Secretary (OA)

Full Job Description

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans.

Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/16/2026.

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-08 position you must have served 52 weeks in at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression.

Applicants need not meet any cumulative years of experience requirements or general or lower-level specialized experience requirements to qualify.

They must, of course, meet any minimum educational, licensure, or other special qualification requirements and selective factors established for the position being filled.

To be creditable, an applicant's 1-year of specialized experience must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, abilities(KSAs)/competencies necessary for successful job performance.

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 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: a basic foundation of administrative concepts, principles and practices sufficient to perform independently duties involving eliminating conflict and duplication of work, determining when new procedures are needed, studying and evaluating office equipment, and recommending restructuring of clerical activities in the office and subordinate offices; skill in adapting policies and procedures to emergency situations and establishing new procedures to meet new situations; skill in recognizing how and when certain policies, procedures, or guidelines would be confusing to others; a comprehensive knowledge of the supervisor's policies and views on all significant matters affecting the organization; and knowledge of civilian time and leave regulations and computerized system requirements in order to post leave and answer questions on procedures and balances.

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:

This position serves as Secretary to the Associate Director and Assistant Director at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Performs administrative and secretarial functions in support of the Associate Director and Assistant Director, and his/her staff by performing general office work auxiliary to the work of the organization.

The incumbent also provides administrative and secretarial support to the Executive Director, Patient/Nursing Services (ADPCS), and the Chief of Staff in the absence of their support staff.

The work of this position has as a continuing requirement: a basic foundation of administrative concepts, principles and practices sufficient to perform independently duties involving eliminating conflict and duplication of work, determining when new procedures are needed, studying and evaluating office equipment, and recommending restructuring of clerical activities in the office and subordinate offices; skill in adapting policies and procedures to emergency situations and establishing new procedures to meet new situations; skill in recognizing how and when certain policies, procedures, or guidelines would be confusing to others; a comprehensive knowledge of the supervisor's policies and views on all significant matters affecting the organization; and knowledge of civilian time and leave regulations and computerized system requirements in order to post leave and answer questions on procedures and balances.

The Associate Director defines overall objectives and priorities of the work in the office and provides guidance and instructions to the secretary with some special assignments.

The secretary plans and carries out the work of the office and handles problems and deviations in accordance with established instructions, priorities, policies, commitments, and program goals of the supervisor and accepted practices of the occupation.

The methods used by the incumbent are almost never reviewed in detail. Completed work is evaluated for adequacy, appropriateness, and conformance to established policy.

By its very nature, much of the work cannot be reviewed in detail. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday, 8 AM-4:30 PM