Summary

The positions are located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the George E Wahlen VA Medical Center (VAMC) in the Research Department in Salt Lake City, UT. The Supervisory Program Specialist is the Associate Director of Operations (ADO) at the VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System (VASLCHCS), in the Research and Development (R&D) Department.

Duties

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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Oversees the daily operation of the unit;
• Plans the work to be accomplished by subordinates;
• Addresses problems of Research employees and provides solutions when possible or secures the advice of the Director of Research;
• Manages the initiation process for all new Research Studies;
• Provides overall administrative management for the program;
• Develops and implements local policies;
• Develops both long and short-range policies and plans for the program;
• Reviews each study protocol and working with the Research team to evaluate feasibility of study at the local site;
• Serves on various strategic planning committees and management on-site meetings with other program officials;
• Sets and adjusts priorities and prepares the schedule for completion of work;
• Assigns the work to subordinates based on priorities difficulty and requirements of the assignment and the capabilities of employee insures agency policies and priorities are being followed develops performance standards; and evaluates work performance of subordinates gives advice, counsel, and instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters resolves minor complaints from employees refers group grievances and more serious unresolved complaints to the Director of Research Operations and the Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development (ACOS/R) and Employee Relations / Labor Relations (ER/LR) effects minor disciplinary measures such as warnings and reprimands, and recommends action in more serious cases;
• Interviews candidates for positions in the unit; recommends appointments, promotions and reassignments to unit positions;
• Identifies and provides for training needs; and finds ways to improve production or increase the quality of work within the area of authority;
• Reviews, edits or creates position descriptions (PDs) in compliance with VHA policy and programmatic needs;
• Carries out Equal Employment Opportunity polices and program activities;
• Develops educational guidelines for new and experienced coordinators working in different VA Studies.
• Provides training, expert advice and novel approaches to research personnel in considerably broad and complex techniques for facilitating research projects;
• Ensuring organizational policies and procedures are followed;
• Oversees all ongoing studies within the Research unit by: assuring quality and timely data collection, protocol deviation/violation reporting, adverse event (AE) reporting, and endpoint reporting.
• Performs other duties assigned.

Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday through Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

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

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
• 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

GS-13 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Possess at least one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skill, and ability to successfully perform the duties of this position, and that is typically related to the work of the position. This specialized experience must have been equivalent to the next lower grade level in the Federal service (GS-12). Specialized experience is defined as advanced knowledge of supervisory duties, managing and organizing research personnel (a) support the organization's clinical research program, and (b) develop limited policies, procedures, and criteria for the administration of the health science research program as it pertains to quality assurance; advanced knowledge in Good Clinical Practices (GCP), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) guidelines applicable to human subjects' research; and experience with clinical trial protocol development, data management that includes data collection and data cleaning, data analysis, and report writing. NOTE: Your experience must be fully documented in your resume and must include job title; duties; month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week.

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary with occasional walking, standing, and handling and carrying items such as paper and books. Manual dexterity is required for operating office equipment. Typing and computer operation may involve long periods of hand and wrist movement.

The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, libraries, and residences or commercial vehicles. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated.

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/.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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

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.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

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.

Review our benefits

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.