Administrative Support Assistant

Summary

The VA Northeast Ohio Healthcare System is recruiting for a Administrative Support Assistant. The Administrative Support Assistant will function in Office of the Chief section of the Patient Care Administrative Service.

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Duties

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Duties of the Administrative Support Assistant include but are not limited to:

• Receives and screen the vast majority of callers and visitors to the Office of the Chief, who include Veterans and/or their family members, Veteran Service Officers (VSO), officials of other federal, state, and local agencies, Medical Center staff, and the general public.
• Determines the nature of the call or visit and refers individuals to the appropriate staff member or service for assistance, personally responding to routine and non-technical requests for information.
• Controls the scheduling of the Chiefs calendar.
• Sets priorities and schedules all appointments without prior clearance or approval.
• Receives, reviews, and screens all incoming correspondence, determining which requires the personal attention of the Chief ensuring proper distribution and disposition of all other correspondence to PCAS staff.
• Researches any previous correspondence or background material on a specific subject matter and forwards with correspondence to assist in drafting a reply or making an appropriate verbal response.
• Prepares various memorandums for Chief, Assistant Chief, and section chiefs.
• Assists the Chief, Assistant Chief, and subordinate personnel in the procedural aspects of expediting workflow, advising personnel on requirements for preparation and submission of data, action documents, and other correspondence.
• Analyzes all incoming correspondence, ensuring correctness of grammar, punctuation and formatting are in accordance with local and VA guidelines.
• Serves as timekeeper for the Office of the Chief, including sections chiefs, ensuring compliance with electronic time and attendance reporting policies and procedures.
• Coordinates personnel management activities for the Office of the chief, preparing employee personnel actions considered restrictive in nature, i.e. SF52 (Request for Personnel Action) electronically In Web HR, VA Form 3482b (Performance Appraisal).
• Serves as liaison between PCAS and Human Resources Management (HRM) Service on civilian personnel management, ensuring actions are completed in a timely manner and in accordance with HRM policies and procedures.
• Maintains a current organizational chart and listing of PCAS employees by Position Description Title and Number, updating as vacancies occur and recruitment actions are filled.
• Manages travel for the Chief, Assistant Chief and other PCAS employees as required, using sound judgment to make decisions on developing travel itineraries to coincide with agendas and schedules.
• Responsible for typing meeting minutes for designated PCAS meetings with responsibility for sentence structure, grammar, and spelling.
• Assists with the coordination of data for submission of many recurring and non-recurring reports required by VARO and/or management.
• Provides guidance and assistance on applicable procedures, instructions, and regulations to all clerical support staff assigned to PCAS.
• Relays instructions and decisions made by the Chief to appropriate personnel, either orally or by correspondence.
• Establishes and maintains all files electronically pertinent to the Chiefs work area. May also delegate routine tasks to appropriate personnel without prior review by the Chief.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Administrative Support Assistant / PD08525A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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, 07/15/2026.

• 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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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.
• Applicants must be eligible under the VA Interchange Agreement, having served continuously for at least one year in the other merit system under this interchange agreement. For more information regarding the VA Interchange Agreement please visit:
• All Title 38 Veterans Canteen Service (VCS) employees must have served in their Excepted Service position for at least 90 days in order to be eligible for a position within the Competitive Service.
• Applicants who were previously selected under a Competitive Delegating Examining Office (DEO) announcement must have served in their position for at least 90 days prior to being eligible for other positions within the Competitive Service.

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-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Collecting and monitoring data, conducting program reviews and analysis, reviewing and preparing various reports, identifying existing or potential problem areas and recommending corrective action, scheduling appointments, understanding basic human resources processes, addressing minor technical issues with computer hardware and software, working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite computer programs.

Preferred Experience: Previous experience in an administrative support role, proficient in Microsoft Office and other computer based applications and knowledge of HR administrative processes.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Clerical
• Oral Communication
• Customer service
• Writing
• Computer Skills
• Attention to Detail
• Data Management

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: Work is mostly sedentary; however, some walking bending, and stooping is required.

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.

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

"VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being."

The Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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

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.

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.