Secretary

Summary This Secretary position is located in the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, Office of the Director, Customer Service and Outreach, New Orleans, Louisiana and supports the provisions of supplemental services through volunteers and service organizations and through programs directly benefiting the Veteran patient. Responsibilities The duties of this Secretary position include but are not limited to: Assists with reviewing and interpreting directives and regulations. Assists with internal policies, procedures, and work methods affecting administrative management operations and ensures compliance. Reviews correspondence prior to signature of the Director before being forwarded outside the organization. Responsible for the disposition of obsolete material; maintaining reports and a diary on service circular expirations and coordinating with Veteran Experience Coordinator on updating and making revisions to these circulars. Arranges meetings, seminars, or conferences, including reserving meeting rooms, notifying participants. Interprets and utilizes VISTA and other computer programs such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Publisher, Purchase Card credit entries, and staff time card data entry. Receives telephone and personal calls: handles routine matters not requiring technical knowledge and refers technical matters to the person having responsibility for such. Serves as primary focal point for the organization. Takes notes from Veteran Experience Coordinator for numerous letters, memoranda, reports, etc. takes minutes for various meetings and conferences. Edits correspondence, types correspondence, reports, bulletins for staff members transcribing from either own notes or handwritten drafts. Remains fully cognizant of VA procedures for preparation and clearance of correspondence and action documents; advises other within the service of such procedures to ensure accuracy and compliance with policies and regulations. Promotes positive relations between VA staff and the complement of voluntary workers. Stays informed of rules, policy changes, as well as initiate needed record keeping as required for reports and evaluations. Keeps calendar of the supervisor to setup interviews, speeches, tours, meetings and other community commitments. Work Schedule: Typically, Monday-Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm; subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary/PD07298O 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 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: Some walking, standing, bending, and carrying light items such as books, records, and supplies are required. Supplies are distributed to appropriate services by cart. Incumbent occasionally carry items into office from outside vehicles and sorts through the articles for proper distribution. 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, 09/30/2026. 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-05 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-04. 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 and/or education as described below: For a GS- 05 position - Per 5 CFR § 300.604(c) Advancements to positions up to GS-5: Candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest nontemporary competitive appointment. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-04 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience using the VISTA Computer Program System to interpret and utilize VISTA and other computer programs. Skill in interpersonal relation practices to promote positive relations between VA staff and voluntary workers. Skill in scheduling to keep calendar of the supervisor to setup interviews, speeches, tours, meetings, and other community commitments. Skill in written communication to prepare correspondence, information papers, reports, memorandums and other documents ensuring proper grammar, spelling, format, and attachments. Skill in oral communication to complete everyday secretarial duties i.e., answering phone calls, teams calls and messages, and emails. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have four years of successfully completed education above the high school level (transcripts required). OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education in excess of the first 60 semester hours (i.e., beyond the second year). For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at 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: 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. 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 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.