Summary This position is in the Executive Office, Veterans Administration Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS). This position reports directly to the Executive Assistant to the Director and provides daily administrative support to the Deputy Director, Patient Care Services (DDPCS)/Chief Nurse Executive and Deputy Chief Nurse Executive. This position supports the Strategic Business Unit (SBU) Patient Care Services (PCS) which has 8 Divisions that report to the Chief Nurse Executive. Responsibilities This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-08, however a selection can be made at any of the following grade levels: GS-07 OR GS-08. At the GS-07 grade level, you will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-08. Major Duties: Works in a highly independent capacity to perform administrative work, which includes management of the Executives' schedules or day-to-day plans. Identifies schedule/time required, and estimates resources required. Develops plans or schedules using standard references and existing information. Assists and updates office documents, standard operating procedures and related materials. Schedules appointments, coordinates meetings, and/or schedules conferences for Executives and other members of the executive team. Attends meetings, prepares meeting minutes, and independently follows up on action items with appropriate staff members on behalf of the Medical Center Executives. Researches and provides background on subject matter of meetings without direction. Manages the Executive Level Staff's (Deputy Director, Patient Care Services, Deputy Chief Nurse Executive, and Executive Assistant) schedules appointments without prior approval, resolves all scheduling conflicts daily by exercising the delegated authority to prioritize and understand what is considered critical vs non-critical and reconciling any conflicts. For weekly staff meetings incumbents provide an overview of the upcoming two weeks, tracks and manages to do items, assists on assigned projects and follows through on ensuring the Executive Staff is fully briefed on matters to be considered before the meeting starts. Establishes and maintains files of correspondence and other documents related to investigations, performance appraisals, and other sensitive matters. Independently searches and provides all appropriate reference material and makes travels arrangements for Executives and other members of the Executives' staff or visitors as needed. Act as a primary timekeeper for his/her Executive and follows policy for the purchase of supplies for the Executive Office. Performs a variety of complex administrative work, such as: Develops and implements various tracking systems for suspense items, signature logs, and performance tracking. Receives approximately more than 30 signature items a day for review and processing. Making the determination of routing to the Executive or their assistant. Employee Relations / Labor Relations documents and meetings including Step 3 grievances, oral replies, suspension of privileges, etc., and works with Legal Counsel to develop these @types of documents. Coordinates search committees for Division Leaders and Service Chiefs that report directly to an Executive. Provides administrative support for the Medical Center committees, e.g., Executive Leadership Board, and Organizational Health Council. Routinely collects, compiles and tracks data on staff performance measures such as meeting attendance, training, and timekeeping, and generates reports. Daily use of the hospital computer system(s), including commercial software, to prepare reports, correspondence, and other presentations. Programs include Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint, VistA, and the computerized patient record system to access pertinent patient information on an as needed basis. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 7:30am-4:00pm PST Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD213560 and PD213510 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet time-in-grade, proficiency requirements, and specialized experience within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 02/17/2026. 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 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. For a GS-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. Proficiency Requirements: Applicants must be able to @type 40 words per minute. Applicants may meet this requirement by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate or proficiency from a school or other organization, or by self-certifying their proficiency. You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-7: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Processes incoming and outgoing materials such as correspondence, reports, memoranda, and other forms of written communication; Uses programs such as data management software, SharePoint, MS Teams, excel, Webex; Schedules appointments, coordinates meetings, and/or schedules conferences for Executives and other members of the executive team; Acts as a liaison and maintains communications with persons and/or groups within and outside of the Executive Office, speaking for the Executive on administrative issues. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, GS level (if a federal position), duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week. GS-8: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Processes incoming and outgoing materials such as correspondence, reports, memoranda, and other forms of written communication; Uses programs such as data management software, SharePoint, MS Teams, excel, Webex; Schedules appointments, coordinates meetings, and/or schedules conferences for Executives and other members of the executive team; Acts as a liaison and maintains communications with persons and/or groups within and outside of the Executive Office, speaking for the Executive on administrative issues; Develops background information and prepares outlines for the Executive's public speaking engagements, papers, and correspondence/reports; Ensuring reports, correspondence and other matters requiring action or response have systems in place to meet deadlines and have quality results along with the preparing of presentations and other documents as requested. Note: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, GS level (if a federal position), duties, month & year starting and ending dates AND hours worked per week. 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 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
