Program Specialist

Summary

This position is located at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the Research Service, Administrative Office. The employee serves as a central point of contact for all research investigators at the facility, providing authoritative explanation of submissions of protocols and the required forms for the Subcommittee on Animal Studies (SAS) and the Subcommittee on Research Safety (SRS), administrative functions and coordinates submission/revisions with Committees.

Duties

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Duties will include, but may not be limited to the following: Maintains daily operational procedures for the efficient processing of research proposals involving the use of animal subjects and the use of hazardous biological or chemicals in medical research. Functions include proper and effective receipt, logging, outing, tracking, inquiry, evaluation, review, action and response regarding research submissions and related business. S/he reviews annual continuation requests for accuracy and completeness, processes administrative approvals for protocols when appropriate, and assists the subcommittees in decision-making. S/he coordinates the unexpected/incident reporting process, the semi- annual inspections and will be responsible for writing subcommittee internal and external reports. Importantly, the candidate will provide a communication link between the SAS and SRS to ensure timely and complementary submission and review of related protocols. This individual is the institutional expert on regulatory requirements regarding animal use and care and is expected to provide advice and guidance regarding regulatory and policy requirements in conducting the animal care and use program. Performs pre-committee analysis of research ACORP and Safety Survey forms, including identifying problems and issues in the forms, contacting the investigator and requesting additions or corrections to the forms to the most complete level possible before submission for committee review. Analyzes and interprets government regulations, agency policies and handbooks and other guidance documents in the areas of research animal use and welfare and the safety of personnel engaged in research. Applies extensive knowledge of regulations, policies and guidelines to review and analyze completed research submissions in order to determine the most expeditious processing mechanism for the application. Attends SAS and SRS meeting(s) and writes detailed meeting summaries regarding ethical and animal welfare issues analyzed by committee and documents the final determinations of the subcommittees. Oversees committee-meeting schedules to ensure the presence of a quorum. Develops meeting agendas and maintains confidentiality of committee records. Assists in the development and delivery of training programs for investigators and staff, and the preparation SAS and SRS reports and documentation requested by local administration. Acts as a liaison between investigators and the committee to facilitate the most expeditious, accurate and complete responses from the committee. Coordinates with the Radiation Safety Committee, Biosafety Subcommittee, IACUC at other institutions, etc., in order to verify the approval status of animal studies research proposals and obtain information vital for committee review. Exercises judgment in support of the review process, while adhering to regulations, so that the continuity of research activities or the submission of approvals to funding agencies is assured. Assists investigators in the preparation of their applications and in responding to the concerns of the committee. Secures accurate information for investigators who call with inquiries about their research proposals. Assists in negotiating compromises between the committee and investigators in accordance with regulations, mandates of the committee, and the needs of the investigators. Assists, coordinates, compiles, and organizes the application for institutional animal research accreditation process (AAALAC, ORO). Assists Research Service staff, when needed, with the daily functions of the administrative office. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Telework: This position may be authorized for telework as determined by agency policy.

Qualifications

To qualify for this Program Specialist GS-9 grade level, applicant(s) must meet at least one of the following minimum qualification requirements. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Requires one full year of specialized experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-7) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes maintaining daily operational procedures for the efficient processing of research proposals involving the use of animal subjects and the use of hazardous biological or chemicals in medical research; applying extensive knowledge of regulations, policies, and guidelines to review and analyze completed research submissions in order to determine the most expeditious processing mechanism for the applications; assisting, coordinating, compiling, and organizing the application for institutional animal research accreditation process (AAALAC, ORO); management of complex information regulations which ensures the compliance of all research investigators in order to obtain approval through various committees of all research and development; experience working in an environment of scientific discipline of animal research, including its methods and procedures; maintaining a sophisticated computer database (HELIX) with large amounts of data which must be accessible for continuing review and compliance review activities; experience with computer procedures and applications, including word processing, spreadsheets, and databases. -OR- SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Successfully completed a master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. -OR- COMBINATION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED): Equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate education (in excess of one year) and specialized experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. 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/.

Requirements

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) - 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.

Education

IMPORTANT: 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/.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online assessment and submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13055553. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date, 09/11/2026. After submitting the online application, you will be notified whether or not you are required to take additional online assessments through the USA Hire Competency Based Assessment system. This message will be delivered to you via email notification. The email may be routed to your "Spam" or "Junk" folder. IMPORTANT: If you are asked to take the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be presented with a unique URL to access the USA Hire system. Access to USA Hire is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Be sure to review all instructions prior to beginning your USA Hire Assessments. Click here for Computer System Requirements. Set aside at least 3 hours to take the USA Hire assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue at a later time, you can re-use the URL sent to you via email and also found in your USAJOBS account under the "Track my application" link for the corresponding application. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To view the announcement status or your application status: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.