Summary The incumbent serves as the Administrative Officer for the Education Service Line at the Dom VA Medical Center in Columbia, SC. Responsibilities Acts as the assistant to the Associate Chief of Staff for Education (ACOS/E) and is responsible for providing administrative assistance in the coordination of this Medical Center's residency programs, fellowship programs, associated health training programs, patient/family education programs, and staff education programs Serves as a liaison with affiliated institutions, Employee Education Centers, and VA Headquarters Develops and oversees processes to assure a smooth flow of communication between the ACOS/E and all staff. Attends meetings as representative for the ACOS/E when needed Acts as intermediary, when needed, between the ACOS/E and Medical Center personnel, maintaining smooth flow of essential information to and from office Responsible for working closely with the affiliates and VA program coordinators to ensure that all paperwork is processed in a timely manner and all VA requirements are met Responsible for training and coordinating with the responsible person in each service that uses residents and/or trainees Serves as the VA administrator of the Residency Program Full Disbursement Agreement and will be responsible for submission of obligations, and timely reconciliation of all time cards and invoices, coordinating with the various timekeepers for both the VAMC and the index facility to ensure accurate charges Monitors allocated funding and computes projected quarterly expenditures Coordinates with Office of Academic Affairs to ensure funding control point retains adequate, but not excessive, balance Troubleshoots and resolves problems encountered in administrating the program Responsible for management of the calendar of the ACOS/E and will notify the ACOS/E when backup coverage is needed Maintains the calendars for use of assigned classroom space and will schedule such space as required to meet the needs of the medical center Supervises the workflow of the administrative staff for the Education Service Line Provides clerical support for the ACOS/E Independently composes routine and special correspondence and prepares in final form for signature Screens all outgoing correspondence including letters, memoranda, policy statements, etc., for clarity, accuracy, grammar, format, and reading level Assigns or secures classroom space for continuing education of staff, national workshops, national board examinations, trainee classes, veteran's organizations, professional societies, meetings, and other Medical Center functions to provide optimal use of space Coordinates the procurement of Affiliation Training Agreements with educational institutions, VAMC, and VISN Receives, schedules, refers, and contacts members of the staff, agency, and persons outside the agency ranging from other government agencies to the general public Responds to administrative problems brought to the supervisor's attention by members of the staff or management officials outside the organization or the agency Notifies the appropriate subordinate management officials of the need for information or recommendation, and either prepares the response or follows up to ensure a timely response by others Communicates, interprets, and advises on federal policies, regulations, and procedures and gives advice to Service Line Directors and their secretaries on administrative matters Supervises the filing and updating of the service line reference library, which includes Medical Center Memoranda, Infection Control Manual, Safety Manual, and V ISN, VHA, and VA directives Performs analytical and evaluative work associated with line and/or program activities Develops, analyzes, evaluates, advises on, or improves the effectiveness of work methods and procedures, organizations, manpower utilization, distribution of work assignments, delegations of authority, management controls, information and documentation systems, and similar functions of management Participates in developing the annual budget formulation and/or execution process Manages procurement and contracting for the service line Develops and maintains automated education/training calendar and assists users with accessing information Develops and updates orientation handbook for Residents, Fellows, Medical Students, and Associated Health students Prefer current VA Administrative Officer or senior level leadership Executive Assistant experience Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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. 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 identification 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, 06/23/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of service level operations carried out by administrative personnel to include administrative support functions in a medical center environment (i.e., staffing requirements, budget management for the service line, human resources management, and program evaluation, processes, and administrative operations of patient care services; planning, directing, analyzing and advising on (for staff approval) internal service line operating policies related to healthcare administration; utilizing regulations, policies, procedures, accreditation standards to perform administrative operations within a healthcare service line; utilizing automated systems and software to retrieve and generate a variety of reports to validate data; composing and generating a wide variety of correspondence and reports for the service line; management and program personnel on budgetary and finance issues; performing budget formulation, justification, and execution; financial management; and financial reporting; preparing procurement requests, evaluating proposals for work and maintaining procurement and contracting records; conducting budget studies and tracking overtime usage; participating in orientation of new employees; representing healthcare service line at management meetings, committee assignments and work groups; performing other administrative duties related to healthcare administration/program operations, preparing recurring and also non-recurring statistical reports, etc.; OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related; OR, Combination: Equivalent combinations of post-graduate education and experience are qualifying for this grade level. Prefer current VA Administrative Officer or senior level leadership Executive Assistant experience You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Decision Making Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management 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: 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 A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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/.
