Clarification from the agency

This position is open to current, permanent employees of the Atlanta VA Health Care System and CTAP eligible applicants only.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Responsible for providing assistance with a variety of problems and inquiries which are received in person, telephonically, or by referral from other secretaries, receptionists or support staff in the organization.
• The position is drafts correspondence, such as routine official correspondence, social and personal acknowledgments, congratulatory letters, acceptance letters, and routine office reports.
• Performs typing on a computer keyboard wherein the work requires competitive level proficiency in typing as well as knowledge of office hardware and software systems.
• Provides clerical and administrative assistance to the Chief of Staff.
• Determines nature of call or business of visitors, if business requires the attention of technical or staff specialists, decides whether the importance of business such as to require personal attention of superiors or if the visitor should be referred to the appropriate organizational component concerned with specific subject.
• Authorized to give out administrative and technical information to callers upon determination of their right to receive it. When calls involve matters on which superiors will require background information, tactfully postpones the conversation, obtains the required information, and presents the information when informing the superiors of the pending call.
• Maintains the manager's daily calendar, making appointments and arranging conferences and meetings without specific prior approval, based on a knowledge of the manager's schedule.
• On own initiative, makes arrangements for such meetings by reserving space, setting the specific time, and contacting all personnel expected to attend.
• Performs typing on a computer keyboard wherein the work requires competitive level proficiency in typing as well as knowledge of office hardware and software systems.
• Utilizes a variety of office automation systems and various software packages to accomplish work. Assignments include text editing; file creation, maintenance, and retrieval; use of message, calendar, and suspense systems; and use of other specialized tools in support of specific functions. Utilizes knowledge of software utilities and function commands to manipulate text to accomplish formats, revisions, deletions, and additions.
• Prepares a variety of narrative and statistical material, correspondence, reports, etc., in final form for supervisor's signature. Uses judgment in selecting spacing; arranging material; and ensuring proper punctuation, grammar, spelling, and capitalization.
• Screens all calls and visitors, answering questions and completing most business involving established policy or routine matters without referring people to the supervisor
• Serves as unit timekeeper
• Establishes and maintains all necessary files and disposes of record material in accordance with VA regulations.
• Serves as a liaison for several high level committees and prepares agendas, takes and transcribes all notes, prepares meeting minutes for signature
• Reviews all documents being routed up the Chain of Command for general conformance with policy, clarity, completeness, grammar, factual correctness, typographical accuracy and necessary attachments, calling any deviations to the attention of the writer.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• 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
• 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)

• 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, 03/02/2026.

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-08 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. 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 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:

• Administrative secretary/assistant work to executive management in a health care setting
• Prioritizing, coordinating support and completing tasks within established timeframes
• Use of office automation equipment such as computers, telephones, conference equipment, copiers, and fax machines
• Following complex administrative procedures
• Experience developing and installing office procedures, policies and practices
• Use of computer programs, such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Outlook)
• Preparation of reports, correspondence, memoranda, and other forms of written communication
• Interfacing with outside organizations, referring visitors and callers to appropriate staff
• Instruct others on procedural requirements of a job
• Serving as a liaison to convey information
• Assembling/preparing information for a variety of meetings, reports and correspondence at the executive level

• Clerical
• Interpersonal Skills
• Manages and Organizes Information

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.

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-15
• 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