Staff Assistant - VISN Operations Center (VOC)

Summary

This position serves as a Staff Assistant with the new Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 2 within the VISN Operations Center (VOC), functioning as a key administrative, operational, and program management resource supporting Health Service Area (HSA) Support Teams and VISN-wide strategic initiatives. To confirm your new VISN area, please see here: https://digital.va.gov/rise/

Duties

The position operates with considerable independence in coordinating high-priority projects, facilitating communication across multiple organizational levels, tracking operational performance, and supporting the implementation of complex regional programs designed to improve healthcare delivery, access, quality, and the overall Veteran experience. The Staff Assistant contributes to the execution of VHA and Department of Veterans Affairs priorities established by the Under Secretary for Health, facilitating the translation of agency-level initiatives into effective VISN and HSA operations. The incumbent functions as a liaison and primary point of contact between HSA/Operations Center management and VISN program and facility staff to promote timely flow of routine and emergent information, help resolve or route basic issues, and support effective execution of routine program, administrative, and communication tasks. The work requires knowledge of administrative procedures, sound judgment, basic analytical skills, and an understanding of VA/VHA structure to support program efficiency and effective local implementation of national/VISN strategy. The GS-09 level serves in a developmental capacity, performing many of the same duty categories described at the full performance level (11)- Program Coordination, Liaison and Communications Coordination, and Administrative and Program Management Support -but at a reduced level of scope, complexity, and independence. For the GS-11, Major duties include but are not limited to: Serves as the point of coordination for multiple concurrent, high-priority projects and initiatives sponsored by the VISN Operations Center, HSA Support Teams, and VISN Executive Leadership, several of which are politically sensitive, timecritical, or involve significant reputational risk to the organization. Participates in the coordination of agency-level operational projects, pilots, and mandated VHA initiatives, ensuring that VISN activities are synchronized with objectives set by the Under Secretary for Health. Coordinates the integration of cross-cutting initiatives that span multiple HSAs, medical facilities, and VISN program offices, ensuring consistency of approach, avoidance of duplicative effort, and alignment with VISN and national VHA strategic priorities. Coordinates work groups, task forces, and VISN committees; may serve on subcommittees, assist with meeting logistics and ensure materials are collected or distributed as directed. Serves as a liaison between the VISN Operations Center, HSA Executive Leadership, VISN Program Offices, and other internal/external stakeholders, ensuring the timely and accurate flow of information across all organizational levels. Acts as communication flow between agency-level and VHA Central Office directives, ensuring that information, guidance, and requirements from the Under Secretary for Health are accurately transmitted and implemented at the VISN and HSA levels. Assists with the preparation and distribution of required agency-level reports, surveys, and briefings, ensuring VISN and HSA input is fully integrated with national reporting requirements. Prepares, reviews, and edits a wide variety of correspondence, briefings, talking points, presentations, meeting agendas, and formal reports for use by VISN and HSA Executive Leadership, ensuring content is accurate, well-organized, and appropriately tailored to the intended audience Researches and interprets VA/VHA policies, directives, handbooks, and other regulatory guidance to advise leadership and staff on procedural and administrative matters; ensures initiatives and correspondence comply with applicable policy requirements. Develops and maintains standard operating procedures, process guides, and internal control documents to support consistency and continuity of operations within the VISN Operations Center. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Will be discussed during the interview process. Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework only. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Staff Assistant - VISN Operations Center (VOC)/PD00007VS and PD00005VS Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized Requirements

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: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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. 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. Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/14/2026. 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. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. If you are currently serving in a Hybrid Title 38 position, your SF-50's must reflect you have been in the position longer than one year. GRADE REQUIREMENTS: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Staff Assistant GS-09 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 Supports correspondence, tracking, and briefing materials, with products routinely reviewed by the supervisor or higher-graded staff before release to leadership. Applies existing administrative guidelines and procedures to recurring situations, referring novel, sensitive, or unprecedented issues to the supervisor. Provide administrative and coordination support that contributes to the smooth functioning of specific assigned projects, tasks, or office operations. Assists coordination for multiple concurrent, high-priority projects and initiatives sponsored by the VISN Operations Center, HSA Support Teams, and VISN Executive Leadership. Provides assistance in the development of pre-briefing materials, participant lists, agenda, briefing materials, and manages all data requirements, including providing historical background documents. OR Education: Successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree or LL.B. or J.D., in a related field of the position to be filled. Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience as described above, to meet the total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. Staff Assistant GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Prepares and delivers recommendations that are often accepted and implemented by management to improve organizational efficiency and process consistency. Manages and updates program tracking, scheduling, and correspondence systems with minimal supervision, ensuring accuracy and compliance. Prepares, reviews, and edits a wide variety of correspondence, briefings, talking points, presentations, meeting agendas, and formal reports for use by VISN and HSA Executive Leadership, ensuring content is accurate, well-organized, and appropriately tailored to the intended audience. Develops and maintains standard operating procedures, process guides, and internal control documents to support consistency and continuity of operations within the VISN Operations Center Develops, implements, uses, and maintains administrative processes that are used to plan, track, and evaluate a wide array of long-standing programs, correspondence, and special initiatives for the purpose of improving program effectiveness and organizational productivity. Implements agency-level process and policy changes as directed by the VISN Operations Center, supporting the adaptation of Under Secretary for Health policies into local standard operating procedures, communication, and workflow. OR Education: Successfully completed three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree, or Ph.D., or equivalent doctoral degree in the related field of the position to be filled. The education portion must include courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college, or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education beyond the first 2 years and specialized experience as described above to meet total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. 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/. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, performed in an office setting. Some travel between VISN facilities may be required to support meetings, site visits, or special projects.

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/. How You Will Be Evaluated

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Attention to Detail Communication Critical Thinking Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Program Management Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Your 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. 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. 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. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Other 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. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.