Health Science Specialist

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/12/2026. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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. Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): All applicants must meet the following Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) to be qualified for this position.

01Education

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(external link) at the time the degree was obtained.

In addition to the Individual Occupational Requirement you must meet specialized experience below: Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) or more years of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-11) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: knowledge of wide range of concepts, principles and practices in health sciences research program including neurobiology, epidemiology, as well as the diagnosis treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Collects, conducts, and collates information for publication, and grants; provides technical assistance in consulting, evaluating programs, or research activity to include providing education; serve as managing editor for research reports; coordinate, design and plan complex projects; facilitate strategic action plans for the research center/program.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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.

02Physical Requirements

The work is primarily sedentary and may be performed while sitting comfortably at a workstation. There is periodic walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as instructional materials, books, manuals, or records. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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/.

The incumbent serves as a Health Science Specialist in the Executive Division of the National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (NCPTSD), independently planning, developing, coordinating, implementing, and evaluating educational products and programs supporting the Center's national educational mission.

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Independently plans, develops, coordinates, implements, and evaluates educational products and programs that fulfill the educational mission of the National Center for PTSD. Leads multiple concurrent projects involving subject matter experts, education staff, researchers, clinicians, contractors, and other stakeholders.

Determines appropriate approaches, formats, methods, timelines, and resources for assigned education projects based on project objectives, audience needs, scientific evidence, and applicable professional and agency requirements. Identifies potential solutions to address issues involving content, scientific accuracy, educational approach, accessibility, technology, project timelines, and coordination among contributors.

Works with subject matter experts to translate complex clinical and research findings into educational products, including training courses, continuing education programs, videos, webpages, fact sheets, public education materials, programs, mobile applications, and other digital and print products. Evaluates products for scientific accuracy, consistency with current evidence and professional standards, appropriateness for the intended audience, accessibility, and overall quality.

Provides guidance and technical assistance to education staff across NCPTSD regarding project management, educational product development, scientific content, and Section 508 accessibility requirements. Advises project teams on appropriate approaches for developing and improving educational products and resolves issues that require interpretation of professional standards, Center policies, scientific information, or accessibility requirements.

Manages and monitors administrative and programmatic processes associated with Center educational products and programs. Develops and maintains systems for tracking the status, availability, accessibility, quality, and required updates of educational products, including continuing education courses, mobile applications, education programs, webpages, and other digital and print materials.

Identifies gaps, inconsistencies, and emerging needs in the Center's educational product portfolio and recommends improvements to processes for developing, maintaining, organizing, and disseminating educational materials. Coordinates with education staff and other stakeholders to ensure that products remain accurate, current, accessible, and readily available to intended audiences.

Develops, writes, reviews, and revises evidence-based educational and informational content for diverse audiences, including Veterans and their family members, clinicians, researchers, educators, and other professionals. Applies professional knowledge of PTSD, behavioral health, health sciences, and current scientific evidence to determine the appropriate content, level of detail, terminology, and presentation for each target audience.

Performs other duties as assigned that are consistent with the position's professional responsibilities. Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: ADHOC, This position is authorized for telework but has not been authorized as virtual or remote (i.e., the must be able to work at the location the position is being announced for). Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Health Science Specialist/PD405-042580 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Notifications: This position is in the Competitive Service. This position is not a Bargaining Unit position. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held. Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C.

4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System. Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment.