The incumbent performs duties in direct support of the Chief Surgical Services and in some cases the subordinate staff of that individual, by performing general office work auxiliary to the work of the organization. The position is the principal clerical and administrative support position in the office, operating independently of any other such position in the office. Duties require knowledge of clerical and administrative procedures and requirements.

Duties

The Secretary duties include but are not limited to: Receives visitors and incoming calls, resolves problems of both general and specific nature and referring matters to appropriate staff based on knowledge of the various organizational components and individual responsibility. Personally, takes care of many matters, including answering questions not requiring specialized technical/professional knowledge, either from personal knowledge or as available in the filing system. Provides assistance for a variety of problems and inquiries which are received in person, telephonically, or by referral from other secretaries or receptionists in the organization. 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. This duty requires the incumbent to know where material is located, which data is appropriate for inclusion and how to compile and present the information to satisfy the request. On own initiative, follows up on projects resulting from conferences to ensure that schedules are met and reports progress to managers. Tracks incoming staff and contract physicians, making initial contact with all incoming physicians to advise them of their responsibilities for contract employment and following them throughout the process until they are approved for employment. Initiates the background investigation process uploading supporting documentation to the Security Investigations Center SharePoint for processing; preparing Ongoing Professional Practice Reviews (OPPE) and Focused Professional Practice Reviews (FPPE) documentation on all physician staff to include data collection for reviews of all physicians. Prepares Compensation Panel and Performance Pay recommendation forms before sending to the Chief, Surgical Service for processing with coordination with academic affiliate. Prepares RMC requests including collaboration with subject matter expert to enter duties, cost savings, workload. He/she is required to interface with a multitude of medical sub-specialty functions. The incumbent is required to interact with the Subspecialty Divisions in the Department of Surgery at the affiliate Medical University of South Carolina. Coordinates calendars for the Chief of Surgery and serves as primary customer service representative in office of Chief, Surgery Service. Investigates patient complaints and must demonstrate exceptional communication skills while preparing letters, memos and other written communication. In response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive, the employee coordinates background investigations, fingerprinting and issuance of new Personal Identify Verification (PIV) smartcards for new staff and contractors. These added functions have increased the complexity of overall administrative functions and reporting requirements. Screens incoming correspondence for matters which can be acted on personally and takes necessary action. Refers to supervisor those cases which the incumbent is aware supervisor will want to act on personally or be made aware of. Drafts letters of acknowledgment, commendation, and reply to general inquiries not requiring a specialized knowledge of programs and projects under supervisor's control. Reviews outgoing correspondence for format, policy conformance, and typographical and grammatical accuracy and ensures that all necessary background material is attached as circumstance complex clinical committee meetings, preparing reports to RMC, memoranda, other forms of written communication. Prepares responses to Congressional inquiries, patient inquiries, ensuring proper format, correctness of detailed information, correct grammatical content, and determining that all necessary information has been coordinated and is in accordance with established policy. Establishes and maintains suspense control records on correspondence, recurring and non-recurring reports and other action documents, and follows up to ensure a timely response. Processes incoming and outgoing materials such as taking and preparing minutes at various meetings. All other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, TOD flexible Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary/PD07985-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized 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, 11/27/2023. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. 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 GS-7 Grade Level: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Experience maintaining calendar for manager and scheduling appointments; experience receiving incoming calls from patients, clients and staff; experience scheduling and reviewing work activities including reporting and record keeping; experience maintaining office compliance regarding regulations, policies and guidelines; and experience taking meeting minutes. Preferred Experience: Experience working in an office setting You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Manages and Organizes Information Communications Computer Skills Clerical 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. 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 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]