Senior Program Analyst

Aptive Resources is seeking a Senior Program Analyst to support research program operations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Research and Development. This role involves managing program-level coordination, workflow execution, and research administration to support project processing, budget-related workflows, and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities:

• Prescreen, review, and facilitate processing of project modification requests, budget requests, and project-related materials related to health systems research
• Coordinate and execute program workflows related to project processing, budget-related requests, and peer review activities, ensuring alignment with established guidelines and timelines
• Maintain and update personnel and project tracking systems to support application review and peer review processes
• Support maintenance of budget-related tracking, including monitoring submissions, updates, and projections
• Collect, validate, and organize data from field activities to support reporting and program tracking
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and support development and implementation of SOPs, job aids, and training materials
• Coordinate with program leadership and stakeholders to ensure timely and accurate processing of requests and deliverables
• Provide administrative and programmatic support for VA Research Office committees, including IACUC, SRS, and R&D Committee activities
• Process research protocols involving animal subjects and safety considerations, including intake, logging, routing, tracking, and follow-up
• Perform pre-review of research protocol submissions and safety documentation, including identifying deficiencies and coordinating corrections with investigators
• Support committee operations, including preparing agendas in IRBNet, documenting meeting minutes, and tracking decisions and action items
• Maintain and manage research tracking systems (e.g., IRBNet and Excel), including data entry, updates, and reporting
• Coordinate communication between committees and research teams, including responding to inquiries and providing guidance on submission requirements
• Process continuation requests, administrative approvals, incident reporting, and required regulatory documentation
• Support audits of regulatory documentation and ensure compliance with applicable policies and standards (e.g., VA, FDA, IRB, NIH)
• Provide guidance and training to research staff on submission processes and system use (e.g., IRBNet)

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, health administration, public health, biomedical sciences, or a related field
• 8+ years of experience supporting program operations, research administration, or program analysis in a complex organization
• Experience supporting structured workflows involving project processing, regulatory review, or research administration activities
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple workstreams and prioritize competing tasks with minimal oversight
• Experience with data validation, maintaining tracking systems, and working with structured datasets (e.g., Excel, SharePoint, IRBNet, or similar systems)
• Experience supporting stakeholder coordination across multiple teams in a fast-paced environment
• Strong attention to detail and ability to ensure accuracy and completeness of documentation and submissions
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work independently in a remote environment while managing deadlines and deliverables
• Ability to obtain and maintain a public trust clearance
• Legal authorization to work in the U.S
• Experience supporting VA or federal research programs
• Experience supporting research compliance processes, including IACUC, IRB, or similar regulatory environments
• Familiarity with research management systems such as IRBNet or similar platforms
• Experience supporting peer review, grant review, or research proposal processes
• Experience supporting budget-related workflows, tracking, or request review processes
• Experience developing SOPs, job aids, or process improvement initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to identify inefficiencies and improve workflows across program or compliance processes
• Experience working with multiple stakeholders, including investigators, program leadership, and research staff
• Ability to interpret and apply regulatory requirements in a research environment
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage detailed, process-driven work
• Must possess discretion and mature judgment, as confidential information is routinely encountered