030). 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 are not limited to the following:

Federal Regulations Application Review and Support 25%
The employee maintains up-to-date knowledge of federal regulations regarding research involving human subjects. This will involve attending and representing the Medical Center on national conference calls or national meetings of AAHRPP {Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program), FDA, and at local area IRB coordinator meetings to maintain contact with field coordinators.

Human Subjects Protection Study Consultation 25%
The employee pre-reviews new studies for content and completeness following local, AAHRPP, Office of Research Oversight (ORO), VHA Handbooks, and FDA requirements before forwarding them to the IRB Committee.

Institutional Review Board Committee Oversight 25%
The employee ensures that all I RB actions and procedures are within the scope of applicable VA, AAHRPP, and FDA regulations, as needed. The employee continually provides updates to the board regarding the ever changing and evolving regulations, as well as noteworthy news items pertaining to Human Studies.

IRB Training and Education 15%
The employee is the primary trainer for new members of the IRB concerning the policies, procedures and responsibilities of the IRB, including Data Use Agreements, Data Transfer Agreements and Privacy concerns.

Protocol Management & Oversight 10%
The employee will review protocols as they are received in the IRB office for completeness and appropriateness of content. The IRB office maintains complete folders for all protocols.

Work Schedule: Full-Time, Monday - Friday - 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

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

To apply for this position, you must have the following qualifications:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Must have 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. Note: You must provide a copy of your transcripts to receive consideration.

AND

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically related to the work of the position. Specialized experience includes serving as an Institutional Review Board Coordinator (IRB) providing a variety of support services for active Research Investigators as the primary procedural, administrative and expert resource for the (IRB).

OR

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE: Two (2) years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree with a major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. Note: You must provide a copy of your transcripts to receive consideration.

OR

COMBINATION OF BOTH EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience (as stated above) may be used to meet total experience requirements. Only graduate level education in excess of 1 year may be combined with experience. Note: You must provide a copy of your transcripts to receive consideration.

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

• Compliance Inspection
• 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. Some work may require periods of walking, standing and bending; frequent carrying of light objects such as books, instruments, and other similar materials.

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.