Clarification from the agency

This position is only open to current, permanent West Palm Beach VA Medical Center employees.

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Primary Responsibilities

Administrative Coordination:
Manages the Chief's calendar, schedules appointments, and handles all incoming communications. The incumbent is responsible for drafting correspondence, preparing meeting minutes, and coordinating travel vouchers and training requests.

Personnel & Timekeeping:
Serves as the primary timekeeper for employees. This includes managing staff clearances, tracking annual performance appraisals, and assisting with various HR-related actions.

Data & Record Management:
Acts as the Records Liaison, maintaining service files and ensuring proper disposal of inactive records. The role involves researching and summarizing data to create administrative reports and utilizing VA-specific databases (VISTA/IFCAP).

Service Support:
Provides procurement backup for the Fiscal Clerk and maintains emergency callback lists for disaster preparedness (e.g, hurricane response).

Required Qualifications

• Technical Proficiency: A typing speed of at least 40 WPM and mastery of Microsoft Office.
• Specialized Knowledge: Familiarity with medical terminology relevant to Radiology and Imaging, as well as VA regulations regarding personnel and records management.
• Professionalism: Strong communication skills to interact effectively with hospital leadership, veterans, and external stakeholders.

Work Schedule: 8:00am -4:30pm, Monday - Friday
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA) - (Imaging Service)/PD013230
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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, 04/30/2026.

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 and/or education as described below:

• Typing Proficiency requirement: You must be able to type 40 words per minute. In addition to meeting experience or education requirements, applicants for this position must show possession of the following skills, as appropriate. Applicants may meet the requirements by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. Agencies may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test.
• 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:
• Schedule Service staff meetings using Microsoft Teams and Outlook.
• Responsible for answering and routing calls appropriately with internal and external customers.
• Compose and review technical medical and administrative documents, ensuring accuracy and proper formatting.
• Serves as the primary timekeeper and utilizes VATAS to manage timekeeping for Imaging Service.
• Serves as service purchase card holder. Process and reconcile purchase card transactions in accordance with VA policies.
• Apply specialized imaging and medical terminology for accurate transcription and report preparation.
• Coordinate personnel actions, travel vouchers, and records management while maintaining strict HIPAA and Privacy Act compliance.
• Exercise excellent customer service skills when communicating with patients, vendors, and medical center staff.
• Serves as a liaison between clinical and administrative staff within Imaging Service, providing essential secretarial and coordination support.
• Assist Service Chief with Radiologists' weekly and on call schedules.
• Knowledge of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formats for a variety of documents.
• Knowledge and ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Knowledge of filing, typing, entering data, maintaining records, using and completing forms.

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

• Communication
• Computer Skills
• Customer Service
• Writing

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 sedentary. There may be occasional carrying of light objects such as files, papers, and books. No special physical qualifications are required except ability to reach or stoop to lift and obtain files and to be able to communicate effectively with a wide variety of people. There may be need for extended hours on occasion due to emergency situations or emergency operations.

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.