The position performs duties to assist the Associate Director of Patient Care Service, and in some cases the subordinate staff of that individual, by performing general office work auxiliary to the work of the organization.

Duties

Serves as the principal clerical or administrative support position in the office by operating independently. Some duties include but are not limited to: Knowledge of clerical and administrative procedures and requirements, various office skills, and the ability to apply such skills in away that increases the effectiveness of others. Draft correspondence, such as routine official correspondence, social and personal acknowledgments, congratulatory letters,acceptance letters, and office reports. Compiling and preparing a variety of one-of-a-kind reports and a document using a variety of computer software, a qualified typist is required. Determines nature of call or business of visitors, and whether business requires the attention of technical or staff specialists, decides whether the importance of business such as to require personal attention of superiors or if the visitor should be referred to the appropriate organizational component concerned with specific subject. Responds to requests for information and/or develops one-of-a-kind reports covering organizational or technically-oriented matters when information is available in office records and/or files. Secures for the supervisor documents, regulations, specific statistical and narrative program data or other matters of a technical nature from files of the organization or other organizations by contact with personnel at higher headquarters for other activities. Develops methods for automating administrative reports, considering the interrelationship of reports and multiple uses of the data, e.g., portions of the data used for monthly reports on funds and obligations, training, travel, and staffing can be used for quarterly planning and budget reports. Applies knowledge of the functional capabilities of different software types to select the best software type for each report, e.g., a database versus a spreadsheet. Applies knowledge of how the system works to determine the data categories to be established, to identify the sorting and calculating functions to be performed, and to set up the detailed functional procedures needed to enter and to retrieve the data in the form needed for each report. Applies knowledge of desktop publishing capabilities to enhance the presentation of the data, e.g., electronically changing tables to graphs, superimposing one graph over another, adding boxed explanatory text to graphics, highlighting significant material with shadowing, importing graphics into narrative text, varying style and pitch of type within the text, and adjusting size and shape of pages to fit the publication involved. Ability to independently note and following-up on commitments made at meetings and conferences by staff members; shifting clerical staff in subordinate offices to take care of fluctuating workloads; or locating and summarizing information from files and documents when this requires recognizing which information is or is not relevant to the problem at hand. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD028330 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/24/2023. 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 must 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: Ability to answer calls and determine priority of call Filing and creating documents. Ability to use fax machine and other office equipment/software. Proficiency Requirement (Typing): The Secretary (OA) position requires applicants to show possession of the ability to type 40 words per minute with minimal mistakes. Applicants may meet these requirements by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency by stating on your resume that you type at least 40 words per minute. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. The selection service may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Organizational StewardshipSelf-ManagementTechnical Competence 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. Work Environment: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, libraries, and residences or commercial vehicles, e.g., use of safe work practices with office equipment, avoidance of trips and falls, observance of fire regulations and traffic signals, etc. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. 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/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address Northampton VA Medical Center 421 North Main Street Leeds, MA 01053 US
• Name: Edward Ford
• Phone: 203 932-5711 X5421
• Email: EDWARD.FORD2@VA.GOV