Summary The incumbent is assigned as the Secretary to the Chief of Staff (COS) for the El Paso VA Health Care System (EPVAHCS) providing executive level and secretarial services support and coordination in support of the numerous and diverse functional areas and programs within EPVAHCS. Responsibilities Major Duties: Perform a variety of duties using knowledge of administrative support and health care operations, as well as a thorough knowledge of office procedures to support the Chief of Staff (COS) for the EPVAHCS. Possesses knowledge of administrative processes and procedures and can explain them to Service Chiefs, AOs or their secretaries. Policies/procedures are promulgated by the COS or Director after obtaining clarification from the source. Responsible for the coordination of the COS's calendar and must coordinate and contact individuals outside the agency ranging from other government agencies to the general public. Primary EPVAHCS contact for the William Beaumont Army Medical Center residents. Processes incoming/outgoing materials such as correspondence, reports, memoranda and other forms of written communication. Edits letters, composes letters/reports, reviews correspondence for accuracy/completeness, prepares public presentation outlines and develops standard or form letters and replies to inquiries. Serves as the primary timekeeper for COS office. Serves as alternate timekeeper for all services under the COS and other Executive Leadership team members. Types and maintains confidential proficiency ratings on Chiefs of professional services. Prepares correspondence for the signatures of the COS, Executive Assistant, other clinical Service Chiefs, administrative Service/Section Chiefs under the COS and the VIST Coordinator and maintains records/files for the same. Responsible for completing meeting minutes for at least three clinical committees in a comprehensive and timely manner. Serves as the primary coordinator for responding to congressional correspondence. This includes receiving the request, assigning, tracking, monitoring and following until completion and sending a response to the congressional office. Schedules appointments, coordinates meetings, and/or schedules conferences. Obtains/monitors the use of services or equipment for the office of the COS. Enters requests for purchase of supplies and/or equipment. Work Schedule: 7:45am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD010710 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, 09/21/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of duties, goals, priorities, commitments, policies and program goals of health care system operations sufficient to perform assignments such as reviewing publications, directives, and other materials and taking appropriate follow up action; Skill in written communication sufficient to prepare correspondence; Skill in transcribing dictation for minutes, letters, memos, and reports of contact; Qualified typist for typing memos, letters, minutes, policy memorandums, position descriptions, performance standards, requests for equipment and supplies; Knowledge of rules, regulations, and processes as it relates to time and attendance; General knowledge of health care system operations; Skill in the operation of personal computers to input and retrieve data; Knowledge of procedures controlling files, reports, suspense's, etc. 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/.
