Serves as the Administrative Specialist of the Eye Service, Operative Care Division (OCD), Portland VA Medical Center and reports to the OCD Administrative Director. Works as well with the Nursing, Surgical and Anesthesia Directors of Operative Care. The incumbent has analytical, system redesign, personnel, budgetary, planning, and administrative responsibilities.

Duties

Major duties include but it not limited to: Provides for the overall administrative management of a complex, growing Service, including interpreting and applying administrative policies, developing or implementing local policies, defining administrative requirements, maintaining administrative systems, and providing advice to management on related issues Assists and informs the OCD Director and Service Chiefs on administrative policies, resource utilization and work load projections Acts as a liaison/ handles the communication with persons and groups within and outside of the Service Handles assigned controlled and congressional correspondence; Primary Liaison with the Patient Advocacy office Plans and accomplishes special projects and programs Administers programs concerning position management and human-resources utilization Serves as temporary backup to the Division Administrative Officer for personnel and human resource items Responsible for administration of space utilization and equipment Directs the personnel management program of the Eye Service, including: classification, recruitment, staffing, employee relations, the performance appraisal process, employee awards, pay/leave administration, training, travel, EEO programs, and workman's compensation Performs research and provides guidance to supervisors and staff concerning Federal and agency processes and procedures Reviews, analyzes and interprets incoming requests, recommends appropriate action or suggests appropriate alternatives Identifies problems that require intervention or correction Informs the Administrative Director and Eye Service Chiefs of the status of on-going personnel actions, and provides advice on solving complex personnel-related problems Develops both long and short-range policies and plans for the organization by coordinating the administrative needs of the service Participates in Division level planning processes including analysis and interpretation of workload, supply/demand, and other data used in strategic resource planning Monitors expenditures and forecasts changes that require reprogramming of funds Responsible for the budgeting and financial management for the Eye Service, ensuring that operating program objectives are met Formulates, presents, executes, and analyzes organizational budgets Monitors the use and rate of expenditure of budgeted funds Exercises fund control authority and establishes internal methods of control to insure that funds are used according to operating plan Reviews office needs, plans, and goals to develop budget data and justification for review and approval Serves as Contracting Officer Representative (COR) for Ophthalmology services Prepares assigned Division level contracting documents Monitors contractor performance in accordance with established standards Performs work related to developing and monitoring quality programs, plans, procedures, and methodologies Analyzes a wide range of processes with long-term goals and results Trains and facilitates others in the use of quality tools and techniques Generates reports on quality initiatives for the Chiefs, Eye Service and the Division Executives Performs other related duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. Compressed/Flexible: Compressed schedule may be available for a highly qualified applicant 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#: Administrative Specialist/PD20984-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 11/08/2024. 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 within 30 days of 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. 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-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Interpreting and applying administrative policies, developing or implementing local policies, defining administrative requirements, maintaining administrative systems, and providing advice to management on related issues; administers programs concerning position management and human-resources utilization; reviews, analyzes and interprets incoming requests, recommends appropriate action or suggests appropriate alternatives; analysis and interpretation of workload, supply/demand, and other data used in strategic resource planning; formulates, presents, executes, and analyzes organizational budgets; performs in-depth, analysis of budget requests by employing techniques such as cost-benefit analysis, program tradeoffs, and exploring alternative methods of funding; developing and monitoring quality programs, plans, procedures, and methodologies; and/or analyzing quality initiatives and processes. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have masters or equivalent graduate degree; or two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or a LL.B. or a J.D., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate education beyond the first year of graduate education (18 semester hours). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: CommunicationProblem SolvingProject Management 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 primarily sedentary, although some walking, bending, and light lifting may be required. 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 VA Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: Merlinda Winbush
• Phone: 702-791-9000 X14083
• Email: [email protected]