Summary The Program Support Assistant provides administrative support to the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service which comprises over 90 employees. The incumbent serves as office manager for the Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service and is responsible for areas pertaining to the planning and coordinating of administrative activities for all programs of a complex service. The employee will provide customer assistance by gathering information, analyzing data, and recommending solutions. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: Serves as primary timekeeper for the service, maintaining and posting time and attendance reports and maintains employee leave history records. Serves as a Manager Self Service delegate for supervisors to provide prompt and comprehensive follow up for employee actions in the event that a supervisor is unavailable. Serves as the purchase card holder for the service. Coordinates all travel for Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Service employees. Prepares delegation of authority letters for fund control point and timekeeping access. Manages, receives, and accessions into the computer system all outside anatomic pathology cases and specimens. Receives requests for legal cases and packages and ships materials timely and as requested. Appropriately processes requests for Bone Marrow Transplant Cases and collects all appropriate in-house materials as required with appropriate documentation. Manages and tracks all outside requests that come in from other facilities and ships complete specimens and materials timely. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm Position Description Title/PD#: Program Support Assistant, GS-0303-06, PD # 93015-0 Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job Subject to a background/suitability investigation Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required 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. 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. 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, 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. 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-06 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. 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. Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. For more information regarding the VA Interchange Agreement please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy data-oversight/hiring-authorities/competitive-hiring/. All Title 38 Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) employees must have served in their Excepted Service position for at least 90 days in order to be eligible for a position within the Competitive Service. 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-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of Specialized experience includes: performing clerical/administrative duties in an office environment; answering and directing phone calls; preparing correspondence; maintaining files/records; and using a computer to perform a variety of support tasks. At this grade level, applicants should have good verbal and written communication skills and the ability to perform assignments independently with minimal oversight. 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. Proficiency Requirements Clerk-Typist, Office Automation Clerk/ Assistant (any grade): Typing An Administrative Assistant must be able to @type 40 words per minute typing speed. Agencies may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test. Physical Requirements: Work is sometimes sedentary but requires walking, standing and carrying of medium weight items, such as patient records. Manual dexterity is required in operation of a personal computer. Incumbent works extensively in the hospital computer system. Incumbent must have an even temperament and act in a professional manner during work performance. 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. 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. 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. Whole Health Statement: VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the @context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.
