Program Support Assistant (OA)

Full Job Description

The Program Support Assistant (PSA) for Surgical Service serves the Chief by providing program administration, clerical needs and coordination of administrative needs for service personnel.

The PSA provides clerical and administrative support for the service which has training, patient care, research programs and outpatient clinics, all of which require coordination and /or oversight by the Chief, Surgical Service.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/04/2026.

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.

You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-07 SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT: 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.

Specialized experience is defined as: Making appointments, arranging conferences and meetings Collecting information and assembling files Take and transcribe dictations Compose letters and reports accurately Gather information and data analysis to make recommendations for service resolutions Order and monitor supplies and equipment Proficiency Requirement: In addition to meeting time in grade and experience requirements, applicants for this position must show possession of the following skills: 40 words per minute typing speed.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Creative Thinking Customer Service 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: The work is primarily sedentary in an office setting.

However, some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light objects (such as papers, books, office supplies) is required.

This position demands periods of intense concentration and the ability to maintain control in difficult situations.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Major Duties:

The Program Support Assistant (OA) serves as an extension of the service chief and is a first-echelon point of contact to resolve all administrative issues and problems, etc.

Responsible for coordinating administrative duties for the subsections in an effort to guarantee the primary goal of optimally delivering high quality health care to the veterans.

Expertise In broad administrative levels is required to assist in meeting the needs of the service's long range planning.

Major duties for the Program Support Assistant (AO) include (but are not limited to): Provides support at the front desk of surgical admin office, assists Admin Officer with administrative tasks Supports the Section Chiefs (SC) with administrative duties Acts as primary resource in answering phones and referring stakeholders to appropriate resources Collects/provides information to complete contracts (MSLE's) for part-time staff Assists in identifying equipment needs and refers to program specialist for ordering and inventories Responsible for clinic access, including clinic modifications and clinic cancellations Serves as timekeeper Serves as PIV sponsor and TMS Administrator Processes incoming and outgoing information for the service, including correspondence, reports, memos, templates and composes responses for SS in timely manner Maintains files for staff, physicians, and residents Assists to ensure all staff have PIV cards and computer access Receives, schedules, refers, and contacts members of the staff, agency and community as directed by AO and Service Chief Has access to SC/HSS calendars, schedules meetings, and reserves conference room Performs other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:00am-3:30pm CST Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad-Hoc telework only.

Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/PD041780 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized