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Summary The position serves as the principal administrative support to the Chief of Staff at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston,SC. The Executive Secretary is responsible for managing the Chief of Staff’s calendar, scheduling meetings, and coordinating travel arrangements. This role involves preparing, reviewing, and editing correspondence, reports, and official documents, as well as screening incoming communications to prioritize matters requiring executive attention. Responsibilities Coordination with Chief of Staff: Meets daily or as needed with supervisor, discussing drafts of letters, publications, agenda for meetings, appointments, methods by which problems have been or will be handled, follow-up action on delayed action and related functions. As Executive Secretary to the Chief of Staff, recommends solutions to problems based on knowledge of past practices, regulations, and policy. Responsible for all travel arrangements for the Chief of Staff. Coordinates coverage for the Chief of Staff position in his absence and insures notification of it to the appropriate hospital personnel. Disposes of a large volume of inquiries daily that are received from the various services ranging from operating procedures to policy questions from professional and administrative functions of wide variety. Consults VA Manuals as necessary in order to cite references and has the responsibility of orienting all secretaries of the professional services regarding the administrative relationships and responsibilities to the Offices of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief of Staff. Authorized to make independently assignments to staff members without discussion with Chief of Staff, such as requests for information to complete reports, tele@types request for data, requests from the administrative divisions for certifications and related functions. Explains report requirements and arranges for submission of data to be assembled with other services. Coordinates with Personnel, Medical Administration, Fiscal, and other administrative services related to Consulting and Attending appointment and control of funds, proficiency ratings, promotion requests, special work orders. Manages correspondence. Schedules all appointments. Arranges meetings. Taking and transcribing dictation. Greets visitors and patients. Keeps time and attendance. Work Schedule: Monday – Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm. Work schedule subject to change based on agency needs. Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA) Chief of Staff Office/PD005820 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Requirements Conditions of Employment 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 dentification 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, 05/01/2026. 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-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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-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: experience greeting and interacting with a variety of individuals from high-ranking executives to lower level employees; experience in an office or medical environment performing progressively complex secretarial duties; answering incoming telephone inquiries and correspondence; composing, proofreading, editing correspondence, memorandums, policies, etc.; ensuring all correspondence, memorandums, policies, etc. contain correct format, grammar, spelling, and punctuation; utilizing technology such as Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook); coordinating complex calendars, meetings and travel arrangements. Proficiency Requirement: In additional to meeting experience requirements, applicants for this position must show possession of the following skills: Ability to @type 40 words per minutes 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 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. 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. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee’s credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. 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. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced 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 for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. 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/.
