The incumbent will assist the Fisher House Manager in providing temporary lodging to family members of patients being treated at the Columbia VA Health Care System or affiliated facilities by participating in the direct, on-site management and administration of the Fisher House program. The Fisher House is a 16-suite guest/family comfort lodging facility. The incumbent will be one of the first personnel to interact with the lodging guests and sets the tone for the remainder of the stay.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following: Participate in the implementation of operational policies related to eligibility, admission, length of stay, behavior standards for guest, cleanliness, and state of repair of the facility. Responsible for providing safe and comfortable lodging for family and caregivers of Veteran and Active Duty Service Members. Utilize resources to effectively and efficiently maintain services to achieve VA facility, Fisher House Foundation and VHA program goals. The incumbent will be the point of contact for initial inquiries to include lodging eligibility, referral process, as well as community, guest, patient, military liaison and clinical staff inquiries regarding policies, procedures and standards. Implement Fisher House Manager's procedures, regulations, and guidelines concerning operations. Participate in activities that ensure the facility is in compliance with health, safety, privacy and sanitation rules and regulations. Establish and maintain various automated databases on program operations such as occupancy, referral sources, average length of stay, guest demographics, etc. Enter, track, and retrieve data pertaining to program census, equipment, donations, volunteer hours, etc. Assist in the development and update of informational bulletins, brochures and resident packets. Prepare Fisher House (FH) correspondence relating to maintenance and operations, manuals, publications, articles, webpage content, etc. for the Fisher House Manager's consideration. Ensure all office correspondence adheres to format accuracy and reflects correct grammar and spelling. Participate in designing and marketing activities and products that educate the public about the Fisher House mission and its interrelationship with the Medical Center and community, benefits provided to families of Veterans and active-duty military members. Maintain all written records, reports, and publications and establish administrative controls in an accurate and complete manner and in accordance with established directives. Responsible for the preparation of assignment guides for volunteers, schedules, training materials, evaluations, and letters of reference. Work closely with community donors through Voluntary Service in raising awareness of needed FH support. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm with rotating weekends. Staffing needs may vary depending on needs of the department. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD10851A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): 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, 03/04/2024. 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-5 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-4. 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 (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-4 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: use of office automation systems and various Microsoft Office packages and programs (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) to accomplish work; coordinating with hospital or facility staff to minimize workflow constraints and ensure appropriate staff coverage during shifts; monitor and manage business papers, externals/internal correspondence and records; establish and maintain all office and backup files; process monthly, quarterly, and yearly reports; OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have four (4) years of education above high school. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond high school education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the Program Support Assistant position which may be substituted to meet the experience requirements for this position. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCustomer ServiceFacilitiesOral Communication 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. Preferred Experience: Strong written and oral communication. Knowledge of planning, coordination, and execution of business functions, resource allocation, and production. Physical Requirements and Environment: The work is minimally sedentary. Frequent walking, climbing stairs, standing, carrying household items and files and driving an automobile is required. The incumbent must pass initial and recurring physical exams to operate government vehicles to transport Veterans and families who lodge at our Fisher House. The work involves normal discomforts associated with an office and home environment. There may be occasional exposure to dust and dirty conditions of guests' rooms and other elements common to a home environment. 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

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 Columbia VA Health Care System 6439 Garners Ferry Road Columbia, SC 29209 US
• Name: Christen Watson
• Phone: 404-694-2114
• Email: [email protected]