Program Support Assistant (OA)

Summary Employee will serve as a Program Support Assistant within the Research Administration Budget Office of the Research and Development Service (R&D) located at the VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS) in Portland, OR. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION This position plays a key role performing technical work in direct support of administrative areas such as operating program analysis, accounting, budget, procurement, and/or travel, and is essential to the operation of the service. Duties will include, but may not be limited to the following: Manages various administrative and technical processes within the office and ensures that procedures are understood and followed by the research community. Maintains system of accountability of research funds and reconciles/balances books to research fund control points. Coordinates office operations and processing, ensuring accurate preparation of documents, action items, correspondence, personnel issues, and travel issues using office automation applications. Coordinates and reports all safety-related activities in research laboratories, i.e., safety inspections, accident reporting, etc. Arranges leadership calendar, making appointments, including for engagements and conferences. Coordinates travel, makes reservations for travel and accommodations for management and staff members. Serves as the automated data processing coordinator to assist with computer needs and access. Reviews research activities involving biological, chemical, physical, and radiation hazards for compliance with applicable regulations, policies, and guidelines. Advises and educates investigators and study staff on operational procedures for obtaining and maintaining approval to conduct research. Manages and enters data into specialized research software to track research project status and prepare reports. Serves as a purchase card holder for the acquisition of supplies, equipment, and services. Coordinates the maintenance and repair of all equipment. Initiates requisitions for maintenance contracts, and repair orders. Performs other duties as necessary. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday-8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Requirements 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 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 identification 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) - See "Required Documents" below for details. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary 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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Requires one full year of specialized 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 position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-6) in the Federal service. Specialized experience is working in a health services research environment Coordinating the day-to-day administrative activities of the office, and includes purchasing, a wide range of standard items with consideration to price, delivery dates, transportation, shipping, and handling charges, and maintaining system of accountability of research funds, reconciling/balancing books to research fund control points. Processes micro-purchases (credit card) transactions. Acts as a Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for department contracts. (Resumes must clearly support the required experience to be creditable. See the announcement duties section for details.) In addition to meeting the specialized experience you must also self-certify that you are a qualified typist. TYPING PROFICIENCY: This position requires the skills of a qualified typist. In addition to meeting the experience and/or education requirements, you must be able to type at least 40 words per minute. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORK ENVIRONMENT: The work is primarily sedentary, however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, pushing of carts, and carrying of items of moderate weight such as large binders, banker style file boxes, meeting materials, papers, or books. No special physical demands are required to perform the work. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting, and training rooms, or libraries. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated; however, the office is in proximity to basic research laboratories and to animal facilities, which requires close adherence to facility safety and security procedures. 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. Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Therefore, it is not necessary to submit transcript(s). 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: 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: Additional Information 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. 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. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at Note: Per "Executive Order 14251: Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs", this position is no longer eligible for bargaining unit participation.