The Secretary supports the Chief of Surgery, the Surgery Service at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (MC). The incumbent provides specialized administrative and clinical support for the Surgery Service's Programs.

Duties

The skills of a qualified typist are required, knowledge of proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and format are also needed in preparing a variety of documents for signature of the Medical Center Director and Chief of Staff. Knowledgeable of the Surgery Service organization, activities, programs, mission and goals used to properly route requests to the appropriate staff members for resolution; prioritize workload, and advise clerical and clinical staff on established procedures. Overall knowledge of the rules, regulations, policies and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs and this medical center's organizations. This knowledge is required in order to answer questions directed to the Chief of Surgery office, both from the private sector and other VA facilities and in the daily operation of the office. See below for other related duties. Duties: Maintains meeting minutes and prepares them in the appropriate format for service chief review and signature. Reviews incoming correspondence (mailed and faxed), publications, regulations, and directives that may affect Surgery Service. Prepares letters, memorandums, non-technical reports for service chief review and approval. Ensures documents are grammatically correct and conform to customary business correspondence standards. Ensures all proficiencies and performance appraisals are current and issued on appropriate due dates to include pay for performance. Initiates initial credentialing paperwork for new staff, tracks staff on-boarding which includes: in/out processing for residents and students and processing paperwork for new employees. Assists staff in the completion of appropriate paperwork for travel as required by Education Department, including requests for the motor pool (vehicle usage). Serves as the service line timekeeper and provides coverage for other timekeepers as designated by service line vice-president or Administrative Officer. Coordinates services line staff meetings to ensure information is properly disseminated within the department. Utilizes various software products such as Microsoft Excel, Adobe Acrobat, Word, PowerPoint and other computer applications to complete correspondence and other essential office tasks. Greets and welcomes all visitors (patients and staff) and telephone calls and directs as appropriate to the service chief or appropriate recipient. Utilizes technology such as Microsoft TEAMS and other video telecommunication devices to facilitate virtual meetings. Maintains service line calendar of all scheduled appointments and meetings. Assists with all action items for Surgery Service by maintaining the action item calendar as well as organizing and compiling data for responses prior to the due date. Sorts all incoming mail and ensures it is sent to the correct destination within the service line. Orders office supplies such as envelopes, paper, and other essential supplies for administrative operations. Work Schedule: 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM Telework: Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process and is based on the needs of the service line. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD001450 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/28/2023. 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 - 6 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS - 5. 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 and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge and skill in oral communications and interpersonal dynamics. Ability to demonstrate proper telephone etiquette always is essential. Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with a variety of people from different backgrounds and different levels of understanding. This may include clerical, technical, administrative, and professional (clinical and administrative) people at all levels in the agency. Knowledge and skill to independently use computer equipment with a wide variety of software such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Outlook, and VHA databases to extract and organize data, produce letters, memoranda, presentations and to prepare a variety of specific working documents and forms such as spreadsheets, database, word processing, desktop publishing, graphics and other similar products. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: ClericalComputer SkillsCustomer Service (Clerical/Technical)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: No special physical characteristics are required of the incumbent. Work includes some bending, extended periods of sitting, kneeling, walking and carrying light items common to an office environment 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

Successfully completed 4 years of education above the high school level. This education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent is the normal prerequisite. One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in a college or university or at least 20 hours of classroom instruction per week for approximately 36 weeks in a business, secretarial or technical school.

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Pittsburgh VA Medical Center 1010 Delafield Road Pittsburgh, PA 15215 US
• Name: Jennifer Fediw
• Phone: (570) 824-3521 X24996
• Email: [email protected]