Summary As the Administrative Officer in the Surgical Service, the incumbent serves as a fully functional member of the senior staff in providing advice for management officials on a full range of administrative management functions. The incumbent plans, administers, and coordinates administrative services including budget formulation and execution, financial planning, accounting, procurement and contract administration, human resources management, etc. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: Actively participates in senior staff meetings in providing authoritative advice and counsel on a wide range of administrative and operational management support issues; and on the formulation and implementation of organization policies, programs, objectives, and plans. Advises on a broad range of policies, issues, regulations, problems, and management systems; formulates innovative approaches to resolve conflicting requirements and differing opinions among affected parties regarding the proposed action to be taken; identifies, quantifies, and evaluates the mutual effects and interrelationships between program goals and accomplishments, and available resources and policies; and provides consultation in planning and analyzing multi-year objectives that often conflict with long-range goals and objectives of higher level management. Identifies and analyzes changes and trends in funding for human resources and material needs, human resources availability, and other administrative support matters; and provides management officials with alternative approaches. Provides input and analysis for significant management decisions by relating varied program requirements to administrative management needs. Plans and conducts complex analytical studies of organizational elements and work to identify problems and approve resource utilization, administrative support, and management effectiveness. Study areas include a wide range of functions such as overtime cost, logistical support, automated applications for administrative functions, office and field space, telecommunications requirements, word processing systems, duplicating equipment, and work distribution. Uses work distribution and workflow charting, task analysis, statistical analysis, observation, interviews, and other techniques. Serves as an organization advisor on human resources matters by coordinating organizational needs with human resources office requirements; directing the initiation and processing of personnel actions; and facilitating the accomplishment of various human resources management programs. Analyzes and advises on the implications of proposed management decisions and the administrative aspects involved in the acquisition, retention, motivation, development, and use of human resources. Works with servicing human resources office representatives to identify and resolve human resources needs and problems. Supervises the work of a department. Directly responsible for hiring of new employees, transfers, promotions, salary actions, terminations, performance management and budget recommendations. Directly supervises administrative personnel plus indirect supervision of additional Title 5, Hybrid Title 38 and Title 38 clinical personnel in office. Develops job descriptions and assigns work. Formulates performance standards, conducts evaluations and initiates personnel actions. Interprets and applies contract and procurement regulations. Directs others regarding the preparation of requisitions and purchase orders, and ensures adherence to policies and regulations. Advises management officials regarding the impact of changing regulations on the organizations, and recommends changes in organization procedures to conform to new policies. As a Contracting Officer Technical Representative (COTR), the Administrative Officer serves as the technical representative of the Contracting Officer (CO), the COTR is responsible for administration of the contract/task order and for assuring compliance by the contractor with the requirements of the contract/task order. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Administrative Officer/PD20147O 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, 08/17/2026. 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 by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS 11 level position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level. 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 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: Managing the maintenance and service contracts for Medical Center equipment; Generating appropriate policies and procedures to ensure effective and efficient management of administrative functions; Overseeing preparation of paperwork required to allow award of contracts; Conducting surveys of manpower, budget, and space utilization, recommending and implementing changes in those areas to improve efficiency and effectiveness of operations. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a major field of study related to the work of the position which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond master's or equivalent graduate degree. [Note: To combine education and experience, first determine how much of the qualifying experience and education you have, as a percentage of what is required for each. Add the percentages together, and if the total is 100% or more, then the combined education and experience is qualifying for the position. EXAMPLE: An applicant has 9 months of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9 and 2 1/2 years of creditable graduate level education. The applicant meets 75 percent of the required experience and 50 percent of the required education, i.e., the applicant has 1/2 year of graduate study beyond that required for GS-9. Therefore, the applicant exceeds the total requirement and is qualified for the position. (The applicant's first 2 years of graduate study are not qualifying for GS-11.) 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/.
