Secretary (OA)

Summary The primary purpose of this position is administrative and program support for all internal Primary Care Service related activities and customers. The Primary Care Service presently consists of the seven CBOCs geographically dispersed throughout the State of South Carolina. The incumbent supports the Primary Care Service in meeting the Medical Center's mission and is under the supervision of the Administrative Officer for the Primary Care Service. Learn more about this agency Duties Help Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Provide program/administrative assistance to enhance the effectiveness and responsiveness of the Primary Care Service. Assist the Primary Care Service leadership by maintaining calendar of activities, scheduling meetings, screening phone mils, acting as liaison with staff, monitoring and prioritizing computer messages, advising the Chief/management staff of staffing issues, and preparing correspondence for the Chief's signature. Independently prepare miscellaneous communications via fax, telephone or email. Screen incoming communication such as messages, memoranda, Network Action Tracking Systems (NATS), VAIQ, and determines appropriate actions, routing and personnel. Receive calls, greet visitors and direct to staff members those contacts needing their immediate attention or action. Maintain the calendar and schedule of appointments for the Chief and PC Leadership in accordance with priority, program plan, and available time, including travel requirements, which may include visits to CBOCs, service areas, staff meetings, VISN meetings, Seminars, determines travel estimates, documents fund expenditures and prepares travel documents. Training administrator for the Primary Care Service, which include monitoring, advising staff on completing annual training requirements, providing guidance and assistance in operating the VA Training Management System (TMS). Serve as primary timekeeper for the Primary Care Service located in Columbia and assembles, prepares, and submits report of staff time as requested. Prepare delegations of authority for timekeepers, certifying officials, and overtime officials for all Primary Care Service Time and Leave units as well control point officials and clerks. Provide guidance and assistance with the implementation of administrative activities (such as educational activities, travel activities, various documentation preparation, HR activities, time and attendances, and monitoring DORN inspection programs). Order supplies and reproduces materials as needed. Electronically submits Remedy requests for office equipment and serve as the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Sponsor for Primary Care Service. Initiate 52s to recruit, terminate, and promote Primary Care Service staff. Utilize and maintain knowledge of multiple computer software applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Serve as a point of contact for the Primary Care Service and effectively communicate and collaborate with other administrative and clinical services as well as CBOC staff, patients, and other stakeholders. Incumbent is an Integrated Funds Distribution, Control Point Activity, Accounting and Procurement (IFCAP) card holder for the Primary Care Service and adheres to the required guidelines. Maintain automated filing system for the Primary Care Service and serves as the Records liaison. Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm, M-F Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/ PD108420 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Help 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, 06/22/2026. 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 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: knowledge and understanding of equipment, technology and/or software such as MS Excel (intermediate level), PowerPoint, Word and other software that is necessary to produce high quality and creative products required by the office; thorough knowledge and understanding of functions and programs throughout the medical center; basic administrative concepts, principles and practices; maintenance of service calendars, staff meeting agendas, and minutes. Typing Requirement: This position requires a typing requirement of 40 words per minute. 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 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. Help 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. Review our benefits 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.