Administrative Specialist

Summary This position is located in the Workforce Management and Consulting (WMC), Workforce Solutions (WS)office within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The incumbent reports to the Business Operations Supervisor in the WS office and supports all administrative office functions. Responsibilities 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. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Total Rewards Work Schedule: Mon-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Telework: Available Duty Location Status: Location Negotiable based in conjunction with RTO Mandate; Will work from a VA owned or leased space; Return to Office (RTO): RTO mandates are in effect and selectees will be required to report to in-person work unless they are approved for an exception or exemption. Any approval for a RTO exception, exemption, or extension will happen after a tentative job offer, but before a final job offer. Position Description Title/PD#: Administrative Specialist/ PD02415-0 Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Physical Demands: The work is primarily sedentary. Major Duties: Providing support to senior leadership by independently organizing the day-to-day operational work of managing assignments and taskings, providing logistical support, office wide communications/briefings, and meeting assistance. Assisting with analyses research and policy work for senior leadership. Determining the best sources for information, the desired format and how best to obtain the information. Developing concise narratives and summaries that may include charts, graphs or other materials as the situation dictates. Developing or improving office methods and procedures and independently recommending changes to administrative policy and ensuring work is completed in an efficient and timely manner, meeting established deadlines. Utilizing computer programs and software to prepare electronic documents (spreadsheets, graphs, and similar automated formats) for review/presentation purposes. Maintaining calendars by managing recurring meetings, scheduling appointments and conferences as well as unscheduled activities. Entering and analyzing daily Time and Leave system variances/rejects. Noting discrepancies and coordinating with supervisors for correction. Receiving and reviewing regulations, directives, and memoranda on administrative functions. Interpreting such material and determining the extent to which the organization is affected and advising operating officials. Coordinating managing program award distributions, purchasing, Contracting Officer Representative 1, web page updates, informing staff of commitments and deadlines, and tracking of parking and building security employee access. Researching policy to properly respond to timekeeping and payroll questions from staff and leadership. Requirements Conditions of Employment As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period (OR INSERT "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 (OR INSERT "trial period"), your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Subject to background/security investigation 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. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be serving in a position in Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service. You will obtain competitive status after two years of service in this position, if applicable. Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/29/2026. 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-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 GS09: 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: advising on administrative policies, procedures and operations; providing administrative guidance, managing multiple schedules and calendars, making and preparing travel arrangements; entering time and attendance using VATAS, processing correspondence, preparing and editing documents, maintaining files and records, researching and coordinating responses to correspondence; utilizing automated systems to prepare documents, spreadsheets and presentations; and professional writing capabilities using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation 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 (Graduate Education: education at the graduate level in an accredited college or university must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work) 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: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond one year graduate level. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Knowledge Management Problem Solving Technical Competence 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 the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://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://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications Additional Information Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer (TJO). Please visit the Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at https://www.va.gov/EMPLOYEE/documents/The-Fair-Chance-to-Compete-Act.pdf for more information. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be serving in a position in Schedule Policy/Career of the excepted service. You will obtain competitive status after two years of service in this position, if applicable. Your employment in this position will be at-will. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) appeals of adverse actions concerning performance, discipline, and other matters arising under 5 U.S.C. Chapters 23, 43, and 75 will not be available to an individual serving in this position. Prohibitions on prohibited personnel practices will be enforced by the Office of General Counsel and not the Office of Special Counsel. 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) 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/. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. 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.