Health System Specialist - Research Committee Manager

Veterans Health Administration • Palo Alto, CA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as Health System Specialist - Research Committee Manager within the Research and Development (R&D) Service in Palo Alto, California. 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. The Research Committee Manager provides a link between Veterans and innovative research projects and manages the administration, quality, compliance, and operations of research programs and committees. The position is not virtual; the employee must live within or be willing to relocate within commuting distance of the duty location. The work is primarily sedentary and is typically performed in a lighted, climate-controlled office. The schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework may be authorized, with eligibility discussed during the interview process.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Meet the GS-11 qualification requirements through one of the stated pathways: at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9; qualifying doctoral or graduate education; or an equivalent combination of qualifying education and experience.
• Specialized experience must be analytical, administrative, clinical management, or supervisory experience in the healthcare field and must provide relevant knowledge of research activities and regulatory and policy compliance, including human-subject protection, biosafety, IRBs, IACUCs, and R&D committees.
• Specialized experience must include a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, with knowledge of healthcare delivery systems, regulatory and credentialing standards, government-wide/agency/facility administrative systems, and cognitive engineering, human factors engineering, human-computer interaction, or related fields.
• For the education pathway, qualifying education includes a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with healthcare administration coursework.
• For the combination pathway, qualifying graduate education beyond the second year must be combined with specialized experience and include relevant coursework; transcripts must be submitted when education is used for qualification.
• Complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
• Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Complete a background/security investigation and the online onboarding process, and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Serve a one-year probationary period.
• The position is not virtual; live within or be willing to relocate within commuting distance of the duty location.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage the administration and activities of R&D, IRB, IACUC, SRS, CIRB, IBC, and/or HRPP programs.
• Prepare committee and reviewer materials with appropriate documentation, ensure projects are reviewed by appropriate personnel, and resolve outstanding project-management issues in a timely manner.
• Advise R&D leadership, investigators, committee members, committee chairs, and others on institutional research activities involving humans, animals, and research safety procedures.
• Serve as the accreditation Facility Liaison.
• Oversee protocol review across multiple programs and committees, including reviews by the Information System and Security Officer and Privacy Officer.
• Develop and maintain a pre-review program aligned with committee review of research involving human subjects, animals, basic laboratory science, and the human research protection program.
• Develop and manage required annual and semi-annual reviews of assigned programs.
• Stay informed about research security and safety guidelines and advise Research and Safety leadership as needed.
• Educate the investigative community about local and external policies and procedures for research involving animal and human subjects.
• Develop reporting procedures, sampling techniques, and measurements to identify problem areas or weaknesses in research committee processes, procedures, information systems, and content.
• Maintain the federal-wide assurance with the Office of Human Research Protection and ensure IRBs are appropriately constituted and registered.
• Maintain IBC registration with the NIH Office of Science Policy and ensure the IBC is appropriately constituted and registered.
• Maintain the program's AAALAC accreditation process.
• Analyze and evaluate research projects for compliance with applicable federal and state regulations and other regulatory and procedural requirements, including VA, FDA, OHRP, and ORO requirements.
• Develop programs, policies, and procedures within the Research Office.
• Monitor quality assurance implementation and indicators to prevent erroneous transactions and ineffective work practices and verify adherence to quality assurance plans and requirements.
• Notify investigators of submission deficiencies and explain the steps needed to correct them.
• Prepare for external reviews.
• Research and analyze problems, administrative issues, or program requirements related to animal, human-subject, or safety research and the research review process.
• Initiate or review research correspondence.
• Oversee and refine customized, networked computerized databases for timely tracking of research projects.
• Serve as the electronic records system administrator for the Research Office.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package.
• Prior work or military service may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, subject to request and approval before appointment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree