Secretary (OA) Job at Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration in Walla

Summary As Secretary to the Chief of Staff (COS), the incumbent acts as the Chief of Staff's confidential secretary and must have knowledge of COS policies, viewpoints, and attitudes. The position requires a detailed working knowledge of programs under COS supervision to relieve the COS of routine duties and to provide maximum assistance. The incumbent serves as the initial point of contact for all business relating to the Chief of Staff. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: Establish appropriate deadlines for action items. Exercise control over the Chief of Staff (COS) appointments, establish & adjust priorities and rescheduling appointments as necessary. Determine and assist with the proper course of action on administrative matters. Maintain a file of information on critical issues to be brought to the COS upon their return. Serve as the recorder for assigned committee meetings. Process incoming communication received by electronic transmission, fax, and mail. Takes and transcribes dictation, verbal instruction, and/or taped material into letters, endorsements, messages, office instructions, and reports with responsibility for sentence structure, grammar, and spelling. Process phone calls and receive visitors to the Executive Office. Act as a liaison between the executive team and facility staff. Serves as a resource, advising staff at all levels of facility policies, office procedures, correspondence formats, grammar and writing, word processing skills, and other administrative support functions. Screen all correspondence prepared for the COS's approval and/or signature. Devises and installs office procedures and practices to be used by secretaries and subordinate offices. Develops complex committee agendas from items needing the committee's consideration, setting appropriate time parameters, and ensuring documents needed for the meeting are available. Respond to inquiries and administrative problems identified by staff, agency officials, and outside organizations Arrange for meeting facilities, including audiovisual equipment, teleconferencing equipment, etc. Skill in determining when new or adjusted procedures are needed. Work Schedule: 7:30am- 4:00pm Monday - Friday Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD80288-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. 5 CFR 330.502 - General restriction on movement after competitive appointment applies Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 01/02/2025. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: ability to organize, multi-task, manage databases and work assignments in order to meet deadlines; extensive experience with grammar, spelling, punctuation, formatting documents, completing forms, and the use of common terminology used to review correspondence and health care system memoranda.; knowledge of computerized information systems, in order to assess and analyze data to include, word processing, spreadsheets and various other data/information retrieval systems or methods; ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; experience with executive leadership's responsibilities, priorities, commitments, and policies in order to make appointments, assign and follow-up on suspense dates, refer calls and visitors, and provide back-up information for correspondence, reports, appointments, and meetings; experience with rules, regulations, and procedures on administrative reporting and control requirements. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Attention to Detail Customer Service Manages and Organizes Information Problem Solving 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. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. There may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying light objects, etc. However, no special physical qualifications 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/. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.