The goal of HSR&D is to improve the quality of health care for veterans 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 core strategic methodological priority areas including data science, implementation science, evaluation and policy analysis, systems science, and engagement science.

Duties

HSRD seeks individuals to lead the development, refinement, and implementation of VA health systems research portfolios with a particular focus in the following domains: Health informatics encompasses big data, virtual/telehealth, and connected care including cutting edge research on advanced methods to extract information from medical records and other data sources; 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. Aging and long-term care encompasses research on care models for older Veterans especially those in non-institutional settings such as Medical Foster Homes, Residential Care Programs, and other community facilities (e.g., adult homes, assisted living facilities), and whether enhanced care can allow more Veterans to stay home as they age. Specific research areas include technology use, variance of care across VHA settings, coordinating clinical consultation across multiple sites, specialty care, durable medical equipment, prosthetic care, and customizing Veteran homes to facilitate activities of daily living. Hospice and palliative care are important areas of research as well as caregiver, long-term care, and non-institutional care for Veterans. Science of Veteran, provider, and operational partner engagement encompasses research on systematic incorporation of end-user input across multiple interested parties (e.g., Veterans, including their families and caregivers, frontline providers, clinical managers and other employees, leaders, policymakers, and community members) to inform all stages of research from inception to dissemination and sustainment. Research examines strategies that optimize Veteran and community engagement to improve Veteran outcomes and Quintuple Aim goals. Research studies seek to develop, test and scale novel strategies to optimize engagement of Veterans, caregivers/families, providers, communities, and other interested parties in the research process, incorporating Veteran-centered outcome and lived experience data. Workforce and nursing research encompass studies that assess impacts of health care workforce programs especially those focusing on impacts of workforce capacity and policies on Veteran outcomes. Research areas include novel approaches to develop clinical, organizational, and leadership capacity among frontline staff and clinical managers. HSRD conducts foundational research on evaluation of initiatives launched by VA including burnout prevention programs and policies. Research also focuses on interventional studies of workforce well-being and outcomes (e.g., maximizing employee autonomy; improving working relationships; addressing resources and reducing workload; improving administration, leadership, and management support). Specific duties include analyzing the needs, strategic plans, and goals of HSRD and making recommendations for new directions and initiatives; conducting semi-annual scientific merit review meetings; identifying and recruiting VA and non-VA scientists to serve on review committees; evaluating HSRD merit reviewed projects recommended for funding and contributing to HSRD portfolio management; and providing technical and other expertise based on knowledge of HSRD merit review programs and procedures, to colleagues and executive staff. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available Virtual/Remote: This is a NOT remote position. Position Description/PD#: Health Science Officer/PD053650 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): 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, 12/18/2023. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): 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. **All Applicants must provide a transcript at time of application. Any applicant that does not provide the transcript or meet the basic education requirement will not be considered further for this position. 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-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: 1) Developing policies, procedures, and criteria for administration of a health research program 2) Managing the scientific review process 3) Managing portfolios of research projects; performing research design, data collection and analysis used in health services research 4) Providing program management in a research setting involving multiple health research projects 5) Making recommendations regarding appropriate assignment of research proposals to the various portfolios 6) identifying individuals to serve on peer review committees 7) Evaluating research projects 8) Providing technical advice and guidance to managers and researchers You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analysis and Problem SolvingCommunicationsProblem SolvingProject ManagementResearch 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/.

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 VSHO - Discovery, Education and Affiliate Networks 2402 Wildwood Ave Suite 301 Sherwood, AR 72120 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]