The staff position is in the Women's Health Sciences Division (WHSD), National Center for PTSD, at the Jamaica Plain campus of the VA Boston Healthcare System. The Deputy Director will manage day-to-day operations of the Division including direct supervision for all Division staff including clinical psychologists, research health scientists, postdoctoral fellows, administrative staff, and research technicians.

Duties

The Deputy Director shares fully the duties and responsibilities and acts under the authority of the Director with respect to operations of the WHSD. They are subject only to organizational, administrative and policy direction concerning work priorities and objectives within the WHSD. This assignment exceeds the full performance level of a staff psychologist at the GS13 level due to the duties which are national in scope, of substantial difficulty and complexity and have a significant impact on VHA policies and programs. Additionally, the duties of this position require significant research productivity and leadership skills. RESEARCH AND PROGRAM EVALUATIONS The incumbent will serve as a Principal Investigator in the WHSD of the National Center for PTSD- VABHS. The focus of the research will be trauma and its mental and physical health effects, psychosocial functioning, aging, gender and women's health. The incumbent will plan, propose, secure funding for, and direct projects studying PTSD, trauma and women's health in the VA. In this capacity, the incumbent will direct approximately two to four major scientific research projects at one time, all of which are directly relevant to the VHA's mission of advancing the health and care of veterans. The incumbent will be fully responsible for the timeliness, cost, and quality of all projects. To fulfill these duties, the incumbent will supervise junior researchers (typically postdoctoral fellows and interns), post-master's level project coordinators, and post-bachelor's level research assistants in their laboratory. The incumbent will design and implement research projects in collaboration with other Principal Investigators from the National Center for PTSD and other VA organizations. Specific tasks include study conceptualization and design, study planning and execution, data analysis, and manuscript writing. They will be responsible for compliance with relevant VA and non-VA regulations applicable to research activities and personnel. Will present outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings. They will assist in preparation of RFPs and grant proposals. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm 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#: Health Science Specialist (Deputy Director)/PD036510

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/29/2023. 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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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. 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. ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position. BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Applicants must have a bachelor's degree (or higher) with major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) 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. Specialized experience having advanced knowledge of the theories, principles, methods, and techniques of quality assurance and regulatory compliance to (a) support the organization's clinical research program, and (b) develops limited policies, procedures, and criteria for the administration of the health science research program as it pertains to PTSD and emotional and physical health in women. Preparation of research reports and professional publications are integral functions. Making local and national presentations to professional, VA and public groups regarding the research and educational work of the Division. Knowledge of substantial grant funding. interpersonal skills enabling recurrent interface with various interdisciplinary professionals. Knowledge of national VA programs in PTSD, Knowledge of federal, state and private research programs and agencies. 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 work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to perform portions of the work. However, there is periodic walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as medical records, instructional material, books, and manuals. No specific physical demands are required to perform the work. Some travel will be required to attend study related meetings or meetings related to other activities as assigned. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Research Data Security Administration and management 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

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA Boston Healthcare System 940 Belmont Street Brockton, MA 02301 US
• Name: Tracy Liverpool
• Phone: (734) 545-3004
• Email: [email protected]