Job Summary

This position is located in the Office of Education and Research at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center (WPBVAMC), a multi-mission healthcare system focused on patient care, teaching, and research. The Program Specialist is responsible for planning, developing and directing the complex administrative activities of medical research program. The administrative function impacts every phase of the research activity.

Job Description

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/03/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Developing or monitoring the development of clinical research proposals to meet regulatory guidelines. Analyzing the economic impact, feasibility, practicality, and effectiveness of existing and/or proposed clinical research projects. Assist investigators with administrative and research tasks as needed. Identifying defects or weaknesses in the clinical research program. Develop and implement corrective actions. Familiarity of VA research regulations, standards, and guidelines. Working knowledge of the online research platform IRB.net. Identifying and assessing Government (Federal, State, and local) and Industry research funding resources (grants/awards) to assist investigators at the facility with applications and budget management. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have: Master's degree in economics, statistics, mathematics, applied sciences, law, or other fields related to the position is qualifying for GS-11 research positions. Total undergraduate and graduate study must have included at least 9 semester hours in mathematics and statistics and 9 semester hours in economics. Degree work must have included independent study or research in regulatory impact. Theory courses, without independent study or research, are not sufficient to demonstrate ability to per-form at the GS-11 level.. Preferred Experience: Experience working with VA non-profit research foundation. Administrative management of research protocols in the VA System, including Cooperative Studies Program, Industry funded research, muti-site research and investigator-initiated research. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Oral Communication: Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately. Customer Service: Knowledge of the scientific principles, methods, and processes used to conduct a systematic and objective inquiry; including study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and the reporting of results. Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals. Writing: Recognizes or uses correct English grammar, punctuation, and spelling; communicates information (for example, facts, ideas, or messages) in a brief, clear, and organized manner; produces written information, which may include technical material, that is appropriate for the intended audience. 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. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, but requires some bending, stooping, and walking. There is extensive use of a computer. The position requires some travel, both local and national, to attend professional meetings and trainings. 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/.