Program Assistant

Full Job Description

The position is responsible for recruiting patients, utilizing various information technology formats & computer applications, coordinating project logistics, data collection and management, performing local trend analysis & other related studies, establishing & maintaining project databases, conducting research interviews, communicating with project personnel, assisting with manuscript preparation & presentations, & helping with various other tasks that emerge during the course of research.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/10/2026.T ime-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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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 as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: using a Personal Computer and associated software including Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, and printer in order to perform some office duties and research tasks required office projects; AND performing general research, various data gathering, and data management techniques, such as patient interviewing, medical record abstracting, downloading and working with agency administrative databases, data cleaning, coding, and entry and the ability to integrate the information into workable research plans.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Data Management Administration and Management Customer Service 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: he work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work.

Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site.

Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

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/.

Major Duties:

Performs data collection activities.

This includes (a) recruiting subjects, (b) preparing and disseminating research materials including consent forms, assessment instruments, and other data collection forms, (c) obtaining informed consent, (d) storing and managing collected data such as utilization, cost and outcomes, (e) conducting interviews by telephone and in-person and (f) securely transmitting data to transcription services (f) extracting data from the medical record system.

Extracts data, conducts data processing and analysis.

This includes (a) setting up and maintaining research/statistical analysis software, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access databases, (b) programs database for data entry of research questionnaires, booklets, data, and creates codebook for these.

Coordinate and provide reports and analysis to support for the many facets of quantitative and qualitative health services research.

The position will be expected to participate in a research team as well as function independently.

Maintain knowledge of substantive nature of agency programs and activities; agency missions, policies, and objectives; management principles and processes; and the analytical and evaluative methods and techniques for assessing program development or execution and improving organizational effectiveness and efficiency.

Understands basic budgetary and financial management principles and techniques as they relate to long range planning of programs and objectives.

Applies fact-finding and investigative techniques; oral and written communications; and development of presentations and reports. Conducts varied research and administrative support activities.

This includes (a) literature searches, (b) graph and chart preparation, (c) Investigational Review Board (IRB) application monitoring, (d) report preparation, (e) communicate and coordinate meetings.

Maintains accurate and timely reports, source documents, and regulatory files.

Knowledge of effectively communicating with research subjects, including patients, families, clinical staff, and research team members.

Combines comprehensive knowledge of: functions, processes, theories, and principles of management and methods used to gather, analyze, and evaluate databases, entering data into the database, data management checking data and cleaning data, runs various computer programs to edit and clean data for analyses collaborating in the implementation of data analysis procedures.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am - 4:00 pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Assistant/PD03835O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required