Summary The position is at the full performance level located in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System in the Surgical Service. The primary purpose of the position is to serve as a Program Support Assistant to the Chief of the Surgical Service, and other staff within the Surgical Service as needed. The Program Support Assistant is under the supervision of the Surgical Service Administrative Officer. Responsibilities Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Performs routine and non-routine, procedural, and/or standard assignments that support office administration and/or program analytical work. Responsible for supporting a variety of planning, coordination, and logistical activities for the Surgical Service, including the following: provides administrative assistance to the Surgical Service Chief, Administrative Officer, and as needed, to other Surgical Service professional staff. Screens calls and visitors to the Chief's office; when appropriate, refers important information (messages, memos, fax, etc.) to the Administrative Officer. Alerts the Chief and Administrative Officer of any requests for action or information from VHA, VISN, the VISN Surgical Consultant, National Surgery Office Director, and VASDHS leadership. Prepares documents with word processing and associated software; selecting the appropriate program for office needs including but not limited to: MS Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Word. Utilizes methods of automating administrative reports and creates detailed charts and graphs. Produces final documents by formatting, and inputting data and statistics, editing reports, retrieving data, and transmitting these documents into data to the responsible parties. Reads all directives, instructions, and any other material pertaining to administrative practices or clerical procedures to be aware of new or revised methods of processing. Schedules and monitors the various activities/functions of the Surgical Service Conference Room. Receives correspondence for signature and maintains the record filing document system, devising methods to streamline the filing system according to VA standards. Reviews for proper format, conformance with procedural instructions, grammar, typographical accuracy, and necessary attachments. In accordance with Human Resource Management regulations, facilitates hiring of staff in processing recruitment actions through the onboarding process. Ensures completeness of onboarding packets and verifies accuracy of information. Ensures all position descriptions and functional statements are in the current format and uploads into the appropriate systems, coordinates notification of onboarding to appropriate personnel for processing, coordinates and prepares paperwork for re-privileging for all applicable disciplines. Performs a variety of administrative duties and support for the Surgical Service Chief and Surgical Service professional staff including but not limited to: data collection and submission of the monthly VA reports; preparation of Quality Reviews; data collection for non-institutional care meetings; receipt of various documents for research grants, applications, abstracts, and articles; and preparation and tracking other correspondence such as memoranda, performance evaluations, proficiency reports, etc., from rough drafts, notes, oral presentations, dictation, etc., necessary for the operation of the Surgical Service. Prepares agenda and records minutes for the Surgical Leadership Committee and various other committees/meetings within the Surgical Service. Types and distributes minutes; and maintains files for the same. Maintains the Surgical Service's Policy and Procedure Manuals, types submitted changes to the policies, and updates electronic policy folders. Attends Surgical Service Staff Meetings. Coordinates conferences/training sessions, including such matters as location, agenda, attendance, travel requests, hotel accommodations, airline reservations, preparing appropriate paperwork, travel vouchers, reports, itinerary, etc. Orders keys for the service after approval received by the Administrative Officer. This includes verifying employee's authorization to access designated Surgical Service areas. Completes turn-in equipment requests; assists the monitoring of equipment life cycles; and conducts equipment inventory by scanning equipment. Requisitions office supplies, equipment and publications as needed. Serves as the primary point of contact for receiving, submitting, coordinating, and following up on concerns related to engineering work orders requests. Personally handles many requests for information and resolves or assists in resolving a variety of concerns made by patients, their families, staff, etc. Diplomatically and tactfully directs all inquiries appropriately, assuring the confidentiality, privacy, and security of patients and staff to promote excellent public relations. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: This position is not eligible for telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD010520 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/30/2024. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: performs routine and non-routine, procedural, and/or standard assignments that support office administration and/or program analytical work. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Clerical Customer Service (Clerical/Technical) Human Resources Management 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 requires no special physical demands. Primary work is done sitting down at the computer. Some walking, standing, light carrying, and bending is 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/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or 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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.