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Technology Transfer Specialist

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Office of Research and Development (ORD)

Summary

The position is located at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in the Office of the Associate Chief of Staff for Research, who is responsible for managing and directing the research business operations in the VAMC in accordance with VHA Directive 1200.02(1). In addition to working with the Office of the Associate Chief of Staff for Research, the specialist will work closely with the Technology Transfer Program (TTP), Office of Research and Development.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
05/21/2026 to 05/28/2026
Salary
$106,437 - $138,370 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Charleston, SC
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Term - Term appointment not to exceed 4 years
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
CARX-FY26-12950796-26-BM
Control number
870189300

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Duties

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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.

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.

Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday, 8:00 am-4:30 pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Technology Transfer Specialist/PD104690
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

The Technology Transfer Specialist will initially serve in a developmental assignment to allow the individual to gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the full range of duties described in the target position description. Major duties include but are not limited to:

  • Develops, proposes, and implements innovative business and commercial development strategies for licensing and partnerships of technology and inventions made by VA employees.
  • Coaches and guides VA employees to identify potentially patentable inventions.
  • Develops and implements business strategies for the licensing of patents, including identifying prospective licensees, the valuation of patents, the development of business terms, and the negotiation of patent licenses.
  • Provides advice, guidance, and assistance to ORD on such things as the development and management of intellectual property; registration and management of patents, terms and negotiation of licensing and collaborative agreements, management and administration of royalties; transfer of research materials and other related matters.
  • Serves as the focal point within ORD for the implementation of pertinent legislation, rules, and regulations, and the administration of activities relating to collaborative agreements, inventions, patents, royalties, and associated matters.
  • Proposes and assists in the development of Technology Transfer Program (TTP) policy and prepares and disseminates operating procedures and guidelines for VHA staff on matters related to the areas of responsibility assigned to TTP;
  • Reviews and analyzes collaborative agreements to ensure that they are following applicable ORD, VHA, and VA policy and procedures, and federal laws.
  • Prepares or coordinates the preparation of regular and special reports on matters falling within the purview of TTP, including an annual report to Congress.
  • Serves as liaison with individuals, committees, and organizations within and outside federal government interested or involved in matters relating to TTP. In addition to the Ralph H. Johnson Health Care System, Charleston, SC, the incumbent will be responsible for providing technology transfer support for the Columbia VA Health Care System, South Carolina.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • 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 involves mostly office posture, entailing long periods of sitting in one position, intense concentration, and job-related pressure to meet critical legal deadlines. The position's work, while primarily sedentary, requires some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of items such as papers, books, and files, but normally places few physical demands on the incumbent. The position also includes the occasionally physical ability to meet with scientists and other staff, including travel to and from VA medical center and prospective licensees.
  • 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, 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, 05/28/2026.

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. 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 as described below:

  • 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: Serving as negotiator on matters relating to licensing VA patents; negotiate business terms, including financial terms (royalties), and discusses the license agreement's language with an interested party, and work closely with VA OGC to execute agreements; Developing and implementing business strategies for the licensing of patents, including identifying prospective licensees, the valuation of patents, the development of business terms, and the negotiation of patent licenses; and Proposing and assisting in the development of TTP policy and prepares and disseminates operating procedures and guidelines for VHA staff on matters related to the areas of responsibility assigned to TTP.

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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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/.

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.


This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

TheCareer Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Attention to Detail
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Teamwork
  • Negotiation
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Written Communication
  • Planning & Evaluating

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

Agency contact information

VHA National Recruitment Center
Phone
(844)456-5208
Email
VHANationalRecruitmentCenter@va.gov
Address
Charleston ORD VISN 7
109 Bee Street
Charleston, SC 29401
US

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