Summary NOTE: This announcement has been extended to close on June 27, 2024. Applicant(s) who previously applied, do not need to re-apply. This position is located at the VA Maine Healthcare System, Togus, ME. The primary purpose of the position is to provide a wide array of administrative and project support to the Chief of Surgery, Associated Chief of Surgery, the Health Systems Specialist and the Specialty and Acute Care Clinic Nurse Manager. Responsibilities THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION Duties include but are not limited to the following: Schedules appointments, coordinates meetings, and/or schedules conferences. Prepares, makes edits, reviews letters, correspondence and reports for accuracy and completeness. Serves as timekeeper for multidisciplinary and administrative staff. Receives telephone calls and visitors, ascertains nature of call or visit, refers to supervisor or staff member as appropriate. Prepares for meetings to include agendas, distributing meeting notices, tracking attendance, and arrangement for audiovisuals. Attends meetings, takes accurate minutes, and follow up on action items with appropriate staff members independently. Serves as a patient advocate, assisting patient and families' concerns, finding resolution and documentation. Provides administrative support to multi-disciplinary clinical team. Maintains suspense of incoming or outgoing correspondence or material; advises staff member of approaching deadlines and initiates follow-up on overdue matters. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full Time, Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Recrutiment Incentive May be Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized 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. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) 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 TYPING PROFICIENCY: This position requires the skills of a qualified typist. In addition to meeting the experience requirements, you must be able to type at least 40 words per minute. AND SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: GS-6: Applicants must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-5) in Federal service, that has provided you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of a Secretary (Office Automation). Specialized experience is secretarial or administrative assistant support work performing routine clerical and organizational tasks; preparing correspondence and other documents; using automated software applications such as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint); answering the telephone and taking messages; scheduling appointments and updating calendars; handling incoming and outgoing correspondence; editing documents; and maintaining files and databases. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week You will be rated on the following Competencies as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position: Attention to Detail Customer Service Interpersonal Skills Oral Communication IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. 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. 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; religious; 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. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary considerable computer and keyboard work. The work includes some walking, standing, bending and carrying light items such as books, papers and files. 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 There is no educational substitution at this grade level. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities (i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities), and/or disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. For more information on how to apply using this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator within the office, contact the facility Human Resources Department at (207) 623-8411. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.