Secretary (OA)- (Health Administration Service)

Summary The Primary Purpose of the Position is to serve as administrative/clerical support to the Chief/Assistant Chief, MAS and perform other duties pertinent to the efficient management of the MAS office and four distinct MAS Sections. Incumbent coordinates prioritization of work with the Chief/Assistant Chief, and Section Chiefs. The Organizational Location of the Position is Office of the Chief, Medical Administration Service (MAS), VA North Texas Health Care System, Dallas, TX. Responsibilities Duties but not limited to: Serves as Secretary to the Chief, Medical Administration Service (MAS) and other staff as assigned. Incumbent also serves as receptionist for visitors and employees who enter the MAS suite. In addition, performs other duties pertinent to the efficient management of the Office of the Chief, MAS. Investigates and processes tort claims in the amount of $2500 or less for all of VA North Texas Health Care system. Serves as the primary person to enter 2247's for all of VA North Texas Health Care System. Receives and screens telephone calls to the Chief/Assistant Chief, MAS from the general public, local, civic, state and federal officials; other hospital officials, service organizations, congressional staff officials; Central Office personnel, regional offices and etc. Also, handles many requests for information and resolves or assists in resolving a variety of complaints or requests made by patients and/or their family members. Arranges conferences, meetings and/or appointments with individuals and/or groups (within and outside the Medical Center) at the request of the Chief, coordinating time and place. Secures necessary material and equipment as appropriate to be used at meetings or conferences and sometimes attends such conferences to compose detailed or summary of accounts. Also maintains calendars, recording such activities, keeping the Chief/Assistant Chief informed, and scheduling events to avoid conflicts. Receives and reads incoming mail, determining proper action, routing mail to appropriate sections for action as indicated and follows up to see that deadlines are met, and prepares replies on matters that do not require the personal attention of the Chief/Assistant Chief. Reviews all outgoing correspondence, reports, minutes, etc. for proper format, corrects grammatical content, spelling, proper enclosures and complete coordination, and ensures content is in accordance with established policies. Rewrites letters that are poorly composed before referring to appropriate staff member. Serves as liaison between the Assistant Chief, MAS, his subordinate staff and services in terms of receiving, relaying and passing· information on non-technical issue and/or policy. Instructs and assists secretaries/program clerks under auspices of the Chief, MAS, on preparation of correspondence, minutes, reports and other procedural matters. Makes hotel reservations, prepares appropriate training and/or travel forms, and coordinates with travel clerk in completing airline arrangements. Serves as the primary timekeeper for employees supervised by the Chief/Assistant Chief, MAS. Serves as the backup timekeeper to all MAS T&L's. The position involves diverse activities, strict deadlines, dealing with highly confidential materials and interfacing with the Executive Leadership of the Medical Center, Veterans Service Organizations, Service Chiefs, vendors, bereaved family members, local city/state officials, patients and their families, and members of the community at large. Knowledge of DHCPNISTA, CPRS and a variety of software programs (e.g. word, power point, excel, access, etc). Skill in creating statistical charts and graphs for reports. Maintains the VA North Texas Health Care System Medical Administration Service staffing statistical database (Le. turn-over, vacancy rates, etc). Prepares data for Human Resources for job announcements and recruitment to fill vacancies with in the service. Knowledge of VHA organizational structure, mission, policy, and services offered, and/of all the functions of Medical Administration Service to enable the incumbent to screen requests for information; provide authorized information from files and records or advise on established procedures, and refer non-routine requests to appropriate staff members. The incumbent works under the technical/management supervision of the Chief, MAS. Works independently following established policies/guidelines. Additional duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm. Telework: Not authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)- (Health Administration Service)/PD084630 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 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) 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 or 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, 06/05/2026. 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-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-06 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: management and coordination of office operations and organization; exercises sound judgement and decisions in carrying out the expectations, duties, and responsibilities of the position; skill in interpersonal relations, diplomacy, tact with patients, visitors, staff, and other individuals from the community; use of Microsoft Office as well as microcomputer and data management software; Design and manage projects using standard applications software; skilled in word processing to compose written material and routine correspondence; skilled in the use of English language, grammatical organization, sentence structure, punctuation, spelling, word usage, and medical terminology. TYPING PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT: 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.You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Customer Service Computer Skills Organizational Awareness 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 is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at Education There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information 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. 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.