This position is located in the Office of Research and Development (ORD), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA Central Office under the Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D) Service which is one of four components that comprise ORD. HSR&D manages a research program that spans the continuum of health care research and supports the integration of research and practice, linking the clinical aspects of patient care and organization/management needs. To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/27/2023. 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-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13. 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 education as described below: Basic Requirement: You must possess a bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree in a major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. Specialized Experience: In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-13 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: developing policies, procedures, and criteria for administration of a health research program; managing the scientific review process; managing portfolios of research projects; performing research design, data collection and analysis used in health services research; providing program management in a research setting involving multiple health research projects; making recommendations regarding appropriate assignment of research proposals to the various portfolios; identifying individuals to serve on peer review committees; evaluating research projects; and providing technical advice and guidance to managers and researchers. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communication Research Problem Solving and Analytics Project Management 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: None, this is a primarily sedentary 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/. The salary range listed on this announcement reflects the GS base rate and does not include locality pay. Upon selection, the salary will be adjusted to include the locality adjustment for the specific location. ["The goal of HSR&D is to improve the quality of health care by examining the organization, delivery, financing, and management of health care services on the quality, cost, access to, and outcome of those services. The HSR&D program is organized into 10 priority areas including research on health informatics, data science and predictive analysis, implementation of electronic health records, and implementation and outcomes of virtual care. HSR&D seeks an individual to lead the development, refinement, and implementation VA health services research portfolios in the following domains: Health informatics, big data, virtual/telehealth, and connected care. This includes cutting edge research on advanced methods to extract information from medical records; development of predictive analytics to improve clinical care and health system management; computerized decision support to improve clinical decision-making and reduce medical errors; use of technology including smart phone apps to collect and disseminate information to patients, development and testing of innovations in the design and use of health information and virtual health care modalities to improve access to and outcomes of health care for patients, improve patient safety and promote behavior change. The individual will work closely with program partners leading innovation, artificial intelligence, and electronic health record modernization, and with other Federal funders such as NIH and AHRQ on areas of common interest in research on health informatics. Duties include, but are not limited to: Advising and supporting the Director/Deputy Director of HSR&D in the planning, development, and oversight of the HSR&D Service research project portfolio. Analyzing the needs, strategic plans, and goals of HSR&D and making recommendations for new directions, initiatives, policies, and procedures. Organizing and representing HSR&D in meetings with clinical partners, VA research experts, experts from other Federal funding agencies, Veterans and other stakeholders to assess the state of the science and to update research priorities based on specific needs and capabilities of VA. Identifying and recruiting VA and non-VA scientists to serve on review committees. Conducting semi-annual scientific merit review meetings. Overseeing logistics including administrative support. Providing general advice to field investigators regarding preparation of proposals and review criteria. Evaluating HSR&D merit review projects recommended for funding and contributing to general HSR&D portfolio management. Providing technical and other expertise and assistance, based on knowledge of general HSR&D merit review programs and procedures, to other program managers and executive staff. Ensuring that funded projects are original and innovative, have broad applicability, and will advance the state of knowledge in the portfolio area(s). Providing advice to investigators in response to solicitations and/or providing guidance to funded investigators and Service Director about ongoing and completed projects, and ensuring appropriate coordination with other portfolio areas within HRS&D and R&D. Ensuring appropriate and timely completion of project/center specific annual reports, final reports, and Just in Time (JIT) requirements for newly funded projects. Serving as the primary point of contact for all programmatic and scientific issues related to proposed, planned, ongoing and completed activities in the assigned portfolio(s) including the development and dissemination of programmatic information. Initiating and participating in development, conduct, and analysis of projects to evaluate and improve aspects of assigned portfolios such as quality measurement, outcomes of care services, etc. Serving as liaison to other Federal agencies and internal VA committees in areas pertinent to his/her portfolio and/or areas of expertise. Reviewing the literature in the subject area to identify gaps in scientific knowledge in the portfolio area. Conceptualizing, developing, and writing solicitations to address gaps in portfolio area. Overseeing documentation and reporting for relevant health services research outside the VA that complement the portfolio area. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual/Remote: This is a remote position. Position Description/PD#: Health Science Officer/PD02234A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
