Supervisory Quality Assurance Specialist

The VA Cooperative Studies Program (CSP) is part of the division of the Office of Research and Development, VA Central Office and is responsible for the planning and conducting of large multicenter controlled clinical trials (MCTs). CSP maintains a diverse portfolio of clinical research studies that seeks to provide definitive answers to important clinical questions on a national scale and on a range of diseases that affect Veterans and the nation.

Qualifications:

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/26/2026.

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-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12. 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.

Note:

This occupational series has an Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR). Individual Occupational Requirements (IORs) are requirements e.g., experience or education, for particular occupational series or positions within a series and are used in conjunction with a group coverage (generic) standard. This position's IOR is:

Education:

To qualify for the Supervisory Quality Assurance Specialist position, you must possess an Undergraduate or Graduate degree in quality assurance, statistics, mathematics, production management, industrial management, computer science, engineering, engineering technology, physical sciences, textiles, or other fields related to the position.

OR, Specialized Experience:

Experience that demonstrated a practical knowledge in monitoring, controlling, or maintaining the quality of products or services in quality assurance, procurement, inspection, production, or related areas.

Examples include:

Reviewing production activities and capabilities in light of contract quality requirements. Reviewing written quality or inspection procedures for adequacy, and evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of quality/inspection systems, including sampling plans. Analyzing quality data to detect unsatisfactory trends or weaknesses in the quality/inspection system. Verifying by test or inspection, using sampling inspection or intensive product inspection techniques, that products comply with requirements prior to acceptance. Identifying inadequacies and requesting corrective action. Computing data, summarizing results, and preparing reports or charts depicting pertinent relationships using statistical methods. Investigating customer complaints and deficiency reports, and providing identification of causes to appropriate authorities. Reading, interpreting, and applying technical data such as blueprints, engineering drawings, product specifications, or technical manuals. Reviewing and evaluating supply systems operations and procedures through periodic audits and surveillance inspections. AND, For the GS-13 you must have the following:

Specialized Experience:

You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-12 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Developing standard operation procedures (SOP) and policy creation related to quality control and assurance; Performing internal and external audits on processes and procedures to identify gaps in quality management and improvement opportunities; Overseeing contract development and performance monitoring for pharmaceutical products; and Managing a diverse staff and leading change within an organization through process quality improvement initiatives. 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/ .