Requirements
Conditions of employment
- U.S. Citizenship: non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
- 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.
- Must pass pre-employment physical examination
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/10/2026.
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- 07. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 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. 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.
MINUMUM QUALIFICATIONS:GS-9 Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
- Understanding of data management and creating a tracking system.
- Exercising appropriate controls to evaluate effectiveness of work output in meeting goals and objectives.
- Ability to develop presentations on collected data.
- Ability to understand program and manage various projects.
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- 07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: demonstrates extensive knowledge in a variety of local operational databases; write reports, case studies and proposals on a variety of operational, quality improvement, and research methods or results aimed at developing the means to provide necessary information for evidence-based medical decision making; assists clients (internal/external) through own judgment and acts on requests or inquiries by reaching out to appropriate subject matter experts who can provide resolution that meets with their satisfaction. OR,
- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree.
OR
- Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education that equals to the next lower grade.
MINUMUM QUALIFICATIONS:GS-11 Specialized Experience: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:
- Understanding of data management and creating a tracking system.
- Exercising appropriate controls to evaluate effectiveness of work output in meeting goals and objectives.
- Ability to develop presentations on collected data.
- Ability to understand program and manage various projects.
OR
Substitution of Education: Applicants may substitute education for the experience required for the GS-09 grade level. For education to qualify, applicants must possess a Ph.D or equivalent graduate degree OR completed 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D degree in a major field of study which provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.
OR
Combination of Experience and Education: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at the GS-09 level. To calculate, first identify the percentage of required education you have earned (when substituting, you cannot use the first 36 semester hours that you earned). Then identify the percentage of required experience you possess. Add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100 percent to qualify at the GS-09 grade level. For example, an applicant who has 9 semester hours of graduate level education (i.e. 50% of graduate education required) and 6 months of creditable specialized experience (i.e. 50% of the required experience) would equal 100% of the required experience for the position.
NOTE: A TRANSCRIPT(S) MUST BE SUBMITTED WITH YOUR APPLICATION IF YOU ARE BASING ALL OR PART OF YOUR QUALIFICATIONS ON EDUCATION. CONFERRAL OF DEGREE(S) EARNED SHOULD BE PRESENT ON TRANSCRIPT(S). UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT(S) OK.
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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Planning, designing and implementation of strategic initiatives; developing comprehensive methods and innovative approaches related to data gathering and authentication; updating of databases, monitoring data trends and reporting upon statistical data; conducting studies and comparative analyses; formulating improved methods of healthcare delivery; providing expertise related to improving data reliability and validity; knowledge in developing external surveys/inspection/requests. OR,
- Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have 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. OR,
- Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
- Customer Service (Clerical/Technical)
- Data Management
- Organizational Performance Analysis
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: The work is sedentary. Typically, the incumbent sits comfortably to do the work. However, there may be some walking, standing, bending, carrying light items such as papers, books, small parts, or driving an automobile etc. No special physical demands are involved performing the work.
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
A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
Additional information
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.
Probationary/Period: As a condition of employment for accepting the position of Administrative Specialist with the Department of Veterans Affairs, 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 the following:
- 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. If you do not receive certification for continued employment, you should receive written notice prior to the end of your trial period hat your employment will be terminated and the effective date of such termination.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
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.
Required Documents
Validating Time-in-Grade Eligibility for Current and Former Federal Employees. When JOAs are open to current and former federal employees, eligibility determinations must include validating time-in-grade (TIG) at the next lower grade; therefore, a Standard Form 50 (SF-50), Notification of Personnel Action, is required. An example of language that can be used in a JOA requiring an SF-50 to substantiate TIG at the next lower grade is below:
You must submit the following documentation demonstrating eligibility:
Official Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50) noting your current position or most recently held position, tenure, type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive), grade level and duty location. (Text version SF-50s or Request for Personnel Action SF-52s are not acceptable.) For current Federal employees, the SF-50 must be effective the first pay period of the current year or later.
Time-In-Grade (TIG) Requirement: TIG requirements apply to applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks, as well as former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, and current employees applying for a Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Applicants who must meet TIG must also submit the following in addition to their most recent SF-50:
- Official SF-50 that shows you hold the grade for the position you are applying for (or a higher grade), or
- Official SF-50s that show you held the next lower grade for at least one year for the position you are applying for. (Multiple SF-50s may need to be submitted to show this.)
Examples of appropriate SF-50s to include in addition to your most recent SF-50 to meet TIG requirements include:
- Within grade increases (WGI) at the highest grade held; or
- Promotions with an effective date that occurred more than one year from the closing date of the JOA; or
- SF-50s at the highest grade held with an effective date that occurred more than 1 year from the closing date of the JOA.
NOTE: Do not submit Award SF-50s, as they do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
Failure to submit any of the above required documents applicable to your submission may result in loss of consideration and a rating of ineligible due to an incomplete application package. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that their application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. We will not contact applicants for additional documentation, nor will we accept late or missing documents after the close of the announcement.
Incomplete Applications. The general rule is that an application is incomplete if an applicant submits insufficient information concerning experience, eligibility, or education (if required); or Fails to respond to questions that require a response before any action can be taken.
All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document(s):The following documents are accepted and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this
checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
RESUME REMINDER: Even though we do not require a specific resume format, your resume must be clear so that we are able to fully evaluate your qualifications. To ensure you receive appropriate consideration, please list the duties you performed under each individual job title. If we are unable to match your experiences with the positions held, you may lose consideration for this vacancy.
We cannot make assumptions regarding your qualifications. Your resume must include the following information for each job listed:
- Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
- Full-time or part-time status (include hours worked per week)
- Duties (be as detailed as possible)
- Job title
- Education (degree type, college/school name, month/year degree received)???????
Transcript Reminder: If you are basing your qualifications on education (or a combination of education and experience) or if the position requires a college education to qualify, you must submit a copy of your transcripts with your application If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements.