Secretary (OA)

Secretary (OA)

The primary purpose of the position is to serve as the principal office assistant, performing various administrative and clerical duties in support of the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff as necessary. The organizational location of the position is: Office of the Chief of Staff, VA North Texas Health Care System.

Duties:

• Establishes and updates tracker systems/files for various documents and/or programs.
• Develops, establishes updates and maintains office procedures and records/files of various types
• Develops standard or form letters for responding to inquiries and requests for information.
• Independently notes and follows up on commitments made at meetings and conferences by staff members.
• Prepares a wide variety of recurring and nonrecurring personal and executive correspondence, reports, minutes, and other documents from information obtained from the staff, files, meetings, and other sources.
• Proofreads/edits correspondence and documents for correct grammar, spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and format.
• Knowledge of concepts of grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and format to prepare and edit written correspondence and reports.
• Uses word processing software to create., copy, edit, store, retrieve., and print forms, memos, and letters.
• Independently plans and performs complex office automation duties requiring different approaches and methods
• Transmits and receives documents and messages electronically using personal computers
• Knowledge of VA protocol necessary for the many official visits by military, congressional, state and local government dignitaries.
• Knowledge of the Chief of Staff views and the Health Care System Services, functions, and programs to personally handles many matters
• Assists Services' clerical staff in locating and selecting the appropriate guidelines, references, and procedures for application to specific cases
• Independently consolidates and finalizes. information for various reports in accordance with established reporting procedures and informs supervisor of important matters and deadlines.

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.

Work Schedule: M-F 8:00AM-4:30PM Telework: This position may be authorized for adhoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA) PD037240 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Approved Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements:

• 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 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. 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, 02/28/2026. 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: Knowledge of the duties, priorities, commitments, policies, and program goals of the Chief of Staff sufficient to perform non-routine assignments, such as independently noting and following up on commitments made at meetings/conferences; shifting clerical staff in subordinate offices to respond to fluctuating workloads; advising other clerical staff on preparing correspondence, requirements for various reports, and interpreting new instructions and procedures; or locating and summarizing information from files and documents that requires recognizing which information is, or is not, relevant to the problem at hand Previous VHA or VA experience as a Secretary or Program Support Assistant reporting to a Service Level Manager or Executive.

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. 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