Office Automation Clerk

Clarification from the agency

Area of Consideration (AOC): Open to current permanent employees of the Miami VA, Department of Veteran Affairs Employees, and CTAP eligible: 1st AOC -CTAP eligible 2nd AOC - Employees of the Miami VA , including satellite locations. 3rd AOC - Department of Veteran Affairs Employees.

This position serves as the primary timekeeper for the Nutrition and Food Service department and performs a variety of clerical, administrative, and office automation duties in support of departmental operations.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Uses word processing software to create, copy, edit, store, retrieve and print forms, memos, and letters.
• Possesses the required knowledge to operate a computer to use various computer programs and software packages to maintain spreadsheets and databases.
• Completes drafts of correspondence, reports, procedures, memorandums, meeting agendas, and meeting minutes.
• Recognizes discrepancies and corrects or questions the originators in such matters as improper formatting, errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
• Prepares a wide variety of recurring correspondence, internal reports, and other documents from information obtained from office staff, files and other sources and reviews and finalizes documents prepared by others.
• Maintains files as the backup to the records liaison and records covering correspondence of the office and provides specific files, documents, and information from records upon request of supervisor or other authorized personnel.
• Assembles and summarizes information from files and documents in office and to his/her available sources for use of superior on the basis of federal instruction as to the nature of the information desires and its purpose.
• Prepares and consolidates time and attendance records and ensures that requests and proper documentation is available for granting advance sick leave, leave without pay and other leave.
• Maintains, purges, and disposes of office records/files.
• Ascertains the nature of the call or visit and provides complete and clear information that addresses most routine or procedural issues.
• Personally answers routine, non-technical requests for information such as status of reports, suspense dates and similar readily available information.
• Possesses and practices appropriate and adequate customer service and communication skills to deal with demanding and or difficult situations created by the nature of the position involving repetitive type of calls or a highly demanding volume of calls.
• Reviews outgoing correspondence submitted by supervisor, as well as other staff members, for signature, format, factual, grammatical and typographical accuracy, and conformance with procedural instruction to determine that necessary background material is attached.
• Ensures accurate recording and tacking of hours worked, leave usage, overtime, and shift differentials in accordance with established pay periods and submission deadlines.
• Ensures proper documentation is in place and on file prior to entry into the timekeeping system.

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 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)

• 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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/14/2026.

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-4 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-3. 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.

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

• Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-3 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Performing computer based typing; Providing clerical support for meetings, including recording notes and preparing routine summaries as directed; Use of office automation systems and various Microsoft software packages to accomplish work; Entering, maintaining, and certifying time and attendance records for all employees in the work unit, and assisting with ordering and maintaining common use office supplies. OR,

• Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 2 years of education above high school level obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university to equal an Associate degree or 60 semester credit hours. (Transcripts Required) OR,

• Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide your semester hours of by 60. Add the two percentages to qualify for grade level. 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

• Cover Letter
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

• 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.

Next steps