This position is for a Government Information Specialist (Privacy Officer) as part of the Office of the Director at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. The incumbent contributes to the fulfillment of the VA mission and vision by planning, designing, implementing, and maintaining appropriate and effective program, policies and procedures at the VHA facility.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following: Implements, manages, and evaluates the Privacy and FOIA programs by distributing information, preparing facility specific guidance, reviewing processes and products for compliance with program requirements and assessing the facility privacy posture. Coordinates program implementation and management with higher organizational levels and prepare required and requested reports and information. Provides guidance and advice to management and staff on Privacy, FOIA, and HIPPA requirements, policies, and procedures. Develops privacy and FOIA policies and procedures in compliance with the Department and Administration privacy policies. Develops facility specific Privacy and FOIA training materials, as needed, and provides training within the facility to staff and programs as required. Processes complaints and investigate allegations of illegal or improper activities related to handling or release of privacy protected information. Investigates data breaches and recommend appropriate remediation. Enter all privacy complaints, incidents, and data breaches in to PSETS. Prepares responses to inquiries including those from Congressional Offices, Human Resources, and where appropriate, Office for Civil Rights. Reviews Statement of Work and VA Handbook 6500.6, appendix A checklist, to determine if there is VA Sensitive Information. Work collaboratively with the ISSO and Contracting Officer to ensure the checklist is completed accurately and timely. Researches, analyzes and evaluates data for response to FOIA requests and maintains administrative records. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 07:30 AM to 04:00 PM. 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#: Government Information Specialist - Privacy Officer/PD07728A Recruitment/Relocation Incentives: May be Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/08/2023. 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-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. 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-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Processing requests and advising on matters involving The Privacy Act (PA) and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Recording the efficiency and effectiveness of programs and ensuring compliance with state and Federal regulations, guidelines, and policies. Tracking and dealing with PA and FOIA complaints. Monitoring compliance with records management guidance pertaining to storage, disclosure, and destruction of records. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Technical Competence Administration and Management Communication Planning and Evaluating Preferred Experience: Privacy Officer experience. 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: There are no unusual physical demands. The work is performed in an office setting. 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.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Ralph H Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 109 Bee Street Charleston, SC 29401 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]