The incumbent performs as a Staff Assistant for the Office of General Counsel's senior executive leadership team (ELT) consisting of a) the General Counsel (GC), a Senate confirmed official; b) the Principal Deputy General Counsel (PDGC); c) the Senior Counselor; and, d) the Deputy General Counsels for Legal Operations, Veterans Programs, and General Law. The position will also support Special Counsel (White House Appointed) positions as needed.

Duties

This is a non-bargaining unit position. This is a non-bargaining unit position. The initial application review cut-off for this job announcement is 50 applications. The first 50 applications received will be considered first. Applications received after the initial cut-off number (50 applications) may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. If management requests additional certificates, applicants will continue to be reviewed in groups of 50 in the order they applied. Note: Submitting multiple applications will change the order in which your application is reviewed. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Total Rewards Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible Schedule: May be available with supervisor approval. Telework: May be available upon supervisor approval Duty Location Status: Will work from a VA owned or leased space in Washington DC Position Description Title/PD#: Staff Assistant/PD19228A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Physical Demands: The work primarily sedentary and may involve some slight physical effort such as using a computer at a desk, sitting in conferences/meetings, standing, walking, bending, pushing a small cart, carrying light items, lifting moderate weighty items. Typing and data entry using a keyboard is required. This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-12. At the GS-09 grade level, you will perform assignments of a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-12. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds. Promotion is not guaranteed and no promise of promotion is implied. Major Duties: Analyzes and evaluates quantitative and qualitative measures of effectiveness of OGC's ability to meet established goals and objectives. Evaluates the efficiency of new processes, pilot programs or other internal projects. Participates in the planning and execution of complex projects that require the incumbent to demonstrate a high degree of initiative and collaboration. Oversees performance reporting of a) development and delivery of products, b) work measurement data, and c) business line performance to assist the respective Deputy General Counsel in evaluating subordinate organizations(e.g., vetting resource requests for new legal programs, validating attainment of OGC performance objectives). Prepare project papers, compiling documents from multiple sources, and organizing and delivering briefings to management to encourage the understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations, or to promote acceptance and/or gain approval of new concepts and changes. Develops agendas and ensures briefing materials are prepared and submitted for meetings on complex issues. Negotiate assignment discrepancies and necessary extensions in a diplomatic and timely manner and makes necessary corrections and updates for office correspondence. Serve as a frontline liaison handling communication with persons and/or groups within and outside of the organization or office. Contributes to OGC's management of the controlled correspondence system (currently known as VIEWS) under the guidance of the Correspondence Analyst and EA. Manages suspense dates for tracked correspondence and independently monitors and coordinates a large volume of documents as assigned. Coordinates assignment due dates and extensions in a diplomatic and timely manner and makes necessary corrections and updates for office correspondence. Reviews final drafts submitted before closing assignments and ensures all required concurrences are documented in the final package. Serves as a resource to other administrative and professional staff on changes in procedures for preparing submissions, legal documents, and other related correspondence.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Selectees are subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• Selectees may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• A complete application package, i.e., Resume, Transcripts, etc., as required by job announcement.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the Seasonal Influenza Prevention Program for VHA Health Care Personnel (HCP) is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs HCP.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Pre-employment physical examination/evaluation may be required.
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/14/2024. 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-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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. Provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade. 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. AND You may qualify based on your education/experience/combination as described below. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized experience is defined as experience with overseeing the scheduling, calendars, documentation of meetings, preparation of travel documents, official mail handling and distribution, coordinating and arranging Executive travel, handling Executive correspondence and other administrative support to ensure timely and effective completion of goals and objectives; and experience with legal research techniques and databases. This experience MUST be evident in your resume to receive consideration; OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have: Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.B. or J.D., if related OR Combination of Education and Specialized Experience: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-09 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 1 full year of graduate level education). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-09. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analysis & Problem Solving Analytical Thinking Technical Competence Attention to Detail Customer Service Organizational Awareness Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties. To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above. 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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM's web site at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/standards/indexes/alph-ndx.asp.

Education

There is no education requirement at the GS-09 level.

PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement). Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. 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.

Contacts

• Address Office of General Counsel 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]