The employee will serve as a program specialist for program and project manager for multiple clinical study protocols within the Cardiology Section. In this position he/she will be responsible for managing all administrative aspects of the cardiac transplant program and assigned clinical studies, acting as the primary interface between the VACO Transplant Program staff or sponsoring entities and the supervising physicians/investigators.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include, but not limited to: Manages the cardiac transplant program and study budgets and assist the supervising physicians in making decisions related to the budget. Works with physicians/principal investigators, administration staff, and sponsors to submit all regulatory documents pertaining to assigned active and pending clinical programs and protocols. Documents and reports transplant program and study protocol outcomes to the appropriate regulatory entities. Oversees the record keeping for all active protocols assigned including IRB approvals and renewals, informed consent documents, research follow-up visits, correspondence, and adverse event reporting. Screens patient records to identify potential candidates for active research and clinical protocols. Contacts potential research subjects to determine their willingness and ability to participate in clinical protocols and research trials available to them. Provides counseling for informed consent and oversee the signing and filing of consent documents for study protocols and clinical procedures. Schedules patients for clinical and research visits, order required labs and tests, and follow-up on results. Performs patient follow-up visits that that do not require medical expertise and arrange for health provider back up for those visits that do require a physical assessment. Reports patient complaints and abnormal lab or test results to the physician/principal investigator or designated co-investigator. Documents study encounters according to institutional requirements. At the VA this means you will need to write a short note in the computerized medical record that will be co-signed by a supervising physician. May be asked to do any the following items pertinent to a given clinical or study protocol: administer surveys or questionnaires, make telephone contact with patients, count pills for documentation of medication compliance and coordinate study medication dispensing with the designated VA research pharmacist, process blood samples (YOU WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO PERFORM PHLEBOTOMY OR OTHER PROCEDURES REQUIRING MEDICAL TRAINING), and coordinate the storage and shipping of blood or tissue samples to collaborating or sponsoring laboratories. Assist as needed during site visits by sponsors or monitoring agencies. Attend educational programs on best clinical practices, regulatory compliance, and ethical conduct in clinical research. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm 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: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD01545O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/24/2023. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: utilizes administrative practices and procedures which may include data collection, organization utilizing various software programs; and inputting, uploading, retrieving, sorting and recording information from databases contained in internal and external computer program sources; Apply management tools and techniques (flow charts, cost/benefit analysis, graphs, spreadsheets, information systems and applications, time management) to conduct and compile analytical studies; Interpret various agency wide, VISN and local policies, procedures, guidelines and directives to fully accomplish major assignments successfully; and effectively communicate verbally and in writing with individuals of varying levels within various health care organizations concerning a wide variety of subjects.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. (NOTE: A transcript or course listing must be submitted if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Applications submitted without this information will not be considered.). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a master's degree. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementAnalysis and Problem SolvingComplianceCustomer Service 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: The employee will carry out his/her duties in the offices of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, other VA medical centers, VACO, or other relevant sites such as Stanford University. The work is sedentary. Typically, the employees may sit comfortably to perform portions of work. However, there is periodic walking, standings, bending, carrying of light items such as medical records, data forms and summaries, instructional materials, and training manuals. 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/.

Education

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Palo Alto VA Medical Center 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 US
• Name: Veronica Alvarado
• Phone: (415) 960-5758
• Email: [email protected]