Secretary (OA)

Full Job Description

The incumbent serves as the Secretary to the Associate Director of Patient Care Services/Nurse Executive (ADPCS/NE) at the El Paso VA Health Care System (EPVAHCS).

The incumbent is responsible for the full range of comprehensive clerical and administrative support duties consistent with an executive secretary level of performance.

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

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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: foundation of administrative concepts, sufficient to perform duties independently involving eliminating conflict and duplication of work, evaluating office equipment, and recommending restructuring of clerical activities in the office and subordinate offices; ability to adapt to policies and procedures to emergency situations, ability to independently note and follow-up on commitments made at meetings and conferences by staff members, ability to summarize information from files and documents, experience multi-tasking, knowledge Microsoft Word, word processing software in order to execute several office automation functions such as storing, retrieving electronic documents, files and formatting letters, reports, and memoranda etc.

Experience with Microsoft Power Point to develop presentation materials. Experience with customer service, suspense processing, reading and recording minutes, and recordkeeping.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to Detail Interpersonal Skills Manages and Organizes Information Planning and Evaluating 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. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work.

Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site.

Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

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 incumbent will serve as the executive secretary to the Associate Director of Patient Care Services/Nurse Executive (ADPCS/NE) and all nursing clinics.

The Secretary will provide administrative support as needed to the ADPCS/NE direct reports and their staff.

The Secretary will manage all office administrative tasks such as schedule management, filing, coordinating meetings, composing letters and memorandums on behalf of the AD PCS/NE, and manages correspondence such that the office runs smoothly and all tasks are completed in a timely manner.

Prepares public presentation outlines, develops standard or form letters, and replies to inquiries.

The Secretary will independently screen calls and visitors to the ADPCS/NE office; referring to staff members and forwarding to the ADPCS/NE only those calls or visitors requiring personal attention.

Screens calls mid visitors to the Executive Office, problem solves and refer issues to staff members as appropriate often with complex follow up.

The secretary is located in the Executive Office; therefore he/she also serves as a Service Level Advocate, serving as the initial point of contact for all visitors.

As such, the incumbent is responsible for ascertaining the facts to complex issues and determining the proper follow-up and disposition that is required, because there is no written guidance for these complex issues.

The Secretary will handle many requests for information and assists in resolving a variety of complaints made by staff and patients and their families.

The incumbent is regularly involved in contact with staff from all levels of the organization, patients, visitors, and may have occasional high level contacts with visitors and callers from such organizations as congressional offices, members of the news media, state and local officials, high ranking officials in the field and attorneys.

Receives visiting dignitaries from the Veterans Integrated Service Network IS (VISN 17), VA Central Office (VACO) staff, Veteran organizations and congressional representatives.

Independently provides general calendar maintenance for the ADPCS/NE.

Schedules complex appointments involving multiple leadership staff which requires the coordination of many schedules, appointments, and meetings.

Independently makes arrangements for time, participants and locations appropriate for the audience and intent of the meeting.

Coordinates correspondence, determining proper action and routing, and often prepares responses before referring to the ADPCS/NE.

Independently reviews outgoing correspondence and reports, ensuring proper format, mathematical correctness, correct grammatical content, and ascertaining that all necessary coordination of facts has been completed and is in accordance with established policy and within time parameters.

Instructs and assists the various administrative support personnel in clinical and non-clinical departmental offices on procedural matters such as correct format or routing to follow in preparing correspondence.

Provides general clerical mail and correspondence services such as preparing a variety of recurring reports, reviewing outgoing correspondence for proper attachments consolidating/coordinating submittals of information.

Advises the ADPCS/NE of important office issues arising during his/her absence, and brings significant item in reports, files and correspondence to his or her attention.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:45pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD011070 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized