Health Science Specialist

Veterans Health Administration • Kansas City, MO

19h • Onsite

About The Position

The VA Research Program promotes Veteran-centered care to improve patient experiences and outcomes across VA healthcare and community settings, and advances value-driven care by providing Veterans high-quality care at the lowest financial burden. Research Program Managers connect Veterans with innovative projects. This position supports the Office of Research and Development and facilities where research programs are conducted.

The Health Science Specialist advises R&D leadership, research investigators, committee members, and committee Chairs. The specialist serves as the facility accreditation liaison and oversees protocol review across multiple programs and committees. The role develops and maintains pre-review processes for research involving human or animal subjects, basic laboratory science, and the human research protection program, as well as required annual and semi-annual reviews. The specialist ensures human-subject research complies with applicable Federal, State, and VA regulations and guidelines; maintains quality and compliance; develops Research Office programs, policies, and procedures; analyzes research-related problems and administrative or program requirements; and designs training programs and organizational strategies.

The position is not virtual and has a Monday–Friday schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is permanent, with no relocation or recruitment incentives and no permanent change of station authorized. The selectee may be promoted to the full-performance level without further competition when regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met; selection at a lower grade does not guarantee promotion.

Requirements

• Meet the Individual Occupational Requirement for the Health System Administration, 0671 series: an undergraduate or graduate degree majoring in hospital administration, public health administration, or a related field such as business or public administration with healthcare-administration coursework; or progressively responsible analytical, administrative, clinical-management, or supervisory experience in healthcare meeting the stated scope and knowledge requirements.
• For GS-9, in addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7; or a qualifying master's or equivalent degree, two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or a related LL.B. or J.D.; or a qualifying combination of education and experience.
• GS-9 specialized experience examples include maintaining complex databases and spreadsheets, assisting investigators with research projects, training and guiding research staff on policies and procedures, managing screening and evaluation of clinical-study candidates, and administering clinical tests.
• For GS-11, in addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement, one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9; or a qualifying Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. with related coursework; or a qualifying combination of education and experience.
• GS-11 specialized experience examples include administering and evaluating healthcare research programs and operations; developing, implementing, and monitoring policies, procedures, and performance measures; ensuring compliance with VA, Federal, research, and accreditation requirements; analyzing program data and quality measures to recommend improvements; and providing administrative oversight of resources, personnel, budgets, contracts, or program operations.
• Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the announcement closing date of 10/29/2026.
• Current or former Federal employees subject to time-in-grade requirements must have 52 weeks at GS-7 for GS-9 consideration or 52 weeks at GS-9 for GS-11 consideration, as applicable, and submit supporting SF-50 documentation.
• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Subject to a background and suitability investigation.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A complete application package, including resume and applicable transcripts, is required.
• Selected applicants must complete online onboarding and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• A one-year probationary period is required.
• Transcripts must be submitted when education is used to meet qualification requirements; qualifying education must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with the transcript.

Responsibilities

• Advise R&D leadership, research investigators, research committee members, and committee Chairs.
• Serve as the facility accreditation liaison.
• Oversee protocol review processes for multiple programs and committees.
• Develop and maintain pre-review programs aligned with review by the IRB, IACUC, SRS, IBC, CIRB, and/or R&D Committee for research involving human subjects, animal subjects, basic laboratory science, and the human research protection program.
• Develop and manage required annual and semi-annual reviews.
• Ensure human-subject research is reviewed, approved, and conducted in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and VA regulations and guidelines.
• Maintain research quality and compliance.
• Develop programs, policies, and procedures within the Research Office.
• Research and analyze problems, administrative issues, and program requirements related to animal, human-subject, or safety research and the research review process.
• Design training programs and organizational strategies.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and should be confirmed with the hiring agency.
• Newly appointed Federal employees may request credit for job-related non-Federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service to determine annual leave accrual; approval is not guaranteed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level