Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current permanent Veteran Health Administration (VHA) Employees Only. An SF-50 should be submitted for verification.

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The position is located in the at the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The incumbent works for the Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) or Service Chief of a Clinical Service aligned to the Chief of Staff and also supports the Service's Associate Chief Nurse (ACN) and/or Associate/Assistant Chiefs of that Clinical Service.

• Provides for the overall administrative management for the organization including interpreting administrative policies, developing/implementing local policies, defining administrative requirements and/or providing advice to top management on related issues.
• Applies new policies, provides advice on requirements, maintains administrative systems and prepares administrative paperwork.
• Plans and conducts management and quality improvement studies and analyses to determine the impact of medical facility realignments and changes.
• Directs the human resources management program for the organization, performing or overseeing the full range of human resources requirements.
• Acts as the liaison with Human Resources Management Service (HRMS) concerning personnel-related matters.
• Provides advice and assistance to managers and staff concerning Federal and agency human resources processes and procedures.
• Provides for the budgeting and financial management for the organization.
• Manages budget formulation and execution for a changing budget of administrative expenses involving different funding sources.
• Manages procurement and contracting for the Service. This may include preparing procurement requests, evaluation proposals for work, acting as a COR for procurements and/or maintaining procurements that requires varying approaches.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm
Telework: Ad-hoc. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Administrative Officer

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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 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 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, 04/08/2026.

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 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9 grade 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 grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Oversees a variety of administrative programs, including the distribution and dissemination of incoming mail, internal controls, records management, publication and forms management, and timesheets. Implements administrative policies and procedures for facility-wide areas of responsibility; propose improvements to administrative directives and policies; Analyzes management plans to determine the impact on administrative processes; Manages the overall supply needs, services, material movement, and real property for the medical facility.
  OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related.
  OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.

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

• Attention to Detail
• Decision Making
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Teamwork

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 work is primarily sedentary. It occasionally requires carrying of light objects such as files, books and papers; some walking, standing and bending. No special physical qualifications are 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.