Program Specialist - Research Administration

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; West Haven (CT); On-site; USD 65,000 - 93,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Ad-hoc telework

On-site position

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, seeks a professional to assist the Supervisory Administrative Officer in managing administrative and operational functions of the Research Service.

The role involves coordinating IPA agreements, onboarding contractors, and producing management reports to support research operations. The position emphasizes maintaining databases, ensuring funding availability, and providing training and guidance to staff across

Qualifications

• One year of specialized experience managing administrative functions of a research program.
• Experience managing personnel agreements and contracted appointments for compliance.
• Experience creating and maintaining databases and systems.
• Ability to prepare management reports.
• Education substitution options include Ph.D. or advanced graduate education.

Responsibilities

• Manage IPA and contracted personnel appointments as directed by the AO.
• Coordinate with affiliate universities to collect IPA documents.
• Verify funding availability for IPA agreements.
• Oversee new employee orientation for non-VA paid employees.
• Onboard contractors via approved methods.
• Produce and distribute management reports from multiple sources.
• Maintain SharePoint sites with newsletters, SOPs, and memos.
• Coordinate department events such as research seminars and VA Research Week.

Skills

Database management

Project coordination

Documentation

Communications

Training

Education

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

Tools

SharePoint

HRIS

Databases

Job description

Summary

Employee will be assigned to Research Service - VA Connecticut Healthcare System - West Haven - CT under the direction of the Supervisory Administrative Officer (AO). The purpose of this position is to work with the AO to manage the administrative and operational functions of the Research Service at VA Connecticut Healthcare System (VACHS).

Qualifications

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience that equipped them with the particular knowledge - skills - and abilities to perform successfully the duties of this position - and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable - this experience must have been equivalent to at least the GS-9 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes: managing the administrative functions of a research program/project; managing personnel agreements and contracted appointments to ensure compliance; creating and maintaining databases and systems; preparing communications to enhance employee engagement; identifying and analyzing issues to develop recommendations; and preparing management reports. OR SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (Transcript Required) - Applicants must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M. - if related. This education must demonstrate the knowledge - skills - and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (Transcript Required) - Combination of successfully completed graduate education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary - although some slight physical effort may be required. The work is typically performed in an office setting. 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/.

Duties

• ***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION - YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Manages Without Compensation (WOC) - Interagency Personnel Agreements (IPA) - and Contracted Personnel appointments at the direction of the AO
• Reviews the work of program support specialists who prepare non-VA paid appointment documentation for accuracy and completeness before submission to HR for processing
• Coordinates with affiliate universities to collect and ensure accuracy of VA IPA documents as needed
• This includes new - extension - modification - and termination actions
• Verifies availability of funding for IPA agreements at the direction of the AO
• Directs Research Service new employee orientation for non-VA paid employees
• Onboards contractors through the appropriate approved methods at the direction of the AO
• Produces management reports from various sources - analyzes and distributes findings to research and medical center officials
• and produces reports from existing databases
• Creates and implements methods for administrative data retrieval and assessment
• Provides training and troubleshooting for staff in administrative and business processes
• Analyzes databases and systems for consistency - errors - and patterns
• and verifies that administrative data confers to the quality requirements
• Maintains a comprehensive tracking system for all VA appointed personnel
• Analyzes management methods to enhance organizational effectiveness - implements improvements in administration based on internal reviews - and collaborates with management to resolve issues and recommend solutions for overall departmental improvement
• Oversees the development - coordination and tracking of various agreements with research personnel - internal departments - affiliated academic institutions - with the affiliated research non-profit - and with pharmaceutical companies
• Ensures all records are maintained and destroyed in accordance with policies
• Writes - edits - and distributes newsletters and other materials to inform and engage audiences
• Maintains and updates SharePoint sites with newsletters - standard operating procedures (SOPs) - and operational memos for easy access by the research community
• Assists in the coordination of events for the department such as research seminars - research town halls - and the national annual VA Research Week event
• Performs other related duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm
• Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-hoc telework
• Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.