Summary The purpose of the Program Support Assistant within the Environmental Management Service (EMS) is to support two primary functions. First, to provide high-level administrative and analytical support to the Chief of EMS, facilitating daily operations through complex project management and executive coordination. Second, to serve as the service's primary technical expert for timekeeping and fiscal oversight, ensuring compliance with federal payroll procedures and budgetary regulations. Responsibilities Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Program Analysis and Administrative Operations - 35% Administrative Management: Independently manages the administrative nerve center of the Environmental Management Service, coordinating complex workflows across a 24/7 hospital environment to ensure continuity of operations. Process Improvement: Analyzes internal administrative procedures and develops Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to resolve systemic bottlenecks in document tracking and project suspense dates. Regulatory Compliance: Conducts internal audits of departmental files and instructional documents to ensure 100% compliance with VA Regulations, local policies, and The Joint Commission standards. Executive Support: Manages the Chief's complex calendar and prioritizes high-level committee meetings, exercising significant judgment in coordinating travel and high-priority correspondence. Technical Subject Matter Expert - Timekeeping and Payroll - 35% Primary Expert Authority: Serves as the primary Technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) for VATAS and payroll for the entire department. Complex Resolution: Independently interprets and applies complex OPM and VA-specific pay regulations to resolve intricate pay issues involving night differentials, weekend premiums, and hazardous duty pay for 24/7 staff. Policy Guidance: Provides authoritative guidance and technical advice to supervisors and staff regarding leave administration, payroll discrepancies, and regulatory changes in pay plans. Record Integrity: Maintains employee hours and ensures accurate payroll processing, verifying the accuracy of the various hours charged on T&A reports. Budget Analysis and Financial Management - 20% Expenditure Forecasting: Performs detailed budget tracking and expenditure analysis for the service's multi-million-dollar annual budget, identifying trends and potential funding gaps. Financial Reporting: Independently monitors execution rates and prepares monthly forecasting reports, providing data-driven recommendations to the Program Manager for resource realignments. Procurement Authority: Serves as the primary Government Purchase Card (GPC) holder; independently conducts market research and ensures all acquisitions align with the annual fiscal budget and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). Personnel and Reporting Compliance - 10% Strategic Liaison: Coordinates with Human Resources to manage the full lifecycle of personnel actions, from initiating recruitment and on-boarding to tracking disciplinary actions and retirements. Metric Analysis: Analyzes Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics, identifying trends in departmental performance and drafting executive summaries for hospital leadership. Credentialing Oversight: Manages and tracks regulatory certifications and licenses (e.g., pest control), ensuring zero lapses in service-wide legal compliance. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:00am - 3:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant-OA/PD688-260084-0 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 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, 07/27/2026. 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 and/or education described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6) in the Federal service. Specialized experience includes experience where you were responsible for providing administrative support functions within a healthcare facility; experienced with procurement processes necessary to obtain goods and services for an office; performing automation duties using such software applications such as word processing, spreadsheet, electronic mail, desktop publishing, calendar, database and/or graphics; assisting in the formulation and execution of budget estimates to include updating budget spreadsheets which are used in briefings; collecting, compiling and tracking data and information; and researching reference materials, regulations, and standards to identify appropriate action necessary to correct problems or issues. Best qualified Criteria: Verifies accuracy of time cards and leave submissions using established procedures. Audits program records to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Acts as primary point of contact for inquiries by veterans and staff. Resolves scheduling conflicts for meetings and service appointments. De-escalates and addresses concerns from stakeholders regarding service delays. Highly qualified Criteria: Reviews draft reports to identify formatting and grammatical errors. Briefs supervisors or management on program status during staff meetings. Provides instructions to staff regarding new administrative procedures. Coordinates activities or exchanges between clinical and administrative units. Well Qualified: Prepares formal memorandums following established formatting standards. Composes written responses to internal and external inquiries. Summarizes meeting discussions into concise and actionable minutes. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end 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. 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 Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care. OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans? 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 preference (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.
