Program Specialist

Summary

The incumbent serves as the Program Analyst in the Research and Development (R&D) office at the Iowa City VA Health Care System (ICVAHCS). The R&D office has the responsibility for planning, developing, and directing the administrative activities of a very large and complex R&D Program with an annual budget of over $20 million in all areas of research (biomedical, clinical, rehabilitation and health services).

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement – 02/24/2026. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. 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-08) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include – but are not limited to:

• Applied experience in identifying issues regarding administrative practices and procedures and making recommendations to resolve these issues.
• Perform a variety of human resources related activities (for example – coordination and management of staffing needs – assisting in the recruitment process).
• Provide assistance with policy development and records management.
• Due diligence in ensuring policies and standard operating procedures are compliant with regulations.
• Experience developing, writing, and presenting reports.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package.
• Work Schedule:
  
  Monday – Friday 8:00 A.M – 4:30 P.M.
• Telework:
  This position is not eligible for telework.
• Duty Location Status:
  Will work from a VA owned or leased space.
• Position Description/PD#:
  Program Specialist/PD504590.
• Relocation/Recruitment
  
  Incentives:
  
  Not Authorized.
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS):
  Not Authorized.
• Financial Disclosure Report:
  Not Required.
• Recruitment is for one position with the VISN 23 VHA Office of Research and Development (ORD).
• Location is in Iowa City, IA.

• Personnel Administrative Duties:
  Assessing, coordinating, and managing staffing needs for biomedical, clinical, and rehabilitation research programs.
• Collaborating with approximately 35 principal investigators to ensure their staffing needs are met.
• Writing position descriptions and developing KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities).
• Working with Human Resources for recruitment.
• Ensuring staffing needs align with budget constraints.
• Completing all 52’s (requests or approvals for hiring, extensions, and resignations).
• Collaborating with supervisors and principal investigators to determine performance standards.
• Ensuring completion of mid-point evaluations and performance appraisals annually for all employees.
• Intergovernmental Personnel Agreements (IPA):
  Completing documentation required for IPAs with the affiliate university.
• Collecting salary information from the University of Iowa.
• Preparing documents for signature and ensuring availability of adequate…