Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY: This position is being filled using Direct-Hire Authority (5 CFR 337.205) for this occupation.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Provides direct administrative support to several Education initiatives including patient, professional, and employee programs.
• Assists with organization wide education initiatives including collaborating with other services to arrange for space, audiovisual support, materials, speaker needs, and local marketing.
• Maintains the facility calendar of education programs, updating it as events unfold. Incumbent anticipates impact of changes such as unannounced surveys and adjusts the calendar accordingly, including making appropriate notification of affected employees and external stakeholders.
• Provides support to the employee education program elements by serving as an information resource on programs, applicable rules and regulations, and processes for requesting education and associated follow up paperwork.
• This includes initial management and tracking of budgets associated with physician education (as per current regulatory guidance), employee education (based on prioritization level), discretionary travel associated with employee education, and mandatory travel associated with Director driven initiatives.
• Employee education initiatives include National Nurse Education Initiative (NNEI), Education Incentive Scholarship Program (EISP), VA Nursing Education for Employees (VANEEP), VA Learning Opportunity Residency (VALOR), Leadership Development Institute (LDI), Core Competency Leadership Series (CCLS), and other succession planning programs at the local, VISN, and national level.
• Provides direct assistance to employees inquiring about these programs, including demonstrating moderate awareness of each program, eligibility requirements, and appropriate processes for applying.
• Each program reports to a different Program Office through Central Office and rules and regulations vary across the different programs.
• Monitors for trends and recommend corrections, with analysis of implications for remainder of the year, to the Designated Learning Officer (DLO) and Connected Care Service Leadership.
• Provides timely notification to services with virtual distributed budgets for employee education to ensure allocations are not exceeded and opportunities are realized for those services not using their allotment.
• The incumbent consolidates annual funding estimates from other services based on local and facility wide education needs assessments into an annual budget forecast for the organization; organizes estimates by appropriation, object class, and line item following current budget instructions for each service in a "virtually disbursed" budget; and prepares required supporting documentation for expenditures such as employee travel, training, and office equipment and supplies for the service and assists other program support assistants from other services in preparing these documents.
• Education funding requirements for the facility are relatively stable from year to year and mirror the adjustments in the overall budget.
• Work requires an in-depth practical knowledge of the Education Services' activities, operations, and established guidelines relating to workload and expected deliverables, required reporting at the local and VISN levels, records systems, and the budget process for the facility.
• The work requires skill to independently compile and summarize information and data as noted above, identify inaccuracies or anomalies in the information, and make written recommendations to resolve discrepancies based on interpretation of applicable regulations and procedures as noted above to include executive summary and implications of options for resolution.
• The employee must extract and analyze a considerable volume of information to arrive at a product that may come from varied sources, different program offices, and cross multiple directives and handbooks.
• Incumbent anticipates possible documentation needs for programs on the calendar and researches associated material, links (websites), and assists with development of presentations in collaboration with subject matter experts.
• Creates presentations based on available information and provides near final product for consideration of the presenter.

Work Schedule: 7:30 am - 4:00 pm OR 8:00 am - 4:30 pm PST; Monday to Friday
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Administrative Support Assistant (OA)/PD304850
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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.
• 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 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 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 Minimum Qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 07/27/2026.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Minimum Qualifications: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-5 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of minimum qualifications would typically include, but are not limited to: extract information from various sources to analyze and apply standard interviewing or surveying techniques to resolve issues; use word processing and various software programs to create, modify, and retrieve various types of documents, written correspondence and reports; reviews documents, reports, and/or applications for omissions and inconsistencies; assists in development of informational handouts, brochures, and guideline materials; manage multiple assignments simultaneously.

In addition to meeting Minimum Qualifications the following is required:

• Typing Proficiency: In addition to meeting the experience requirements, you must be able to type at least 40 words per minute. Applicants may meet this requirement by presenting a certificate of proficiency from a school or other organization authorized to issue such certificates or by self-certifying their proficiency.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

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.

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.

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.

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. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

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.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Note: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

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.

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