The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has adopted the HR Modernization and Shared Services Implementation, which is a new model of organizing and consolidating essential Human Resource (HR) functions and services to the VISN level. This streamlined and focused approach moves VHA forward in its continuum of providing comprehensive, compassionate, and coordinated care to Veterans. This is not a remote position and will be required to be onsite 100%.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to the following: Controls and responds to incoming and outgoing correspondence: determining priority, establishing suspense dates, referring to a supervisor or appropriate coworker, and following up to ensure suspense dates are met. Screens questions or complaints from employees and union inquiries by determining the nature and scope of the problem. Provides information and assistance to employees and supervisors based on interpretation of regulations and rules. Provides face to face contact with internal and external customers. Provides administrative support to HR Specialist in the ER/LR and Performance Management section. Provides technical guidance, information, and assistance for a variety of Employee Relations programs such as disciplinary actions, grievances, appeals, complaints, and drug testing. Provides administrative support by responding to questions, complaints, problems or situations, and providing explanations of HR policy in Employee and Labor Relations. Assists HR Specialists on special projects by gathering and organizing data, identifying issues and discrepancies, formatting material, and recommending improvements and solutions. Develops presentations, reports and analyses, as needed. Assembles evidence files and obtains information from relevant sources necessary for the HR Specialist to determine appropriate guidance/advice to management. Prepares correspondence, reports, forms, and other documents required to complete actions. Assists the Specialist with the preparation of agency files for third-party appeals, including Merit Systems Protection Board appeals and Equal Employment Opportunity document requests and hearing files. Maintains and updates a variety of computerized databases, maintains statistical data necessary to comply with the reporting requirements of the Network/VACO, records and gathers data and prepares reports. Responds to inquiries on procedures for disciplinary actions, grievances, and appeals concerning timeliness, documentation, and signature requirements. Screens questions or complaints to accurately determine the nature or scope of the problem, resolving issues that can be satisfied by an explanation of HR policies. Guides supervisors to the appropriate HR Specialist for advice regarding compliance with bargaining unit agreements. Prepares and maintains records on all actions associated with Employee and Labor Relations. Processes requests for assigned specialty areas that require knowledge of forms, authorities, action codes, regulatory authorities or additional pay systems, and employee categories (e.g., General Schedule, Federal Wage System, Senior Executive Service, Title 38, Hybrid Title 38, or other similar categories). Codes actions in HR Smart. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: No 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#: Human Resources Assistant (ER/LR)/PD99978S Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 02/15/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current or former Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements. Candidates may be advanced without time restriction to positions up to GS-5 if the position to be filled is no more than two grades above the lowest grade the employee held within the preceding 52 weeks under his or her latest non-temporary competitive appointment. (If you have not held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks; i.e. you are a in a different pay plan ie Wage Grade, this does not apply to you.) 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. For this GS-05 position you must have served at the GS-03 or above. For this GS-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at GS-05. For this GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at GS-06. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-05 grade level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 grade level in the federal service; experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: applying basic principles and practices of the HR specialization(s) sufficient to: Prepare files and training materials efficiently and effectively; prepare official correspondence with a high degree of grammatical and technical accuracy; communicate factual and procedural information clearly, orally and in writing, gather and analyze basic facts and draw conclusions. OR, Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-05 level. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed four (4) years above high school. OR, Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-05 level. To qualify based on a combination of specialized experience and education, you must have a combination of specialized experience and education as described above, such that the percentage of required experience plus the percentage of required education equals 100%. GS-06 grade level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 grade level in the federal service; experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: experience gained working in an office setting where the duties may involve, obtain missing data from HR files or the appropriate office; assisting employees in preparing paperwork involving ER/LR issues; reviewing finished forms for completeness and adequacy; contacting individual employees or supervisors by telephone to resolve questions; providing information on ER/LR issues, processes and/or procedures. There is no educational substitution for the GS-06 level. GS-07 grade level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 grade level in the federal service; experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities (KSA's) and other characteristics to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience includes: assists in the development and implementation of ER/LR policies, procedures, and methods, for identifying and protecting information, personnel, property, facilities, operations, and materials; Controls and responds to incoming and outgoing correspondence: determining priority, establishing suspense dates as required, referring to a supervisor or appropriate coworker, and following up to ensure suspense dates are met; responds to a variety of inquiries regarding ER/LR policy and procedures; provides administrative support by responding to questions, complaints, problems or situations, and providing explanations of HR policy in Employee and Labor Relations; responds to inquiries on procedures for disciplinary actions, grievances, and appeals concerning timeliness, documentation, and signature requirements; and screens questions or complaints to accurately determine the nature or scope of the problem, resolving issues that can be satisfied by an explanation of HR policies. There is no educational substitution for the GS-07 level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationsComputer SkillsEmployee RelationsLabor Relations 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. Some work may require periods of standing. Employees frequently carry light items such as employee files or pamphlets. Employees occasionally carry light to medium weight boxes. The work does not requires any special physical effort. 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

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 VHA VISN 20 Human Resources 1601 E. 4TH PLAIN BLVD VANCOUVER, WA 98661-3713 US
• Name: Audrea Cutchin
• Phone: 503-220-8262 X50046
• Email: [email protected]