Supervisory Health Science Specialist - Oncology

This job announcement opened on October 1, 2026, and will close on October 6, 2026, or at 11:59 p.m. on the date 50 applications are received, whichever occurs first. This position is within the VA Health Care System National TeleOncology Program and works closely with the National Oncology Program (NOP). The Supervisory Health Science Specialist is responsible for supervising the VA Cancer Clinical Research Service, including Decentralized Clinical Trials and Cancer Trials Navigation programs.

Major duties

The Supervisory Health Science Specialist serves as the Cancer Clinical Research Service Program Manager and is responsible for overseeing the conduct of decentralized clinical trials (inclusive of NCI-sponsored, VA-sponsored, and pharmaceutical-sponsored clinical trials) and cancer clinical trial navigation under the direction of the Clinical Research Oncologist. The Supervisory Health Science Specialist possesses expertise in clinical trial activation and management, program implementation and improvement, and the conduct of human subjects research and provides expert guidance and support to the Clinical Research Oncologist, research team, research staff at other VA sites, National TeleOncology Hub and Program Office leadership, and leadership within the National Oncology Program. Duties may include, but are not limited to the following: Review study documents to plan and develop timelines for study-specific tasks and delegate tasks to appropriate research staff Provide guidance to the regulatory coordinator in preparing and submitting documentation for initial and continuing review to appropriate institutional review boards Analyze processes and documentation to ensure compliance with regulatory, privacy, and information security requirements Communicate with providers at other VA facilities regarding available clinical trials and potential research subjects Develop and use evaluation metrics to improve recruitment and screening procedures Evaluate data collection quality and establish and monitor remediation plans to correct deficiencies Provide technical guidance to other members of research team regarding the conduct of human subjects' research, including regulations, policies, and procedures Respond to inquiries from research staff (locally and nationally) and other stakeholders Correspond with others regarding the Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT) program and individual clinical trials, including memoranda and reports Create and update standard operating procedures for implementing and opening DCTs in VA network of facilities Track required training and certifications for study personnel, and assure they are maintained and up to date Explain and educate potential research subjects regarding the nature and purpose of clinical research in general and specific clinical trials for which they are eligible Prepare and participate in audits and monitor visits, for compliance with the sponsors, R&D and Institutional Review Board (IRB), and National Cancer Institute (NCI) cooperative groups Responsible for work assignments, determining priorities, leave approval, counseling / disciplinary actions, and training needs Provide technical and administrative supervision to the unit Oversee the daily operation of the unit, ensures that agency policies and priorities are being followed; develops performance standards; and evaluates work performance of subordinates Gives advice, counsel, and instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters Performs other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Negotiable, will be discussed during interview. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Qualifications

To qualify for this position and grade, applicants must meet all of the following requirements. Basic Requirement: The following are basic requirements for appointment as a Supervisory Health Science Specialist in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). BASIC EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Possess Bachelor's or graduate/higher level degree: major study in an academic field related to the medical field, health sciences or allied sciences appropriate to the work of the position. This degree must be from an educational program from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. (UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED: If you do not submit your transcript, your application will not be reviewed.) ~AND~ Minimum Qualification Requirement: In addition to meeting the basic education requirement, the following criteria must be met to be qualified for this position. Please refer to the Qualifications and Duties sections of this vacancy announcement for detailed information. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE (GS-12): Possess at least one (1) full year of specialized experience that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of (GS-11) in Federal service. Specialized experience is: experience coordinating and managing clinical research activities and clinical trials; applying requirements for regulatory compliance and protection of human research subjects; preparing and maintaining clinical research and Institutional Review Board (IRB) documentation; monitoring clinical trial activities and maintaining accurate study records and documentation; managing multiple clinical research activities with competing deadlines; and communicating clinical research requirements and information to multidisciplinary research teams and study participants.(CLEAR DETAILS OF EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: Your resume must show complete information for each job entry, such as beginning and ending dates of employment, duties performed, and/or total hours worked per week.) ~AND~ In addition to meeting the basic education requirement and minimum qualification requirements, the following criteria must be met to be qualified for this position. This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to - and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is: Possess professional experience managing and coordinating oncology clinical research or oncology clinical program activities. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Conflict Management Influencing/Negotiating Manages Resources Partnering Planning and Evaluating Supervisory Situational Judgment Test. Applicants will be required to complete a Supervisory Situational Judgment Test (SSJT) as part of the assessment process for this position. The SSJT evaluates judgment and decision-making skills that align with relevant competencies, organizational values, and best practices. Assessment results may be used as part of the evaluation, ranking and referral process. This is not a timed test, however, the assessment is expected to take approximately 45 minutes or less to complete. The assessment for this application does not include a cut score for a minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. However, you must answer each item in the assessment. IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, but does require walking, standing, and carrying light to moderately heavy packages or boxes (e.g., study documentation in binders, samples for shipping). Some travel will be 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

IMPORTANT: There is no educational substitution for the specialized experience at this grade level.

Requirements

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. This position requires the application, assessment, and questionnaire to be fully completed. The assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.