Program Support Assistant

Summary

This position is located in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Salisbury Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Assistant Director Service in the Organizational Health and Development section. The position reports to the Supervisory Program Specialist, (Chief Veterans Experience Office).

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Duties

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The Program Support Assistant (PSA) provides comprehensive administrative, analytical, and technical support across all components of the OHD section.This includes supporting initiatives related to employee experience and engagement, innovation programs, and the Veterans Experience Office (VEO), including the Veterans Experience Advocate Office and MyHealtheVet (MHV). Ensures seamless coordination of activities, data integrity, customer support, and operational efficiency to advance OHD's mission of enhancing the experiences of Veterans, employees, and stakeholders. This position interacts with all Service Lines across the Health Care System, including the Executive Leadership Team. This position will be organized in the Organizational Health and Development section, under the direct supervision of the Chief, Veterans Experience Officer.

Duties include but are not limited to:

This position will provide administrative and operational support to OHD leadership and program areas by coordinating calendars, meetings, events, training sessions, and service-wide initiatives. This position will prepare correspondence, reports, presentations, and briefing materials for internal and external audiences and will maintain accurate and compliant records and filing systems in accordance with VA standards. This position will establish and maintain electronic records and files in accordance with guidelines and standard operating procedures and will update and maintain OHD memorandums and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). This position will record minutes of meetings as required, transcribe them in final format, and distribute them as necessary. This position will create the weekly Station Clearance Report, send to management weekly, and serve as the contact person for any inquiries. This position will serve as the Records Management Liaison for the OHD. This position will initiate and track procurement requests, supply orders, purchase card documentation support, Information Technology (IT) and access requests, and facility work orders to ensure timely processing and communication.

This position will support efforts that enhance the overall employee experience through coordination of engagement events, recognition activities, data analysis of employee experience and engagement, and internal communication processes. This position will assist in collecting and tracking data related to the All-Employee Survey (AES) action planning process and workforce experience initiatives. In preparation for the administration of the AES, this position will maintain and update mapping of facility services to ensure each service is accurately identified and aligned for survey coordination. This position will track updates to service structures or leadership assignments that may affect AES distribution lists or participation mapping and will

prepare AES focused service mapping materials to support communication and coordination with service line leaders prior to the survey launch.

This position will support the employee awards program across the Salisbury VA Health Care System, excluding performance awards and within grade increases. This recognition program is central to promoting staff morale and fostering a culture of appreciation. This position will ensure awards activities are conducted in compliance with Human Resources Directive 5017, and Medical Center Policy 659-05-4 and will communicate information transparently with staff. This position will support all aspects of the awards program, including co-chairing the Awards Committee, which meets monthly

to review nominations and vote on winners in alignment with policy guidance. As a subject matter expert in awards processing, this position will ensure the committee adheres to directives and policies governing award eligibility and distribution. This position will monitor, track, and review nominations submitted through the LEAF portal, ensuring quality control and timely processing.

This position will assist the Veterans Experience Office by providing administrative support to include the Patient Advocate Office and MHV programs, coordinating meetings, preparing correspondence, assisting with data review, and maintaining accurate documentation. This position will assist the Chief, Veterans Experience Office, with Veteran facing customer service programs designed to strengthen communication between Veterans, caregivers, and the organization. These programs support cultural improvement and build trust based on direct feedback from those served.

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

Telework: Adhoc, as determined by agency policy

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/ PD021080

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
• 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, 10/19/2026.

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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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:

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing administrative and technical support for the management of various programs; maintaining databases and utilizing various software programs; scheduling appointments and typing a variety of correspondence. This experience must be detailed in your resume to receive credit..

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

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

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.