Program Specialist

Full Job Description

The incumbent serves as the Program Specialist/Compliance Officer for the Research Service.

Incumbent is responsible for developing, implementing, maintaining, and providing oversight of compliance and training activities for the service.

Provides guidance and counsel on incorporating compliance-related activities into the day-to-day operations of the service and oversees the education and training process for research and non-research employees regarding compliance-related activities.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/06/2026.

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 by the closing date of this announcement.

For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9 (52 weeks at the GS-11 will be required in order to qualify at the GS-12 grade level).

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: For the GS-11 Program Specialist: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-09) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Your experience must have equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled.

Examples of specialized experience include: Knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, and practices of a professional or administrative occupation, such as would be gained through extended graduate study or experience, and skill in applying this knowledge to difficult and complex work assignments.

Knowledge of laws and regulations promulgated to ensure the protection of human subjects in research.

Knowledge of policies emanating from the following: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Knowledge of the following: Veterinary Medical Officer; Chairman, Animal Care and Use Subcommittee; Associate Chief of Staff for Research & Development; and Administrative Officer for Research and Development.

Knowledge of compliance issues for the Animal Care and Use Subcommittee in order to coordinate Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALACI) reports and accreditation activities 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. in a field related to this position.

(Transcripts must be submitted with application) OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate level education (in excess of the first two years or 36 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements.(Transcripts must be submitted with application) For the GS-12 Program Specialist: Specialized Experience: 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.

Examples of specialized experience include: 1.) Knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, and practices of a professional or administrative occupation, such as would be gained through extended graduate study or experience, and skill in applying this knowledge to difficult and complex work assignments 2.) Knowledge of laws and regulations promulgated to ensure the protection of human subjects in research 3.) Knowledge of policies emanating from the following: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Department of Veterans Affairs 3.) Knowledge of the following: Veterinary Medical Officer; Chairman, Animal Care and Use Subcommittee; Associate Chief of Staff for Research & Development; and Administrative Officer for Research and Development 4.) Knowledge of compliance issues for the Animal Care and Use Subcommittee in order to coordinate Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALACI) reports and accreditation activities *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.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Communications Database Management Systems Planning and Evaluating Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary, although frequent site and field visits may require some minor physical demand.

Some travel may be associated with the position but would be less the 35% of the time.

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:

Duties and responsibilities for this position include, but may not be limited to, the following: Plans and conducts special projects or studies to analyze, evaluate, and provide recommendations on administrative issues.

Utilizes excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint, and other computer software to capture pertinent data necessary for data tracking to monitor program growth.

Provides administrative support on Human Resources related documents; organizational charts, employee competency files, position descriptions, functional statements, requests for personnel action, professional standard board action forms, awards, memorandums, input for performance appraisals, etc.

Monitors performance, enforces the direction of the supervisor and ensures deadlines are met along with reports and initiatives. Tracks all deadlines and scheduled meetings for the Service.

Monitors workload and establishes priorities and identifies errors. Manages and/or prepares responses to correspondence for the Service.

Organizes reports for presentations and records minutes for meetings. Acts as a liaison with persons and/or groups within and outside of the organization.

Provides guidance to staff members of policies and procedures to include any changes.

Collects data from a variety of sources, compiles statistics, and uses analytical techniques to measure and improve program effectiveness and/or productivity.

Conducts a detailed analysis of complex functions and work processes; interprets results and makes recommendations for program change and improvement.

Monitors, coordinates, and tracks personnel actions and maintains files and documents on all actions. Monitors TMS for new and current staff to ensure training and accomplishments are recorded in TMS.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met.

Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday | 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for AdHoc telework.

Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD30553-0 and PD30006-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized