Secretary (OA)

Full Job Description

The secretary as the principal executive office assistant and confidential secretary assigned Executive Leader (Associate Director, Chief of Staff, Associate Director for Patient Care Services, Assistant Director) at the John D.

Dingell VA Medical Center. This positions serves acts as office manager/secretary in the Executive Suite, coordinates & directs the flow of administrative work through the office.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 02/25/2026.

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-6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-5. 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-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Specialized experience is experience that includes but is not limited to: Technical knowledge of all hospital administrative principles, theories and practices.

Skill in evaluating and recommending ways to improve the utilization of available resources and improve administrative management services.

Skill and proficiency in the use and application of computer software and hardware and skill in the use of various office equipment.

Communicate orally and in writing with a variety of individuals to obtain and provide information. Process routine administrative paperwork.

Reviews and consolidate reports submitted by subordinate units and reviews all incoming and outgoing correspondence prepared by others for procedural and grammatical accuracy, conformance with general policy, and factual correctness.

Comprehensive interpretive ability to document and summarize proceedings and conclusions at conferences and meetings.

Knowledge of administrative regulations and operating procedures plus skill in applying techniques to evaluate clerical and administrative processes to advise staff in the various services.

Maintains appointment calendar and schedules/coordinates meetings and conferences.

Typing Requirement: Applicants for this position must show possession of the (typing) proficiency requirement which is 40 words per minute typing speed.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Clerical Computer Skills Written Communication 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 sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do the work.

However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts; driving an automobile, etc.

No special physical demands are required to perform the work.

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:

Major duties include: Maintains Executive's monthly calendar and daily schedule; arranges meetings/conferences Routinely composes non-technical correspondence, such as minutes.

office procedures, policies, requests for Information concerning the organization's programs, letters of acknowledgement, commendation, or notification.

Prepares a wide variety of recurring and non-recurring personal and executive correspondence, reports, and other documents from Information obtained from staff, files, and other sources.

Tracks and ensures completion of Executive's action items and prepares daily signing folder for Executive's.

Uses word processing software to create, copy, edits, store, retrieve and print forms, memos, letters; uses database and spreadsheet software to create, enter, revise, sort, or calculate, and retrieve data reports; and uses graphic software to provide graphs and chart for reports and presentations.

Uses multiple office automation software with varied functions to produce a wide range of documents that often require complex fonts, such as graphics or tables within text, editing and reformatting electronic drafts and updating or revising existing databases or spreadsheets.

Independently plans and performs complex office automation duties requiring different approaches and methods from one assignment to another, such as using different packages to edit lengthy and complicated reports; collect, select, organize, and provide information; track status of a number of projects assigned to the organization; and resolve incompatibility problems in transferring text from one software package to another when menu options and specific software instructions are not available.

Prepares a variety of documents in final format for various signature levels Takes and transcribes dictation from the assigned Executive.

Proofreads/edits correspondence and documents for correct grammar and format. Performs other duties as assigned.

Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met.

Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Telework: AD-HOC may be authorized per Agency policy (Employees who telework on an occasional, episodic, or short-term basis, and have completed required telework training and telework agreement.) Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD94211-A and PD94212-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized