Associate Chief of Staff Research

Associate Chief of Staff Research

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Fargo, North Dakota

Salary Range: $225000 - $400000 Per Year

Job Summary: This is an Open Continuous Announcement. Applications in USA Staffing will be reviewed based on the resume submitted and qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager every 2 weeks until the announcement is closed, cancelled, or position filled.

Major Duties:

• - Clinical duties assigned would involve work in the outpatient setting at the Fargo VAHCS primary care, specialty care as otherwise specified based on the unique skills of the candidate and needs of the facility. It is anticipated that the position will be approximately 80% administrative and 20% clinical but may vary depending on the needs of the service line. - The research scientist serves as a supervisory role in the Research and Development service at Fargo VA HCS. The purpose of the work is to provide expertise and leadership to the Office of Research Administration by furnishing advisory, planning, reviewing or investigative services on specific problems, project programs, and functions. The incumbent evaluates proposed or continuing research or clinical work against specified goals, objectives while providing technical and administrative advice, as well as recommendations for area of improvement. The work involves interpreting, applying guidelines, assessing program/proposal effectiveness by analyzing, resolving difficult, and complex problems. The work involves isolating and defining unknown conditions, resolving critical problems, and developing new theories. The work and service affect other experts, providers, professors, Deans of College, Vice Presidents, Chancellors of Universities that affect administrative or scientific research program missions. - The research scientist participates in the development and implementation of both long- and short-term research policies and plans for the HCS by coordination with administrative input and makes recommendations for leadership. - The research includes human subjects, animal, and all other types of research and development activities which are instrumental to VHA. Compliance with a wide variety of national, federal, and state laws and VHA regulations is necessary to achieve the defined organizational goals and objectives, and the ACOS, R&D, is responsible for assuring this oversight. - Resolving common problems, developing standard operating procedures, assisting investigators with the development of research projects and proposals, and providing advice following established criteria, goals, and objectives all fall within the scope of the duties of the ACOS, R&D. Successful completion of assignments assists in the ongoing operation of effective and efficient research projects and activities. - The research scientist serves as Research Integrity Officer. The responsibilities are to coordinate investigations of alleged research misconduct (fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in proposing, performing, or reviewing research or reporting research results). The research scientist is Principal Investigator for the following unfunded projects: Women's Health Patient Aligned Care Teams Evidence-Based Quality improvement, Stranger Harassment Feedback, Rose Sustainment (ROSES) study, Women's Health ACHIEVE Project, National Social Life, Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), Statins Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness, Hypomagnesemia and Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) use, Age, Education, and GED in Interpreting Cognitive Evaluations, The Effectiveness of Dry Needling as a Pain Management, Genomic and proteomic profiling on non-cancerous and cancerous tissues from cancer patients, and MRSA screening. - The Research Integrity Officer (RIO) will determine whether alleged activities meet the definition of research misconduct and will inspect and sequester all research records related to the allegation. The RIO will oversee inquiries and investigations, maintain files of all documents and evidence, ensuring the confidentiality and security of those files, forwarding all information to the appropriate offices or people as required by these procedures, and otherwise act as a liaison between the VA facility and Office of ORO. The RIO will maintain safeguards for the respondents and the informants. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting Work Schedule: The typical work hours are Monday to Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm. Full-time staff are required to work a minimum of 80 hrs. per pay period (every two weeks) unless on leave status.

Qualifications: Duties Continued: - The employee serves as the Research Conflict of Interest (RCIO). The responsibilities require the incumbent to evaluate actual or potential conflicts that might need to be disclosed or managed. Factual disputes could be reasonably assumed to change behavior and require a management strategy to preserve public trust, prevent undue coercion or influence on human research subjects, and examine whether a potential conflict might result in a risk to the issue and hence require additional protection. The RCIO evaluates such conflicts and makes recommendations to the IRB for managing the dispute according to established guidelines. - The primary purpose of the work is to perform complex and challenging advisory, management, assistance, and coordination functions that require interaction between many entities of the medical/scientific field and involve controversial, unconventional, or novel issues. Assignments typically require modifications of standard practices, adaptations or extensions of precedent decisions, and new approaches, methods, or techniques for a specific application. The work affects the management and operation of effective and efficient projects and activities, including the continuation of approved ongoing research programs, the initiation of new research programs, and the termination of disapproved research projects. - The position requires a mastery of the knowledge of the theories, principles, concepts, and methodologies of the health science field that are customarily acquired through education and training as a formally trained scientist from a doctoral program regarding research. The incumbent analyzes, evaluates, and provides expert advice and consultation, and methods, applications, and state-of- the-art technology in the position's program area of responsibility to provide direction and guidance on critical and complex issues to large community-based organizations, along with several states, and national research and development organizations. - The research scientist has comprehensive knowledge of resource management, fiscal management, planning, public affairs, human resources, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), personnel management, information resource management and principles, practices in scientific area to manage the organizations research program. - The research scientist uses skill in applying this knowledge to the development of new methods, approaches, or procedures in the coordination of research projects or clinical studies. The incumbent performs complex analytical studies and interprets results to coordinate the evaluation of programs/research projects and recommend improvements. Ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, to make clear, convincing presentations, explain and justify recommendations, represent the agency, and assigned program or project areas, provide guidance, advise program administrators, respond to inquiries, and prepare reports for VISN and nationals agencies and are key competencies of the position. - The incumbent serves as subject matter expert for principal investigators of the Fargo VAHCS for manuscript writing and may be called upon for assistance in experimental design or statistical analysis. - The incumbent is expected to develop or modify as needed the policies and procedures for the operation and function of the Research and Development Program, including the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP), the Animal Care and Use Program (ACUP), and all other research activities. A knowledge of state and federal laws and VA regulations is required to address these complex scientific, medical, legal, administrative, regulatory issues adequately. - The position requires expert knowledge of the principles and concepts of research and development, including strategic planning, budget preparation, public relations, grant writing, internal review, fiscal and personnel management. - The position requires expert knowledge of regulations and standards affecting the conduct of research issued by the following national organizations: VHA Office of Research Oversight (ORO), VHA Office of Research & Development (ORD), Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals from the National Research Council, the Policies and Procedures of the University of South Dakota Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Science Foundation. To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences. Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent or fee-basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

How to Apply: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. To apply for this position online complete steps 1 and 2 above by 11:59 PM (ET) on 02/26/2026 to receive consideration. Please note, this announcement may close prior to the closing date indicated if the position is filled through other means. If you are unable to apply online before the closing date click here and include the CBSY-12864119-26-JL in the Notes field. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Application Deadline: 2026-02-26