Administrative Officer

Summary

The War-Related Illnesses and Injury Study Center (WRIISC) is established at the Washington, D.C. Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The goal and objective of the center is to create a center of excellence where advancement and integration of research, clinical care, education and risk communication will improve the health of military personnel and veterans who served in a theatre of combat operations or in any area where hostilities occurred.

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Duties

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Duties:

• Oversee the daily activities and performance of administrative staff..
• Conduct regular performance evaluations and provide constructive feedback to enhance staff performance.
• Identify training and development needs of staff and coordinate appropriate training sessions.
• Facilitate staff meetings to ensure clear communication of WRIISC policies, procedures, and updates.
• Assign and monitor administrative tasks to ensure efficient workflow and timely completion of duties.
• Develop and implement work schedules that appropriately balance workload among administrative staff.
• Adjust assignments as necessary to accommodate changing priorities and ensure the highest level of service delivery.
• Ensure administrative processes and practices re in compliance with policies and regulations.
• Develop, review, and update standard operating procedures (SOPs) for administrative functions.
• Address and resolve conflicts among administrative staff in a timely and professional manner.
• Assist in the development and management of the administrative budget.
• Develop and implement action plans to achieve administrative goals.
• Coordinate the recruitment and hiring process for administrative, research, and clinical positions.
• Directs the personnel management program for the organization, performing or overseeing the full range of human resources requirements.
• Manages procurement and contracting for the organization. This may include preparing procurement requests, evaluating proposals for work, acting as a COTR for procurement, and/or maintaining procurement and contracting records.
• Prepares and reviews purchase order for supplies and non-expendable property such as equipment, to include personal computer hardware and software and other specialized equipment necessary to the effective functioning of the office.
• Performs administrative management requirements for the office. This includes applying administrative policies, maintaining various systems, handling travel and other staff requirements.
• Perform administrative work, which includes management of an office schedule and day-to-day plans. Develop routine plans or schedule using standard references and existing information. Based on defined objectives, determine specific steps, input required, or milestone. Identify schedule/time required, and estimates resources required.
• Develops and implements plans for use of clinical information system.
• Responsible for overseeing the scheduling of appointments, generating clinic appointment reminders,
  assembling clinic educational folders, checking patients into the clinic, distributing and updating intake forms, and coordinating provider schedules.
• Coordinates credentials and privileges program for the Medical Center. Maintain license, education and recommendation records for full, part-time and adjunct medical professional staff.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Administrative Officer/ PD688-252320

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans.

Requirements

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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)

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, 07/13/2026.

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-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 former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Workload Distribution & Oversight: Assigns work, monitors progress, adjusts workload. Policy Implementation & SOP Management: Ensures administrative processes comply with VA policy; develops/updates SOPs.

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-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Staff Management & Development: Supervises staff, conducts performance evaluations, provides coaching. Personnel Administration & HR Liaison Work: Oversees personnel actions, classification support, performance cycles, EEO responsibilities. Recruitment & Hiring Support: Coordinates recruitment, screens applicants, assists with hiring processes. Clinical Administrative Data & Workflows: Oversees patient scheduling data, intake processes, patient surveys, reporting.

Best Qualified Criteria:

• The position requires strong experience in managing diverse administrative operations, including personnel, procurement, budget, and program support, particularly within healthcare or research settings. A candidate with experience of using statistics program SAS or SPSS is preferred.
• It emphasizes skill in supervising staff, guiding performance, and improving administrative processes to enhance organizational efficiency.
• Candidates must demonstrate experience in managing staff time and attendance systems, handling personnel action requests such as position requests, promotions, market pay reviews, pay for performance, staff retention initiatives, and pay tier changes.
• Effective communication with leadership, contractors, and interdisciplinary teams is essential, along with the ability to manage complex programs, data analysis tasks, and competing priorities.
• Knowledge of federal regulations, VA policies, and compliance requirements is also a key qualification.

Preferred Experience: A candidate with experience of using SAS or SPSS statistics programs is preferred. A minimum of three years experience in coordinating or managing Veterans Health research, clinical care, and education related to the health of military personnel and Veterans is preferred. This experience should align with the mission of the War Related Illness and Injury Study Center (WRIISC).

Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

Work Environment: Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate controlled office. May require

occasional travel.

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

Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.

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 impairment (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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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.

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

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 States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.