Summary The Administrative Officer for Research and Development (AO/R&D) is a full partner with the Associate Chief of Staff for Research and Development (ACOS/R&D) for the Boise VA Medical Center (BVAMC) Research Service. Responsibilities Major duties include but are not limited to: Interprets administrative policies and laws governing research, and develops and implements administrative policies and guidelines for Research Service. Provides advice to Research Service leadership and Medical Center leadership regarding opportunities, vulnerabilities and areas of significance to the facility. Provides short- and long- term planning direction for the Research Service congruent with the Medical Center and the VA, and serves as Research Service representative for Medical Center strategic planning. Responsible for overall research compliance across all program areas. Includes regulatory compliance and approvals, adherence to federal and other research policies and laws, investigator and staff requirements, and privacy and safety controls. Serves as liaison to ten internal and external research oversight committees governing human subjects research, research safety, recombinant DNA, and animal research. Utilizes VA databases and systems to manage compliance, study tracking, fiscal operations, HR operations, records management, and logistics/equipment/inventory management. These include IRBNet/VAIRRS, WinRMS, SEPG, RM-MKR and others. Serves as facility primary point of contact with VA Office of Research Oversight (ORO), including completing the biannual Facility Director Certification of Research, and educating personnel on ORO policy or process changes impacting research operations. Aggregates and analyzes service data to identify potential vulnerabilities, budget requirements and expenditures, staffing needs, and compliance requirements. Responsible for coordinating and maintaining an integrated system of financial services with full responsibility for budget planning, formulation, execution, and analysis. Provides guidance to investigators regarding budget, personnel, equipment and supplies and to methods to ensure and compliance with established policies and guidelines. Serves as first-line supervisor for research personnel including Budget Analyst, Research Committee Coordinator, Program Analyst/Grants Manager, and Program Support Assistant. Manages research personnel utilization across the Research Service and acts as a liaison with VISN/HSA and VA-ORD human resources offices concerning personnel-related matters. Manages day to day operations and supervision of the Research Administration staff, the Veterinary Medical Unit (VMU) and the Biosafety staff. Establishes and maintains a procurement system for expendables, supplies and equipment. Holds Service-level approval authority for purchases and contracts. Oversees the planning and direction of projects and studies to evaluate, recommend, and lead ways to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of the Research Service to meet Medical Center and program goals. Responsible for ensuring compliance with all VA, state and Federal regulations, policies and handbooks regarding all aspects of research. Serves as Financial Conflict of Interest Administrator, overseeing submission of FCOIs, referrals to Office of General Council, and management of waiver processes. Prepares for and manages oversight visits and audits including VA Office of Research Oversight audits, Food and Drug Administration audits, privacy audits, accreditation visits, and other official reviews. Communicates effectively, both orally and in writing when presenting information to internal and external stakeholders. Additional tasks as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm MST Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Administrative Officer - Research & Development/PD603050 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Preferred Experience: Administrative experience in VA research. Strong administrative experience in an area other than research. Supervisory experience. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet the Time-in-Grade and Specialized Experience requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 08/18/2026. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Managing and coordinating a full range of administrative services within an office; managing budget and financial activities; assisting with human resources functions to include recruitment, position classification, performance, training, etc.; planning and coordinating work to be accomplished by other staff; analyzing and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of a program and developing recommendations for improvement; utilizing office automation software and preparing letters, reports and presentations. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Note: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of a master's or equivalent graduate education may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-11 level. Note: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
