Summary The VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VCBHCS) is seeking a Secretary (OA) Office of the Associate Director at the Harlingen VA. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: Reports and Correspondence Screening all incoming correspondence and reports Obtaining background information on incoming correspondence, assembling and summarizing information before giving to the Associate Director (AD) or designee for action Coordinating and assuring timely completion of all reports, correspondence and personnel actions Timely communicating suspense actions and maintaining a suspense file of due dates for assignments to staff and following up to ensure that all suspense actions are accomplished on or before the due date Responsible for reviewing and final preparation of all outgoing correspondence, reports, etc. Documents prepared in other areas are reviewed to ensure correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, format and style. Making necessary corrections whenever possible or returning to the writer for correction. Transcribing letters, memorandums and reports from dictated material, voice recording and handwritten drafts into final form Calls and Visitors Demonstrating tactfulness, diplomacy and politeness to all individuals seeking assistance or information from the AD Acting as a resource person for staff in administrative matters dealing with correct office procedures, proper formats for various letters and reports, timekeeping regulations, locating specific health care system directives, agency policies and procedures, etc. Communicating the AD's assignments, messages and information to his/her subordinates Calendar and Meeting Coordination Maintaining a calendar of appointments, meetings, conferences and deadlines for the AD Scheduling appointments and meetings based upon personal knowledge of the AD workload and commitments Reminding the AD of appointments and assembling/providing necessary files or other information required by the AD before scheduled meetings Rescheduling meetings when conflicts arise Ensuring the AD is informed of deadlines, following up on actions, appointments, etc. Ensuring the AD, ADPCS and COS are kept apprised of each other's schedules Maintaining pending files of material to be presented at meetings Coordinating meetings, appointments, etc., for the AD by scheduling rooms (as necessary), assembling support material and notifying attendees File System Establishing, maintaining and dispositioning AD's administrative files Maintaining the filing system, which includes correspondence, reports, personnel and training records, project files, publications and other directive material. Personnel records including positions descriptions, organization charts, position listings, employee service record cards, etc. Directive material including all VATVCBHCS policy memorandums and applicable VA Directives and Manuals. Posting respective changes to these policy memorandums, directives and manuals as they are received and routes copies of these changes to the respective staff Personnel Actions and Timekeeping Ensuring all requests for personnel action concerning the AD and matrixed personnel are promptly prepared and submitted to HRMS Ensuring prompt distribution of notices for personnel changes and proper maintenance of employee cards Coordinating presentation of special awards, service pins, incentive awards and complimentary letters during staff or special meetings. Training and Travel Monitoring, coordinating and documenting mandated training for the AD staff Recording al training in the DHCP training database Arranging official travel for the AD Preparing travel requests, arranging travel itineraries, modes of transportation and computing estimated cost of travel and per diem Other Regular access to printed and electronic files containing sensitive data, must be protected under the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, other applicable laws, federal regulations, VA statutes and policy, and VHA policy 5/14/2026 10:18 EDT Page 3 of 6 Performing other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Position Description/PD#: PD00067O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Not a Bargaining Unit position 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 all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/22/2026. 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 by 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: preparing routine correspondence; reviewing and final preparation of all outgoing correspondence, reports, etc.; delivering reports and presentations prepared by the Associate Director (AD) ensuring the AD is informed of deadlines, follow-up actions, and appointments and understanding and interpreting written material, including technical material, rules, regulations, instructions, reports, charts, graphs, or tables; applying what is learned from written material to specific situations. Typing 40 words per minute required. 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. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. 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/. 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.
