Summary

This position is located at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center and is organizationally aligned within the Medicine Department. The primary purpose of this position is to manage the multidisciplinary Cancer Clinical Trials Program, guide and direct day-to-day activities, establish, implement and continually refine operational standards, while monitoring program qualify and progress to ensure the compliant, efficient, and effective conduct of all clinical trials within the portfolio.

Duties

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Major Duties:

• Responsible for the oversight and execution of all assigned clinical trials
• Direct all phases of clinical trial operations, including feasibility, start-up, conduct, and closeout
• Lead trial feasibility assessments for proposed studies in coordination the study PI and involved multidisciplinary providers and ancillary services (e/g/, pharmacy, laboratory, registry)
• Coordinate sponsor interactions, including Site Initiation Visits (SIVs) and ongoing communications
• Ensure timely preparation, submission, and maintenance of regulatory documentation in compliance with VA, federal, and sponsor requirements
• Develop, manage, and monitor study budgets, timeliness, and resource utilization
• Assign and coordinate research staff roles to ensure effective trial execution
• Oversee participant recruitment, screening, enrollment, and retention process
• Monitor study conduct to ensure adherence to protocols, Good Clinical Practice (GCP), and regulatory standards
• Responsible for strategic and operational oversight of the clinical research program supporting multiple trials, sponsors, and departments
• Coordinate and lead multidisciplinary research meetings; develop agendas, document minutes, and track action terms
• Represent the VA research program in local, regional, and national forums, including sponsor and academic affiliate engagements
• Oversee program performance, including timelines, budges, accrual, and compliance across all studies
• Performs other various related duties as directed

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist - Cancer Clinical Trials Program Manager/PD253200

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
• 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 identification 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, 07/20/2026.

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: applying Federal, State and VA laws, rules, agency missions, policies, and objective, management principles and processes and the analytical and evaluative methods for assessing program development and execution relative to compliance and the conduct of investigative studies involving human subjects, research safety and security, and research information security; including but not limited to FDA, USDA, Department of Health and Humans Services, Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP), Office of Research Oversight (ORO), Public Health Service (PHS), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and current accreditation agencies.; Administrative, Uses administrative, program, and ethical principles, concepts, laws, regulations, policies, and objectives governing the review and approval of human subject research; Uses MS Word, Outlook, Access, and Excel for word processing, communications, data management and data storage - MS PowerPoint, Adobe Pro, and other presentational and graphical programs for training and presentation purposes. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Master's degree in economics, statistics, mathematics, applied sciences, law, or other fields related to the position. Total undergraduate and graduate study must have included at least 9 semester hours in mathematics and statistics and 9 semester hours in economics. (Transcripts must be provided)..OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a Bachelor's Degree related to the position.

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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career 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/.

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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.

Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.