Secretary (OA) at Veterans Health Administration

About the role

The primary purpose of this position is to provide clerical and administrative support to the Associate Director of Patient Care Services. This position is located in the Office of the Associate Director of Patient Care Services, South Texas VA Health Care System in San Antonio, Texas. Duties include but not limited to: Coordinates and develops all administrative requirements for PCS, adjusts short-term priorities and tracks trends, vulnerabilities and solutions. Adjusts any service priorities policies Prepares minutes, maintains records management systems & develops department tracking mechanisms and makes recommendations in the best interest of the service, according to any departmental needs Independently schedules official committee and board meetings, including making reservations for meeting rooms and notifying all participants. Prepares and dispatches agenda preceding meeting date and subsequently makes timely distribution of approved minutes to all attendees and other concerned offices. Responsible for extensive knowledge of the major issues in patient services, remaining in compliance of local, agency, and national guidelines as it pertains to documents, tasks, and suspense timeline requirements Maintain comprehensive knowledge various guidelines, mandates, policy and procedures within STVHCS, VISN 17, VACO, Joint Commission, Commission on Accreditation. Prepares a variety of reports, meeting minutes and correspondence regarding administrative tracking and functions, ultimately offering suggestions to leadership and maintaining sound records and fact sheets. Prepares accurate and detailed documents, and work in line with facility operation needs, manages performance and compliance submissions and department tracking mechanisms. Monitors status of all working components of the department, identifying changes in techniques, and raising to leadership needs of the service. Develops recommendations to resolve problems pertaining to administrative processes and customer encounters in Patient Care Services and Nursing. Ensures safety is not compromised, and participates in maintaining the integrity of all tracking systems and safeguards. Engages with department and facility leadership to ensure compliance and efficiency of staff and patients, facilitating any needed system redesign efforts. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30 am-4:00 pm or 8:00 am-4:30 pm Telework: Ad-hoc only, as determined by Agency policy Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD04010O Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee may sit comfortably to do work; however, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts, and occasionally assisting handicapped individuals. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/02/2026. 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-08 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 as described below: 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Receives and screens telephone calls; resolves or assists in resolving a variety of complaints or requests made by employees, visitors, patients and/or their families; maintains calendars, recording such activities, keeping the appropriate parties informed, and scheduling events to avoid conflicts; Receives and reads incoming mail; Reviews all outgoing correspondence, reports, minutes, etc. for proper format, correct grammatical content, spelling, proper enclosures, proper and complete coordination, and ensures content is in accordance with established policies; and Files correspondence, reports, minutes, etc. in a timely manner. 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/. Office Automation Typing: In addition to meeting experience requirements, applicants for these positions must show possession of the following skills, as appropriate. Applicants may meet these requirements by passing the appropriate performance test, presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates by the Office of Personnel Management local office, or by self-certifying their proficiency. Performance test results and certificates of proficiency are acceptable for 3 years. Agencies may verify proficiency skills of self-certified applicants by administering the appropriate performance test. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: A pre-employment evaluation/examination may be required, depending on the needs of the organization. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.