Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent employees of the Tomah VA Medical Center, Tomah, WI and its outreach facilities including CBOC, VCS , and OCC employees NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Major Duties:

- Issues, adapts, implements, and maintains local SPS policies and procedures as applicable to specific facility/system programs and in compliance with VHA Directive.
- Assists the Chief of SPS in preparing, evaluating, and scheduling current and future projects, and anticipating future workload requirements to forecast appropriate staffing levels.
- In conjunction with the Chief of SPS, the assistant chief is responsible for developing policies and procedures that meet the infection prevention standards set by Joint Commission (JC), Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), Healthcare Sterile Processing Association (HSPA) and others and for monitoring compliance with those policies to meet established local, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), Veterans Health Administration and JC requirements for safe patient care.
- The Assistant Chief assists with human resources (HR) actions to include but not limited to, assisting with interviews, completing hiring actions, and issuing disciplinary actions, as needed. - Provides technical and direct supervision to GS3 through GS7 employees, including Medical Supply Technicians (MST) and MST Leads.
- Manages, directs, and adapts work to accomplish program goals and objectives, and to meet new and changing program requirements.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm or 7:30am-4:00pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 08396F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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 trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Experience: One year above high school that included at least 6 semester hours in health care related courses such as sterile processing, nursing assistant, hospital corpsman, and operating room and surgical technician courses or other courses related to the position
• Education: Four academic years above high school leading to a Bachelor's degree with at least 12 semester hours in courses related to the occupation or a Bachelor's degree.
• Combination: Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combination of experience and education are qualifying for entry level for which both education and experience are acceptable

Grade Determinations:

GS-9 GRADE REQUIREMENTS: You must have at least one year of experience equivalent to the lower grade level (GS-8) directly related to Medical Supply Technician work.

GS-9 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below:1). Ability to plan and project staffing needs and requirements.2). Ability to manage, interact and deal with individuals of varying backgrounds.3). Ability to manage, direct and adapt work to accomplish program goals and objectives, and meet new and changing program requirements.4). Ability to develop and recommend new or revised policies that are consistent with organizational goals and objectives.5). Ability to perform a full range of supervisory duties, including assigning, planning and evaluating work, recommending awards, approving leave, identifying training needs, and resolving staff issues.6). Ability to evaluate new products and equipment, develop options, and make recommendations.7). Ability to manage, interpret, and present fiscal data (i.e. fund controls, contracts and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs and administer an allocated budget.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-9. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-9.

Physical Requirements: The work requires frequent bending and lifting of equipment (occasionally weighing as much as 50 pounds), pushing/pulling of heavy carts; walking and/or standing for up to six hours at time, and wearing required Personal Protective Equipment for up to six hours at a time. The work requires dexterity and visual acuity for manipulating, disassembling and assembling of instrumentation. The employee often works around body fluids, mucous, excretions and bits of tissue, some of which may be foul smelling. Strong, unpleasant odors are encountered while decontaminating bloody or grossly contaminated instrumentation or RMD. The work area is noisy due to the clatter of metal instruments, rumbling of carts and the operation of reprocessing equipment.

Rotating tours/hours may be required based on organizational and departmental needs. This position is not suitable for telework.

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 MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

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.

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.