Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open ONLY to former VA employees who are CTAP eligible living in the local commuting area of the Washington, DC VBA Regional Office.

Specific duties include:

1. Serves as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Executive Director (DED) of Policy and Procedures in Compensation Service.
2. Reviews internal processes and procedures and provides recommendations for process improvements, as appropriate.
3. Provides regular and comprehensive administrative and operational oversight and guidance in Policy and Procedures, ensuring compliance with VBA directives and its overarching mission.
4. Reviews organizational proposals for Policy and Procedures and advises the Deputy Executive Director on implications of the proposals, and makes recommendations to approve, disapprove, or modify specific proposals, many of which have Department-wide impact.
5. Evaluates the content of new or modified legislation for projected impact on VBA's transformation and innovation efforts and assigns work as appropriate within Policy and Procedures staffs.
6. Responsible for detailed staff coordination and operations to ensure the DED is continually prepared for all decisions, administrative matters, and sensitive items, throughout the program.
7. Ensure policies and/or issues have been fully coordinated, vetted, and staffed, and advises the DED on implications, key issues, to include affected relationships with interested groups, both internal and external, and recommends courses of action.
8. Reviews calendars, events, documents, etc. to ensure coordination with required offices is complete and conflicts are resolved before DED review.
9. Responsible for coordination of major staff actions and events, ensuring consistency with overall direction and guidance. Coordinates with VBA leadership and external partners for major, sensitive, and cross functional issues.
10. Uses expert skill in creating, organizing, reviewing, and editing a variety of documents to ensure they are technically sound and grammatically correct, and are appropriate for the intended audience.
11. Regularly advising senior management officials on complex, sensitive, controversial, and highly sensitive issues which may impact or shape the future direction of Operations programs.
12. Communicates with internal and external customers in a courteous, tactful, and helpful manner. Interacts in a businesslike and courteous manner with others to facilitate the accomplishment of work. Demonstrates the ability to adjust to change, handle difference of opinion in a harmonious fashion, and follow instructions conscientiously.
13. Analyzes and evaluates situations requiring the Director's personal action, develops management options, and advises the Director of the potential consequences of each. Maintains a critical awareness of sensitive program developments and problems. Advises on the development of directives for Policy and Procedures activities. Ensures the efficient operation of the Office of the DED through proactive management and effective problem resolution. Plays a key role in addressing issues that cross organization staffs and directly affect Policy and Procedures.
14. Gathers background material and develops speeches/testimony on a wide range of Operations subjects for the DED's presentation to service organizations, congressional staff, and other stakeholders. Also, prepares and/or coordinates responses to inquiries from Congressional members, VSOs, and other stakeholders.
15. Maintains continued awareness of overall activities in order to evaluate effectiveness and to keep the DED informed and recommends actions to strengthen operating and administrative policies and procedures, and/or to advise staff elements of the Director on priority matters of concern. Takes final action in connection with the application of managerial and administrative functions that are within delegated authority. Incumbent is required to be aware constantly of the overall Policy and Procedures programs and to recognize those areas with which the DED should not be burdened, what actions and commitments should be made without reference to them and what matters require his/her counsel or decisions before arriving at final conclusions.
16. Works closely with leadership on analysis and interpretation of workload and other data for appropriate resource allocation which requires the incumbent to be knowledgeable about Policy and Procedures.
17. Participates in risk management including developing, testing, monitoring, documentation, and corrective action, when necessary, of effective internal controls for risk mitigation for administrative functions.

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Executive Assistant; PD39126-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Conditions of employment

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 2-year 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
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements I-9 Acceptable Documents.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:03/20/2026.

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.

• For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level.

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.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
GS-14 Grade Level:

• Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position(s), and that is typically IN OR RELATED TO the work of the position to be filled. Specialized Experience is defined as experience demonstrating all of the following: The applicant must document knowledge of program management pertaining to planning, development and execution of worldwide program and be able to prepare various documents including program justifications.

Volunteer Experience: 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.
Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week.
Physical Requirements: This work at this level is primarily sedentary.

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/.

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 an interview.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Advisory - Demonstrated ability to advise, provide managerial advice, and serve as a technical advisor to senior-level executives.
• Knowledge of Laws, Regulations, and Policies - Knowledge of applicable laws, regulations, policies and procedures in order to conduct studies, briefings, and prepare written communications to improve the operation of these programs.
• Oversight - Ability to provide oversight responsibilities that require the direction and integration of work through various sources of communication.
• Written Communication - Skill in preparing briefing papers and presentations for Congressional and internal/external stakeholders.
• Problem Solving - Demonstrated ability to identify problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
• Organizational Skills - Well-developed organizational skills including ability to maintain office records and communication files.

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package to include the documents detailed below. Resumes may not exceed two pages and must be legible for review of eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume and supporting documentation will be verified. Failure to submit the documents as specified may result in loss of consideration for this job announcement.

• Resume:
  • Contact Information:
    • Name and how best to contact you, including email address and phone number
  • Relevant Work Experience:
    • For each relevant work experience, make sure you include:
      • Job Title and Employer (including series and grade for any Federal positions)
      • Start and end dates with month/year (e.g., 05/2019 - 08/2022)
      • The number of hours you worked per week
    • Ensure work experience descriptions are aligned with the job announcement and address all required qualifications. Brief descriptions should demonstrate your ability to perform the tasks at the required level as stated in the job announcement
  • Optional Details:
    • When relevant, include:
      • Current Security Clearance
      • Job-related training
      • Language skills
      • Organizations and affiliations
      • Professional publications
      • Eligibility for special programs (e.g., military spouses, individuals with disabilities, etc.)
• Current Federal Employees:
  • Your most recent APPOINTMENT SF-50. The most recent 1XX or 5XX SF-50 proving status. This SF-50 should identify your appointing legal authority, position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).
  • Your SF-50 reflecting when you entered your highest grade and step (e.g., Within Grade Increase, Promotion, Appointment, etc.) in order to verify time-in-grade requirements.

Additional Documents accepted:

• Most recent Performance Appraisal (VA Form 0750)
• Award SF-50s
• CTAP documentation - RIF notice, SF-50 showing VA employee, and performance appraisal

Next steps