Staff Assistant

Summary The Office of General Counsel(OGC) provides legal advice and services to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (SECVA) and all organizational components of the Department. The Office of General Counsel's senior leadership consists of the General Counsel (GC), the Principal Deputy General Counsel (PDGC), and the Deputy General Counsel (DGC). Under the supervision of the Executive Assistant, the Staff Assistant provides analytical, administrative and project management support for senior leadership. Responsibilities Receiving special assignments from GC and PDGC requiring expeditious and judicious assemblage of data or information Preparing project papers, compiling documents from multiple sources, and organizing and delivering briefings to management to encourage the understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations, or to promote acceptance and/or gain approval of new concepts and changes Participating in an administrative capacity in high-level meetings with senior office staff, program directors, and other staff as requested Managing suspense dates for tracked correspondence and independently monitoring and coordinating a large volume of documents as assigned Coordinating priorities and meetings with other VA offices; acting as frontline liaison handling communication with persons and/or groups within and outside of the organization or office Researching, fact finding, analyzing and solving problems, legal writing, and summarizing regulations and policies Coordinating assignment due dates and extensions in a diplomatic and timely manner and making necessary corrections and updates for office correspondence Applying practical understanding of the legal activities sufficient to investigate, analyze, and resolve issues in assigned work Overseeing scheduling, calendars, documentation of meetings, preparation of travel documents, and other administrative support to ensure timely and effective completion of goals and objectives Participating in the daily work and support for group project management, and cooperating with the internal project management audit team Performing analysis and statistical evaluation of factors influencing project results, preparing the results in a presentation format Ensuring briefing materials are prepared and submitted for meetings on complex issues Analyzing and evaluating quantitative and qualitative measures of effectiveness of OGC's ability to meet established goals and objectives Reading and analyzing a wide range of non-routine incoming materials for distributions to Front Office staff or Law Groups Conducting extensive fact-finding activities and consolidating information into concise summaries with decision points and options 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, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available - Ad Hoc telework (situational telework) as determined by the agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: PD19230A and PD19229A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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 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 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a one year probationary period or two 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 one year probationary period or two year trial 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, 06/19/2026. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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 some former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. See the Required Document section below for more information regarding the SF-50s needed to verify time-in-grade. In order to qualify for the GS-11, you must meet the following: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-9) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: possessing a high degree of administrative ability and familiarity with a wide array of support functions and activities used to oversee the day-to-day operations of a Staff Office level front office. Knowledge of the VA and OGC protocols, processes, procedures, formats and styles governing executive and controlled communications. Knowledge and understanding of modern management theories, principals, practices and techniques, and their application, in order to efficiently and effectively perform the day-to-day planning, direction, coordination and control of assigned OGC management support areas. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a master's or equivalent graduate degree; OR 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR a LL.B. or J.D., if related. This education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and Graduate education beyond the first full year. In order to qualify for the GS-12, you must meet the following: You must demonstrate in your resume at least one year (52 weeks) of qualifying specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal government, obtained in either the private or public sector, to include: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-9) 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 and understanding of modern management theories, principals, practices and techniques, and their application, in order to efficiently and effectively perform the day-to-day planning, direction, coordination and control of assigned OGC management support areas in order to make decisions or recommendations that impact the entirety of OGC (e.g., performance measures, performance standards, contract management, space planning, and continuous process improvement). Knowledge of the legal field to include legal research techniques and databases, basic legal frameworks and concepts, and an understanding of the professional obligations of a lawyer and required conduct for those working for/on behalf a lawyer. Applied knowledge of legal and factual resource tools. Demonstrates a practical understanding of the legal activities sufficient to investigate, analyze, and resolve issues in assigned work. 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: Resume must include job title and employer name, number of hours worked per week, start and end dates (including month and year), list of duties and responsibilities for each position held. In addition, if the experience was a federal position, you must list series and grade for each position held. Failure to include this information may result in an ineligible rating. A full year of work is considered to be 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 primarily sedentary and may involve some slight physical effort such as using a computer at a desk, sitting in conferences/meetings, standing, walking, bending, pushing a small cart, carrying light items, lifting moderate weighty items. Typing and data entry using a keyboard is required. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at The 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 found well qualified, applicants must meet the following qualifications: Investigating, analyzing, and resolving issues in assigned work. Supporting legal service delivery on assigned matters, including but not limited to, fact finding, problem analysis, problem solving, legal writing, and summarizing regulations and policies. Interpretating and implementing of existing policy and standards for the assigned areas. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at Local Commuting Area: The local commuting area for this position is defined as a radius of 50 miles from Washington, DC. This includes all locations that fall within a 50 mile driving distance from 810 Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420 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: 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: Recognition of Foreign Qualifications | International Affairs Office. 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 (HRA) at The Fair Chance Act. 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. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. 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 here: