Research Health Science Specialist

Description:

This position is located within the Office of the Associate Chief of Staff for Research. The incumbent is responsible for the management of the animal research program and the management of scientific equipment and purchasing for the Phoenix VA Healthcare System, including administration planning and oversight of all research protection matters related to the care and use of animal research and general use and maintenance of planning for an oversight of our research equipment and purchasing.

Requirements:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/19/2025.

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-09. 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: Designs, oversees, implements, and or participates in scientific research studies including the development, supervision and performing of experiments, surveys, investigations, or projects, to develop information in such areas as disease prevention, pathology, pathophysiology, etiology, treatment, and control; Oversees the development implementation and record maintenance of a dynamic comprehensive educational program for research personnel conducting research involving animals; Serves as the primary person concerning animal research compliance matters; and Oversees the use, maintenance records, inventories and purchasing of Scientific Research Equipment.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have have master's or equivalent graduate degree in a field related to the work that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Copies of transcripts are required at the time of application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

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 graduate-level education (beyond the second year) and specialized experience, as described above, which meet the total experience requirements for this grade level. The education portion must have provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position (as described above).

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Communications
• Critical Thinking
• Manages and Organizes Information
• Project Management
• Research

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.

Note : 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.

Physical Requirements: Work is active, involving constant interaction with other laboratory personnel and investigators in the conduct of the research. There may occasionally· be long hours and repetitive motions. There is also a substantial component of sedentary work in data collection, analyses and writing of manuscripts. Travel to scientific conferences may be expected.

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/ .