This position is within the Office of Research and Development (ORD) at VA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. : The position serves as a National Biosafety Officer reporting to the Director of Central Policy and Regulatory in the Office of Enterprise Protections, Outreach, Regulatory, and Support (EPROS). **This vacancy may be filled in Washington, DC or at a VA facility or other VA-leased space.**

Duties

Major Duties: Serve as the lead agency expert in research biosafety. Responsible for providing regulatory, compliance, and biosafety and biosecurity support to more than 85 individual VA research programs conducting laboratory research. Consults regularly with stakeholders and interest groups to respond to research compliance and assurance issues. Independently acts on behalf of ORD relative to policy, management, and broad organizational directions in laboratory research safety and security Serves as the principle subject matter expert for research biosafety and biosecurity matters. Interacts with SES-level officials at other agencies that regulate research laboratory practices. Develops national level policies and guidelines and must use considered judgment to determine if new or revised guidelines are required to address issues at the national level Work Schedule: 8:00 am-4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Available at hiring managers discretion. 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. (Applicant is required to work at a VA facility or other VA-leased space other than the facility that is hiring the employee and is authorized for telework up to 50%. of work schedule per pay period) Virtual: This vacancy may be filled in Washington, DC or at a VA facility or other VA-leased space. Position Description/PD#: Health Science Specialist/PD033910 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 01/02/2025. 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. ***Award SF50s are inappropriate for proving 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 education as described below: Basic Requirement: 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. **Transcripts are required** Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirement above you must also 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: Lead Agency expert in research biosafety research Principle subject matter expert for research biosafety and biosecurity matters Interact with SES level officials at other agencies that regulate research laboratory practices Assist the director of Regulatory Affairs and other senior level staff in developing national level polices and guidelines Develop and implement ongoing educational programs for field research personnel Expert knowledge of regulatory, laboratory science, health research, and technical issues regarding biomedical laboratory research Ability to address VA's wide range of biomedical research activities You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: ComplianceEducation and TrainingFacilitiesStrategic Thinking 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 works primarily is sedentary. Some work may require periods of walking, standing, and bending in offices, laboratories, hospitals, treatment facilities, and other work areas. Employees frequently carry light items such as books, instruments, and other similar materials. The work does not require any special physical effort. 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.

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

Contacts

• Address VHA Central Office - Discovery, Education and Affliate Networks 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]