Summary This position is aligned under the Facilities Management Service Line located at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center - a complexity level 1B facility. The secretary participates actively in the supporting management functioning by performing routine administrative, medical and miscellaneous clerical work. Responsibilities Major Duties: The incumbent is secretary to the Chief, Engineering Service and is responsible for performing clerical and administrative duties of the service. Responsible for the training of clerical personnel, and provides guidance and assistance on applicable procedures, policies, instructions and regulations to clerical personnel assigned to the service. Receives all incoming calls to the Office of the Chief and retrieves and provides information whenever possible from files and reports. Discretion must be used in releasing information during telephone calls, personal contacts with visitors, staff and other health care professionals. Information is not released without consulting the chief of service. Responsible for screening calls, requests, and makes appointments for the chief, Engineering Service, and supervisory staff. Reports all in house service calls to appropriate shop personnel. Knowledge of the Chief's itinerary and schedule arranges for conferences and meetings. Maintains a schedule of meetings and making sure to remind chief and supervisory staff of these meetings and conferences. In the absence of the supervisor makes commitments and reschedules appointments and informing Chief. Composes correspondence and communications in final form from rough draft or dictation. Reviews outgoing correspondence for accuracy, format, conformance with procedural instructions, grammar, typographical accuracy and neatness before submitting for signature of appropriate official. Prepares a variety of recurring and special reports reflecting both administrative activities and technical information using data from files and records maintained. Verifies accuracy and checks adequacy of information obtained presents material for review if appropriate and organizes and types final report. Takes and maintain minutes for the Environment of care Committee as required by JCAHO. Also assist Chief Engineer with documentation and follow up for the medical center space and equipment committee. Also provide assistance to the Chief on the with Medical Equipment Utility Management subcommittee to the EOC. Responsible for making travel arrangements for the Chief, supervisors and staff by preparing travel authorizations for training request. Responsible for organizing and maintaining general files and records, manuals, handbooks and other related materials. Performs other related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm, 8:00am-4:30pm or 8:30am-5:00pm (will discuss during interview) Compressed/Flexible: Not Authorized. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD04239O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized 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, 09/24/2024. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education or a combination of education and experience as described below: Experience - GS-5: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-4 level that equipped you with the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the Secretary (OA) position, and that is typically in or related to the duties of this position. For this position, specialized experience would consist of: Experience tracking, coordinating, updating, editing, compiling and maintaining files and records; clerical and administrative skills such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, correspondence formats, and records management; skill in using computer applications for functions such as word processing, spread sheets and database management; skill in time management, multi-tasking and organization; and communication and interpersonal relation skills sufficient to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers both verbally and in writing. --OR- Substitution of Education for Experience GS-5: Successfully completion of 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. One year of full-time academic study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university, or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial and technical school. Transcripts Required. --OR- Combination of Education and Experience GS-5: Equivalent combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet the total experience requirement at the GS-5 grade level. Education must be in access of first 2 year of post-high school education to be considered as described in experience and education. Transcripts Required. 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. GS-6 Specialized Experience: At least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 level in Federal Service. Specialized experience is defined as experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position would consist of: Knowledge of a full range of functions to operate word processing software, as well as additional functions to operate a variety of other office automation systems to fulfill various office needs, e.g., forms fill and production, and database management; knowledge of the substantial range of functions within all software types to check grammar and spelling, import and export data, edit tables and graphs within text, and update or modify existing databases; knowledge of clerical and administrative skills such as grammar, punctuation, spelling, correspondence formats, staffing charts, records management and filing requirements to assist in preparation, edit, quality control and retention of documentation; ability to prioritize, compile, interpret, analyze, and summarize data in the completion of assigned work; skill in planning, communicating, motivating, training and working with management and staff; and proven ability and skill to appropriately and courteously communicate and relate to internal and external customers. Proficiency Requirement: In addition to meeting experience and/or education requirements, applicants for this position must show possession of the following skill. Ability to type 40 words per minute. Applicants may meet this requirement 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Computer Skills Interpersonal Skills Team Building 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: Work is mainly sedentary, with some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers or books. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. 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. 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.