Summary The incumbent functions as an executive administrative assistant and provides administrative and support to the leadership team at the VA Western NY HCS. Assistance will mainly support the Chief of Staff and the Associate Director of Patient Care Center. The positions will be seated within the Buffalo VA Medical Center, with the possibility of occasional travel to the Batavia, NY Facility as needed. Responsibilities Receives calls and visitors to the Director's office, referring to staff members and forwarding to the Pentad calls or visitors requiring his/her attention. Maintains the Pentad's calendar, scheduling appointments, committing them to attendance at meetings and conferences without prior approval. Arranges conferences and meetings for the Pentad by selecting time and place, notification of participants and all other related details. Takes and transcribes minutes of meetings, preparing the agenda, coordinating information and preparing material to be discussed for various committees. Electronically maintains timecards for the Pentad and his/her subordinate offices and assures the electronic certification of timecards by the Pentad. Reads and reviews all incoming correspondence to the Director's Office, determining proper action. Prepares routine correspondence for the Pentad. Reviews outgoing correspondence and reports prepared by administrative and clinical services, ensuring proper format, mathematical correctness, correct grammatical content, ascertaining that all necessary coordination of facts has been completed. Reads directives and instructional material pertaining to administrative practices and clerical procedures in order to be aware of new, revised or amended procedures for such matters as preparation and processing of correspondence, reports and forms, filing, mailing procedures, etc. Prepares the Pentad and his/her subordinate staff's correspondence for the signature of the Director and maintains records and files for the Pentad. Includes assisting with preparation of documents for complex action items, administrative assistance with remediation actions and administrative support on facility improvement projects with limited direction. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am- 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Admin Support Assistant/PD26146A 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 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 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 all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/18/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement (TIG): 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. NOTE: Time in Grade requirements apply to applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks, as well as former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, and current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You must submit the following documentation demonstrating eligibility: Official Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting your current position or most recently held position, tenure, @type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive), grade level and duty location. (Text version SF-50s or Request for Personnel Action SF-52s are not acceptable.) For current Federal employees, the SF-50 must be effective the first pay period of the current year or later. Applicants who must meet TIG must also submit the following in addition to their most recent SF-50: Official SF-50 that shows you hold the grade for the position you are applying for (or a higher grade), or Official SF-50s that show you held the next lower grade for at least one year for the position you are applying for. (Multiple SF-50s may need to be submitted to show this.) Examples of appropriate SF-50s to include in addition to your most recent SF-50 to meet TIG requirements include: Within grade increases (WGI) at the highest grade held; or Promotions with an effective date that occurred more than one year from the closing date of the JOA; or SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date that occurred more than 1 year from the closing date of the JOA. NOTE: Do not submit Award SF-50s, as they do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade. Failure to submit any of the above required documents applicable to your submission may result in loss of consideration and a rating of ineligible due to an incomplete application package. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that their application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not contact applicants for additional documentation, nor will we accept late or missing documents after the close of the announcement. 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-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: A basic foundation of administrative concepts, principles, and practices, and Department of Veterans Affairs regulations and directives sufficient to perform independently such duties as coordinating changes in administrative policies, devise and install procedures and office practices affecting the Pentad Official's subordinate organizations and foresee administrative problems and requirements and initiate action to ensure there is no adverse impact on the organization. A current working knowledge of Department of Veterans Affairs policy and procedures enabling the incumbent to respond to inquiries regarding policy and procedures in an accurate and timely manner. Knowledge of the substantive programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs as they relate to the local Medical Center and skill in adapting policies or procedures to local situations and establishing practices or procedures to meet local requirements. Skill in advising and instructing secretaries in subordinate offices and organizations concerning such matters as directives, reports, correspondence and telephone procedures. Knowledge and understanding of the Pentad 's philosophy, views and functions in order to ensure advice and direction which are consistent with the Pentad 's desires. Skill in operating a personal computer, software such as Excel, Word, etc., and other office equipment. Knowledge and understanding of medical terminology and other technical terminology in the fields of fiscal, supply, etc. Knowledge of Electronic Time and Attendance procedures. Knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation and required formats. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Attention to Detail Clerical Communication Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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 places no special physical demands on the employee. The work includes some walking, standing, bending and carrying of light items such as books and papers. 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. Receiving Service Credit for 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. 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/.
