Mail Clerk

Summary

This Mail Clerk position is in Supply Chain Management Service at the VA Togus Medical Center, located at Augusta, ME location. This position is a full-time position.

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Duties

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The primary purpose of this position is to sort and distribute incoming and outgoing mail for the Maine VA Medical Center.

Duties include:

• Employee is responsible for sorting and distributing incoming and outgoing mail.
• Incumbent is also responsible for daily metering outgoing mail timely and by cost efficient methods determining the most efficient and correct postage rates and submitting detailed mail activity reports on a monthly basis. Is knowledgeable of all United States Post Office (USPS) terminology in processing and distributing all forms of mail.
• Utilizes the Hasler Quadient system to determine the most cost effective method of shipping packages, letters, post cards, certified mail, express mail, signature confirmation mail, delivery confirmation mail and other means of shipping.
• Employee is responsible for prompt delivery of all mail and packages throughout the Medical Center using an up to date schedule and time efficient means.
• Incumbent provides first-rate customer service both on the telephone and direct contact with customers and is polite and courteous to all customers.
• Complies with all regulations, policies and Joint Commission requirements. Maintains a clean, safe work environment.
• Protects confidentiality of printed and electronic documents associated with the United States Mail in accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws, federal regulations, VA statutes, policies and VHA policy.
• Employee is responsible for protecting all data from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration or unauthorized deletion and follows applicable regulations and instructions.
• Employee may serve as an Alternate Timekeeper.
• Employee operates various office equipment without error such as copy machines, fax machines, meter machines, hole punchers, and computers and printers.
• Maintains and updates various logs for sensitive incoming and outgoing mail via Fed Ex, certified mail and express mail.
• Updates, reports and maintains shared files for VA Directives, VA Handbooks, VA Circulars and VA Notices.
• Employee may have to operate a vehicle to pick up and or deliver mail on and off campus.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Telework: Not Authorized

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Mail Clerk/ PD402-041670

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved

Notifications:

• This position is a Bargaining Unit position.
• This position is in the Competitive Service.
• This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.
• Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.
• Some exceptions to this rule may apply if you have previously acquired tenure under a Title 5 appointment.
• Interchange Agreements with Other Merit System: Employees who occupy medical or medical-related positions and were appointed under 38 U.S.C. 4701(1) or (3) [formerly 38 U.S.C. 4104 (1) and (3)] must be serving in a full-time position without time limit and have served continuously for at least one year in this other merit system to be eligible to convert to the Title 5 System.
• Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action).The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.

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: Work involves long periods of standing and sitting. Performance of mailroom duties involves some lifting and carrying of boxes. 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, 09/24/2026.

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 GS4 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS3. 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:

• General Experience: One year of progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position to be filled. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years above high school. OR,
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of general experience and education beyond high school.

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

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.