Secretary (OA)

Summary

This position serves as the Executive Secretary to the Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS) and reports to the Health System Specialist for the ADPCS. The Executive Secretary performs as the principal office assistant and is a key driver in carrying out the mission of Veterans Affairs and Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS).

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Duties

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The core duties of this position include but are not limited to:

• Maintains appointments/calendar/schedule.
• Makes travel arrangements including itinerary, lodging, and transportation.
• Prepares correspondence to local and national (Congressional) inquiries in proper format for final signature.
• Obtains and monitors use of services, supplies, or equipment.
• Assists in the coordination and preparation of the service organization chart, annual budget, and annual nursing service report.
• Collaborates with other services to resolve patient care issues that cross over service lines. Monitors service performance measures.
• Serves on committees and task groups as requested.
• Maintains liaison and communication with persons and groups from within and outside TVHS, speaking for principal and administrative issues.
• Processes incoming/outgoing reports, memorandums, and other forms of communication.
• Facilitates and assists in the coordination of space needs to facilitate management and the space committee.
• Assists in evaluation of planning activities of service in relation to VHA policies, plans, and objectives.
• Ensures accurate identification, reporting, trending, and education to provide efficient operations and protection of resources.
• Coordinates activities involved in administrative investigations, root cause analysis for service reporting to the ADPCS.
• Facilitates development of indicators/processes that promote effective monitoring and evaluation of patient outcomes & org. performance.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday | Based on the needs of the service

Telework: Ad Hoc Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/ PD703280

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, 08/03/2026.

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-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as:
  • Providing support functions to leadership/management.
  • Processing correspondence, memorandums, suspenses, and other forms of written communication to ensure appropriate and timely routing and grammatical correctness.
  • Maintaining appointments and calendars, to include resolution of calendar conflicts, scheduling appointments and coordinating meetings as requested.
  • Scheduling all travel arrangements.
  • Coordinating purchase of office supplies and equipment to meet the organization's needs.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:

• Advanced proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams).
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex calendars, coordinate meetings, and arrange travel logistics.
• Experience preparing written publications, drafting memos, and recording meeting minutes.

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.

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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.