Fresh Listing

Posted: April 3, 2026 (0 days ago)

This job was posted recently. Fresh listings typically have less competition.

Secretary (OA)

Veterans Health Administration

Department of Veterans Affairs

Fresh

Salary

$56,713 - $73,724

per year

Closes

April 13, 2026More VA jobs →

GS-8 Pay Grade

Base salary range: $46,479 - $60,424

Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience at GS-7. Graduate study or significant experience.

Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).

Job Description

Summary

This job is for a secretary in a VA medical center's executive office, where you'll handle administrative tasks like preparing reports, managing correspondence, and coordinating meetings and travel for the leadership team.

It's ideal for someone organized and detail-oriented with experience in office support, especially in healthcare settings, who can communicate well with staff and patients.

The role supports the smooth running of the hospital's administrative operations without heavy physical demands.

Key Requirements

  • One year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7 level, such as advising on correspondence, reports, and procedures
  • Knowledge of medical terminology for effective communication with medical personnel and handling patient complaints
  • 40 words per minute typing speed
  • Time-in-grade: 52 weeks at GS-7 for current federal employees
  • Strong skills in customer service, including receiving callers and directing inquiries
  • Experience planning meetings, travel, and accommodations
  • Proficiency in computer skills and office administration

Full Job Description

This position is 10-cated iri the Veterans Administration .

(VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), VA Medical Center (MC), Hampton, Virginia, in the Associate Directors Office, and is a .member of the Medical Center Executive Team· support administrative staff.

The Associate Director manages all administrative activities of the Medical Center including oversight of more than twelve separate subordinate- organizations with unrelated functions.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/13/2026.

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.

Special Placement Factor: 40 words per minute typing speedYou 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.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: advise administrative support staff on preparing correspondence, identifying requirements of various reports, and interpreting new instructions and procedures, knowledge of Medical Terminology in order to communicate effectively with medical personnel and to address patient complaints, and setting up meetings requiring the planning and arranging of travel and hotel accommodations for participants; receiving callers in person and on the telephone and determines the nature of the call and to whom the call should be directed.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Accountability Administration and Management Attention to Detail Computer Skills Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Interpersonal Skills Learning Planning and Evaluating Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Writing 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 basically sedentary. there may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items like papers or books.

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 to include but not limited to the following: Receives telephone calls and greets visitors to the office Acts as liaison to other managers and staff within and outside the organization Maintains a master chronological list containing the names and background information of recurrent civilian dignitaries, Federal, state, and county community leaders, and local affiliated organizations' correspondents in the surrounding communities Ensures correspondence conforms to regulations and special policies of the Medical Center, is in proper format, contains correct grammar, and if applicable, that staff coordination has been completed Returns inadequate transmissions to the sender; attaches previous correspondence and background information to incoming correspondence Serves as liaison between the management staff and ADPCS by providing accurate, timely information, advice on procedures, reports, requirements and other matters necessary to implement policies, directives, and instructions for the VAMC Plans and directs office procedures and formulates instructions for implementation of new office procedures Conducts training sessions for clerical and administrative personnel.

Records, transcribes, and edits the minutes of various meetings, boards and councils Prepares the minutes for distribution, singling out the action items, and follows up as required Exercises control over supervisor's appointments with complete authority for commitments of time; establishing priorities at own discretion; setting up, rearranging, and when necessary, coordinating meetings with staff offices Arranges schedules of visits and transportation, prepares orders, arranges hotel reservations, equipment requirements, speaking topics, notifies organizations and officials to be visited Maintains timecards for staff members under the Executive's Time and Leave codes, and ensures accuracy and timeliness of postings Obtains and monitors the use of services, supplies, or equipment for the office Functions as the ADP Coordinator for the service, which includes troubleshooting PC, telephone, and fax problems, and submits work orders, as appropriate, for problems that employees cannot resolve Performs other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Full Time, 8:00AM-4:30PM, Monday- Friday Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies.

This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD027560 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

Check your resume before applying to catch common mistakes

Browse Similar Jobs

Posted on USAJOBS: 4/3/2026 | Added to FreshGovJobs: 4/4/2026

Source: USAJOBS | ID: CBTA-12929412-26-TM