Health System Specialist

Veterans Health Administration•Ann Arbor, MI

20d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position is in the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center’s Research and Development Service in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The specialist manages regulatory committees and provides subject matter expertise on regulations and research compliance, along with high-level analytical and procedural support for the VA Research Program. The role supports research committees and investigators across human-subject protection, animal care, and biosafety. It includes managing research project tracking systems and databases, developing quality assurance and monitoring programs, delivering regulatory training, and investigating adverse quality trends or serious and continuing non-compliance. The specialist also applies federal and VA regulatory frameworks to protocol reviews, tracks submissions through the review lifecycle, identifies routine compliance discrepancies, and escalates unresolved issues for guidance. The position is scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ad-hoc telework is authorized at the supervisor’s discretion; the position is not virtual. The work is primarily sedentary, with some slight physical effort potentially required. A one-year probationary period is required. The position is in the excepted service, Schedule Policy/Career, and may be promoted to the full performance level when applicable requirements are met; selection at a lower grade does not guarantee promotion.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen.
Selective Service registration is required for males born after December 31, 1959.
Meet the Individual Occupational Requirement through qualifying undergraduate or graduate education in hospital administration, public health administration, or a related field such as business or public administration with coursework in health care administration; qualifying specialized experience in the health care field; or, for in-service placement, an eligible agency-sponsored on-the-job training program.
For GS-09, have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-07, including relevant experience applying regulatory frameworks to protocol review and committee support, analyzing research submissions for compliance under general supervision, or assisting with federal-wide assurances and program registrations.
For GS-11, have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-09, including relevant experience serving as a regulatory subject-matter expert, independently evaluating research projects across committees, managing assurances and registrations, managing committee review calendars and protocol lifecycles, and resolving compliance issues.
Current or former federal employees subject to time-in-grade requirements must meet the applicable requirement by the announcement closing date: 52 weeks at GS-07 for GS-09 consideration or 52 weeks at GS-09 for GS-11 consideration.
Applicants qualifying through education must submit a transcript; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency.
Complete the required background/security investigation and online onboarding process, including acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements.
Serve a one-year probationary period.
Competencies include attention to detail, customer service, decision making, flexibility, integrity/honesty, interpersonal skills, learning, reading comprehension, reasoning, self-management, stress tolerance, and teamwork.

Responsibilities

Resolve complex or first-time technical questions from investigators, committee chairs, and external regulatory bodies on human-subject protection, animal care, and biosafety policy.
Design, refine, and oversee tracking systems and databases for the research program’s project portfolio, and recommend improvements to leadership.
Design and implement quality assurance programs for the research committee structure.
Design monitoring activities and measurable improvement plans, evaluate outcomes, and implement corrective measures.
Design and deliver training for committee chairs, members, and investigators on evolving federal and VA regulatory requirements.
Represent the facility in external regulatory and accreditation interactions.
Investigate and analyze adverse quality trends or serious and continuing non-compliance, determine root causes, and direct corrective action across committees.
Apply relevant federal and VA regulatory frameworks to routine protocol review and committee support tasks.
Track protocol review status from submission through continuing review and amendments, and flag delays to the supervisor as needed.
Identify routine compliance discrepancies in investigator submissions, communicate required corrections, and escalate unresolved or disputed issues for guidance.