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Secretary (OA)

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS)

Summary

Provides administrative and clerical support to a complex healthcare service line, coordinating workflow, managing calendars, and ensuring timely processing of correspondence and reports. Compiles and analyzes program data, supports budget and timekeeping functions, and serves as a central point of contact for staff and external stakeholders while ensuring compliance with policies and procedures.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
03/27/2026 to 03/31/2026
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$46,076 to - $59,898 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 6
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
San Antonio, TX
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—ad-hoc only, in accordance with agency policies.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time - Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CAZM-12920471-26-AC
Control number
862589900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open only to current-permanent Federal employees at the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital & its satellite clinics, and CTAP eligible applicants.

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Duties

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  • Organize varied clerical work in a large government/medical setting.
  • Organize workflow between the employees of the service, the Administrative Officer, and entities outside the service.
  • Prioritize tasks and assignments and maintain a suspense system to assure timeliness of correspondence and reports.
  • Prepare reports in an appropriate written format and/or communicate reports verbally.
  • Functions as the primary timekeeper and in a back-up capacity as needed.
  • Maintain appointment calendar and schedule appointments and meetings.
  • Complete work quickly and accurately using Vista/DHCP, Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access), and various other data/information retrieval systems.
  • Ensure completed work is reviewed and forwarded to appropriate personnel in a timely and accurate manner.
  • Order and maintain office supplies.
  • Track, store, collect, research and compile data for independent analysis.
  • Review incoming mail and prepares response for appropriate signature.
  • Receive visitors and telephone calls to the service.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework, ad-hoc only, in accordance with agency policies.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD671-0229-0
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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 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)
  • Typing Skill-40 words per minute (wpm) required
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, 03/31/2026.

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-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.

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 would typically include, but are not limited to: performing progressively responsible administrative and clerical support work in a complex organizational environment, including coordinating office operations and workflow among staff and leadership; maintaining calendars, scheduling meetings, and arranging travel; establishing and maintaining suspense systems to track correspondence, reports, and deadlines; preparing, reviewing, and routing a wide range of correspondence and reports for accuracy and compliance with organizational policies; collecting, compiling, and analyzing administrative or program data to produce recurring and ad hoc reports; performing timekeeping and attendance functions and resolving discrepancies; utilizing office automation systems such as Microsoft Office and organizational databases to manage information and produce documents; serving as a primary point of contact for internal and external stakeholders by responding to inquiries and providing guidance on procedures; supporting budget, procurement, or property management processes; and maintaining official records and filing systems while ensuring confidentiality and adherence to records management requirements.
Preferred Experience:
  • Proficient in Microsoft Apps
  • 1+ year of customer service
  • Ability to manage multiple complex tasks simultaneously

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/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:

  • Accountability
  • Attention to Detail
  • Clerical
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • Organizational Awareness
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Project Management
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Reasoning
  • Self-Management
  • Stress Tolerance
  • Teamwork


Your 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. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Veterans Health Administration

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?

The South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) is comprised of two inpatient campuses: the Audie L. Murphy Memorial VA Hospital in San Antonio and the Kerrville VA Hospital in Kerrville, Texas. The STVHCS serves one of the largest primary service areas in the nation, with 35 counties, and is part of the VA Heart of Texas Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN 17), with offices located in Arlington, Texas. Providing a service to Veterans with a working staff of more than 5900 employees, South Texas provides health care services for 114,000 Veterans. The STVHCS is a facility providing primary, secondary and tertiary health care in medicine, surgery, psychiatry, and rehabilitation medicine. It also supports a 90 bed Extended Care Therapy Center, a 30-bed Spinal Cord Injury Center, and a Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center. Affiliated with UT Health San Antonio, the system has an active ambulatory care program with numerous satellite outpatient clinics.

Agency contact information

VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
Email
VISN17SSUUSAS@va.gov
Address
Audie L Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital
7400 Merton Minter Boulevard
San Antonio, TX 78229
US

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https://www.va.gov/jobs/

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