Clarification from the agency

Area of Consideration: Current permanent Syracuse VA Medical Center employees.

Major Duties:
Responsibilities include budget management, productivity improvement, management controls, and short and long-range planning. The purpose is to provide both effective and efficient delivery of services to patients seen in this health care system. Incumbent develops, maintains, and implements a comprehensive business plan for Ambulatory Care ICC in accordance with the philosophies of the Medical Center and the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Administrative Responsibilities (50%)-
The incumbent is integral to all resource allocations decisions involving resources which take into consideration FTE ceiling, hours of duty, salary budget, supply budget, equipment budget, space utilization, maintenance contracts, etc. Paramount to this responsibility is ensuring effective and efficient personnel and position management. This includes analyzing and measuring the resource needs of the patient centered care team organization and making recommendations based upon: non-physician staffing needs, physician staffing needs, approving individual expenditures for all non-recurring items, approving all requests for funding above budgeted levels, preparing funding and staffing requests, and managing capital assets including MCA labor mapping and related reporting requirements.

The incumbent is responsible for managing the Emergency Department and attendance in accordance with the Office of Academic (OAA) guidelines. The incumbent is also responsible for ensuring that the on-call information is entered in AMION and that it is kept up to date.

The incumbent must have the ability to extract both real time information from Syracuse VA and VISN 2 databases and current and past performance data from local, national and other data sources (e.g., VistA, CPRS, VSSC). Local, VISN and VA National report requirements (e.g., budget, workload, staffing, productivity, person class, etc.) and assignments are completed, and deadlines met in a timely and qualitative manner. Incumbent works to ensure monitoring budgetary activities including contracts. This includes development and maintenance of tracking systems for expenditures and contract concerns.

Serves as the technical expert regarding operational problems and personnel administrative issues. This includes responsibility for reviewing and approving organizational changes, position descriptions and performance standards.

Supervision (25%)-
Exercises supervisory authorities and responsibilities involving work assignment and review, as well as the administrative and personnel management functions relative to the staff supervised. This includes establishing work assignments and priorities, maximizing use of standard operating procedures and processes, monitoring and measuring performance, mentoring and coaching staff, and aligning these activities to maximize overall efficiency and standardization within the Careline. This is done primarily through mentoring and coaching of staff to maximize personal/professional development and individual/organizational performance.

Staff Assistant Responsibilities (25%)-
Conducts periodic administrative reviews of Clinical Privileges for Physicians and professional staff, consistent with VACO and Joint Commission criteria. Ensures maintenance of assignment and attendance records for contract staff, Title 38, Hybrid 38, and Title V staff. Incumbent coordinates the OPPE/FPPE reviews and ensures their timely and accurate completion.

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: Monday - Friday 0730 - 1600
Telework: Ad-hoc only
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Administrative Officer/PD21W14O
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• 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 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 or trial 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, 04/06/2026.

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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9. 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:

GS-9

• 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: knowledge of qualitative and quantitative techniques for analyzing and measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of administrative and technical programs. Thorough knowledge of principles of cost benefit analyses in order to analyze the effect of new clinical programs or organization changes of the Medical Center's cost and the quality of patient care, Complete knowledge of budgeting concepts and procedures, knowledge of methodologies for determining unit costs, and understanding of procedures for forecasting workload. OR,
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related (Transcripts Required) OR
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education.

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: Expert knowledge of qualitative and quantitative techniques for analyzing and measuring the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of administrative and technical programs. Thorough knowledge of principles of cost benefit analyses in order to analyze the effect of new clinical programs or organization changes of the Medical Center's cost and the quality of patient care, Complete knowledge of budgeting concepts and procedures, knowledge of methodologies for determining unit costs, and understanding of procedures for forecasting workload, Expansive knowledge of personnel, budget, and procurement regulations in order to participate in committee actions and recommend actions on professional appointments, budgets and procurement of supplies, equipment, and services, Mastery of skills in public relations (including oral and written skills), in order to optimally disseminate information, resolves queries and handles administrative functions. OR
• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related. (Transcripts Required) OR
• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Administration and Management
• Communications
• Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
• Lead or Supervise
• Strategic Thinking

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.

Physical Requirements: Work is mostly sedentary and involves very little physical efforts.

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.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

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.

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.

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

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

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
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
• An SF-50 showing 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
• Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
• Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
  • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
  • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
  • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

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