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Secretary

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Atlanta VA Health Care System - Chief of Staff
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position serves as the principal clerical and administrative support position in the immediate organizational unit in or for which the persons assisted have responsibility, by carrying out and coordinating all the clerical and day-to-day administrative support activities which are typically required to accomplish the work of the organization.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
05/11/2026 to 05/13/2026
This job will close when we have received 50 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$59,095 - $76,820 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 8
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Atlanta, GA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
CBTB-12957903-26-CMW
Control number
868675900

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Duties

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Major duties include but are not limited to:

  • Responsible for providing assistance with a variety of problems and inquiries which are received in person, telephonically, or by referral from other secretaries, receptionists or support staff in the organization.
  • The position involves drafting correspondence, such as routine official correspondence, social and personal acknowledgments, congratulatory letters, acceptance letters, and routine office reports.
  • Performs typing on a computer keyboard wherein the work requires competitive level proficiency in typing as well as knowledge of office hardware and software systems.
  • Provides clerical and administrative assistance to the organization.
  • Determines nature of call or business of visitors, if business requires the attention of technical or staff specialists, decides whether the importance of business such as to require personal attention of superiors or if the visitor should be referred to the appropriate organizational component concerned with specific subject.
  • Authorized to give out administrative and technical information to callers upon determination of their right to receive it. When calls involve matters on which superiors will require background information, tactfully postpones the conversation, obtains the required information, and presents the information when informing the superiors of the pending call.
  • Maintains the manager's daily calendar, making appointments and arranging conferences and meetings without specific prior approval, based on a knowledge of the manager's schedule.
  • On own initiative, makes arrangements for such meetings by reserving space, setting the specific time, and contacting all personnel expected to attend.
  • Performs typing on a computer keyboard wherein the work requires competitive level proficiency in typing as well as knowledge of office hardware and software systems.
  • Utilizes a variety of office automation systems and various software packages to accomplish work. Assignments include text editing; file creation, maintenance, and retrieval; use of message, calendar, and suspense systems; and use of other specialized tools in support of specific functions. Utilizes knowledge of software utilities and function commands to manipulate text to accomplish formats, revisions, deletions, and additions.
  • Prepares a variety of narrative and statistical material, correspondence, reports, etc., in final form for supervisor's signature. Uses judgment in selecting spacing; arranging material; and ensuring proper punctuation, grammar, spelling, and capitalization.
  • Screens all calls and visitors, answering questions and completing most business involving established policy or routine matters without referring people to the supervisor
  • Serves as unit timekeeper
  • Establishes and maintains all necessary files and disposes of record material in accordance with VA regulations.
  • Serves as a liaison for several high level committees and prepares agendas, takes and transcribes all notes, prepares meeting minutes for signature
  • Reviews all documents being routed up the Chain of Command for general conformance with policy, clarity, completeness, grammar, factual correctness, typographical accuracy and necessary attachments, calling any deviations to the attention of the writer.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm. Work Schedule is subject to change based on agency need.
Telework: This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Secretary/PD070952
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
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 is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as papers, and books. 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)
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, 05/18/2026.

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-08 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 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:

  • Administrative secretary/assistant work to executive management in a health care setting
  • Prioritizing, coordinating support and completing tasks within established timeframes
  • Use of office automation equipment such as computers, telephones, conference equipment, copiers, and fax machines
  • Following complex administrative procedures
  • Experience developing and installing office procedures, policies and practices
  • Use of computer programs, such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Outlook)
  • Preparation of reports, correspondence, memoranda, and other forms of written communication
  • Interfacing with outside organizations, referring visitors and callers to appropriate staff
  • Instruct others on procedural requirements of a job
  • Serving as a liaison to convey information
  • Assembling/preparing information for a variety of meetings, reports and correspondence at the executive level

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
  • Customer Service
  • Decision Making
  • Flexibility
  • Integrity/Honesty
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Learning
  • 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.

Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

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 Atlanta Health Care System is a Complexity Level 1A tertiary facility and is authorized 446 inpatient beds. It is a teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services complete with state-of-the-art technology, education and research. Comprehensive health care is provided through emergency medicine, primary care, tertiary care, and long-term care in the areas of medicine, surgery, mental health, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, oncology, dentistry, geriatrics, and extended care. The Atlanta Health Care System is part of the VA Southeast Network (VISN 7), which includes facilities in Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina.

Agency contact information

Carla Williams
Email
carla.williams10@va.gov
Address
Atlanta VA Medical Center
1670 Clairmont Road
Decatur, GA 30033
US

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

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