Program Support Assistant

In order to qualify for this position, you must possess at least one of the following: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-4) in federal service. Qualifying specialized experience providing administrative and technical support work to support the activities of the Biorepository Lab such as planning and preparation of all materials for study specimen collection and accessioning the samples into the biorepository data base. NOTE: Your answer will be verified against information provided on your resume. If your resume does not clearly support your response by addressing your work experience in detail you will be disqualified. OR EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION: Successfully completed 4 years of above the high school level in any field for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. NOTE TO APPLICANTS: This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial, or technical school. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED – If you do not submit a copy of your transcript, your application may not be processed.) OR COMBINATION: Possess equivalent combinations of experience and education as previously described to fully meet the requirements of this position. For GS-5 level positions, only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours of a course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirements. Two full academic years of study, or 60 semester hours, beyond the second year is equivalent to 1 year of specialized experience. (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED – If you do not submit a copy of your transcript, your application may not be processed.) You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Communications Information Technology Research and Development Quality Assurance Technical Competence IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion like some walking; standing; bending; climbing and carrying of heavy to light items such as heavy shipping boxes filled with supplies, small parts; 50 lb of dry ice or 20 lb racks from freezers; or driving an automobile, etc. The arduous nature of the job requires frequent breaks. 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/.
This position is located at the VA Central Biorepository Center within the VA Boston Healthcare System in Boston, MA. The biorepository processes and stores patient samples collected for the clinical trials conducted by the VA cooperative studies program (CSP program) and the Million Veteran Program (Epidemiology Research). Patient bloods collected nationally for these projects are shipped to the VA Central Biorepository for processing and long-term storage.