Health Science Specialist

Health Science Specialist

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Spokane, Washington

Salary Range: $74324 - $96616 Per Year

Job Summary: This position serves as Health Science Specialist - Research Study Coordinator within the Research and Development (R&D) Service at the VA Medical Center in Spokane, WA. The VA Research Program strives to promote Veteran-centered care to improve patient experiences and outcomes across VA healthcare and community settings, and to advance value-driven care by providing Veterans the highest quality care at the lowest financial burden

Major Duties:

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** The Research Study Coordinator manages clinical tests, collects data, and recruits and manages subjects for clinical trials while providing high-level technical support of projects in a comprehensive research setting. Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Manages Clinical Tests and Collects Data Collects and analyzes data, educates, and interacts with study participants and leadership Provides detailed and summary information and recommendations for further actions based on the data analysis Manages implementation, control and reporting on clinical tests Implements data collection and monitors protocols for difficult clinical research studies Administers or monitors administration of tests and measurements required by project design Records data from samples and specimens to ensure that all tracking data is organized and is monitored during the progress of the study Identifies test results and trends requiring further analysis Maintains all study and regulatory records Prepares project and statistical reports for review process Recruits and Manages Candidates for Clinical Trials Oversees, screens, and evaluates recruitment of candidates for clinical research studies via telephone and/or in person Uses objective rating techniques to identify potential candidates for participation in study where project design is complex Performs informed consent process throughout the study and continuously educates participants on study processes and procedures Performs day-to-day activities related to conducting and overseeing participant interviews and follow-up Coordinates study participant randomization to treatment, works closely with the Research Pharmacy on study drug provision Research Project Support Assists supervisor with managing the routine, day-to-day activities, and administration of the project Plans, develops, completes, and submits on time all required documentation/ paperwork/forms for initial and continuing human subject's review Analyzes processes and documentation to ensure compliance with all technical, regulatory requirements, and information safety regulations Conducts quality assurance evaluations for project data and clinical research instruments, as applicable. Establishes and monitors remediation plans to correct deficiencies Drafts detailed and summary reports for presentation at meetings and conferences and for publication in peer reviewed journals Compiles and produces educational and training materials; determines contents needed for training binders and tools Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized.

Qualifications: Basic Education Requirement: Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (external link) at the time the degree was obtained. A transcript is required at the time of application. To qualify at the GS-11 level you must one of the following minimum qualification requirements in addition to the basic education requirement above. Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of a Research Study Coordinator and provided you with knowledge of the full scope of activities required in conducting single and/or multi-site clinical research including study/project management, human subjects' protection, and regulatory and policy compliance. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Your experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit. ~OR~ Education: You may substitute the specialized experience with education if you possess a Master's or equivalent graduate degree that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this. NOTE: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: A combination of successfully completed graduate level education and specialized experience may also be used to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. NOTE: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Communications Critical Thinking Manages and Organizes Information Project Management Research IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary with occasional walking, standing, and handling and carrying items such as paper and books. There may be occasion needs to assist study participants with mobility to study location(s). Some travel will be required. The work is performed in a research setting requiring no special considerations beyond accepted standards of safety. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or during program/project and country visits. 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/.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/06/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12856656. 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 and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. 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. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. 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 https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ 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. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (512) 460-5001. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-06