Clarification from the agency

This is an INTERNAL job announcement, open to current, permanent LTC Charles S Kettles VA Medical Center and supporting CBOC employees ONLY.

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Major duties for this position includes but is not limited to:

The incumbent for this positionwill have:

• Knowledge of the organization, policies, mission, goals, procedures, and organizational structures, as well as the Medical Center Director's responsibilities to help ensure the smooth functioning and efficient operations for the Office of the Director.
• Prepares travel orders and makes travel and accommodation reservations as requested by Medical Center Director.
• Organizes materials for Medical Center Director's use in public speaking, develops background information, and prepares outlines for speeches.
• Attends meetings, prepares minutes, and ensures their timely distribution.
• Participates in the preparation of special reports, projects, and investigations to support the Offices of the Director, Associate Medical Center Director, and Assistant Director.
• Knowledge of the management process used to manage the office and deal with emergencies, e.g., emergency preparedness plan, office contingency plans and call-back lists, reporting requirements to the Network, and VA Central Office.
• Skill in analyzing the effectiveness of established programs and in developing recommendations for changes utilizing formal process improvement methodologies.
• Independently plans and carries out projects, selecting approaches and methods to be used in completing assignments

Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD014580
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• 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 dentification 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 may 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 or trial 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, 03/02/2026.

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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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-07 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 the organization, policies, mission, goals, procedures, and organizational structures, as well as the Medical Center Director's responsibilities to help ensure the smooth functioning and efficient operations for the Office of the Director. Thorough understanding of VA Central Office structure/organization is needed to assist the Medical Center Director in his/her day-to-day activities. Knowledge of travel regulations, electronic travel packages, the preparation of travel orders, and making arrangements on behalf of the Medical Center Director.

OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree

  or

  2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree

  or

  LL.B. or J.D., if related.

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 1 year of Graduate Education. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond the first year (18 semester hours) of Graduate Level education.

In addition to meeting experience requirements, applicants for these positions must show possession of the following skills, as appropriate.

• 40 words per minute typing speed

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Clerical
• Communications
• Computer Skills
• Manages and Organizes Information

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: The incumbent's work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light to medium weight items is required

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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.