Program Support Assistant

Veterans Health Administration

Detroit, MI

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JOB DETAILS

SKILLS

Administrative Management, Administrative Skills, Calendar Management, Computer Operations, Database Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, Documentation, Employee Orientation, Equipment Maintenance/Repair, Federal Government, Fitness, Follow Through, Government, Healthcare, Human Resources, Leadership, Legal, Manual Dexterity, Office Equipment, Onboarding, Operations Security (OPSEC), Peace Corps, People Management, Physical Demands, Problem Solving Skills, Property Management, Purchasing/Procurement, Record Keeping, Regulations, Regulatory Requirements, Rentals, Research & Development (R&D), Research Administration, Research Laboratory, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Systems Maintenance, Telephone Skills, Time Management, Training/Teaching, Typing, United States Citizen, Vaccination, Volunteer Experience

LOCATION

Detroit, MI

POSTED

Today

Summary

The position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Research and Development in Detroit, MI (John D. Dingell VAMC). The Program Support Assistant (PSA) provides administrative support for the Associate Chief of Staff for Research (ACOS) and the Administrative Officer (AO) for Research and Development.

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Duties

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Duties:

Duties may include, but are not limited to:

Serves as the primary point of contact for research administrative matters, ensuring follow through of requests and coordination of problem resolution as needed.
Organize and maintain databases related to employee data, credentialing documentation, training and onboarding/offboarding processes.
Manage telephone calls and email communicationin a professional manner, documenting key information related to inquires and transferring inquires to appropriate personnel.
Meets the needs of customers while supporting the organization's missions, interacts with a variety of customers in a courteous, tactful and respectful manner and handles conflict constructively.
Process employee paperwork, human-resource related activities, research lab access and new employee orientation.
Provides guidance to research personnel on resources, regulations, procedures and deadlines regarding personnel processing activities.
Develops and maintains record keeping systems and procedures. Utilizes electronic software/databases for local site documentation of administrative study-related duties.
Responsible for planning and coordinating a variety of organizational activities, events and meetings as well as scheduling appointments for organizational leadership.
Assists in equipment management by coordinating inventory checks, equipment turn-ins and tracking of equipment transfers.
Provides support in the management of space utilization, procurement and contracting services, property management and engineering (equipment/facilities) concerns.
Researches and maintains service-level polices and standard operating procedures, ensure these are consistent with regulatory requirements and aid in updates to these regulatory materials upon guidance changes.
Contribute to the timely submission of application submission by research personnel by tracking and monitoring communication, providing guidance in completing forms and address processing delays.
Aids in acquiring supplies, equipment and services to meet the purchase, rental or lease needs of the organization.
Disseminates policy changes to research personnel and the organization and aids in providing advice to managers and staff concerning local personnel procedures.

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm EST

Compressed/Flexible: Not Available.

Telework: Add hoc telework available upon approval of supervisor.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD30959-0

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Typically, the employee sits comfortably at a desk to work. However, there may be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, books, small parts, etc. Manual dexterity is required for operating office equipment. Typing and computer operation may involve long periods of hand and wrist movement. No special physical demands are required to perform the work.
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 ( 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, 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, 05/18/2026.

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-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-06. 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. Do not submit an award SF50 for Time in Grade requirements.

Provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, "Notification of Personnel Action" to indicate your current federal status. You must also submit additional SF-50(s) to clearly demonstrate one year time-in-grade as required in the announcement. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year time-in-grade. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year time-in-grade.

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.

GS-07 Grade Level

Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-06 level. Examples of specialized experience include:

Serves as the primary point of contact for research administrative matters, ensuring follow through of requests and coordination of problem resolution as needed.
Organize and maintain databases related to employee data, credentialing documentation, training and onboarding/offboarding processes.
Manage telephone calls and email communication in a professional manner, documenting key information related to inquires and transferring inquires to appropriate personnel.
Meets the needs of customers while supporting the organization's missions, interacts with a variety of customers in a courteous, tactful and respectful manner and handles conflict constructively.
Process employee paperwork, human-resource related activities, research lab access and new employee orientation.

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

Accountability, Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

Per Office of Personnel Management General Schedule Qualification Policies, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable when documented by satisfactory evidence (e.g., a memorandum from the manager, human resources director, or official documentation such as SF-52, SF-50 documenting an official detail/assignments, or other comparable documentation). The documentation must indicate whether the employee performed the duties full time or, if part-time, the percentage of times the employee performed the additional duties.

To receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your position, you must provide official documentation of such experience as indicated above.

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. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit OPM's web site at

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at

Education

There is no educational substitution at the GS-07 grade level. As a general rule, education is not creditable above GS-5 for most positions covered by this standard; however, graduate education may be credited in those few instances where the graduate education is directly related to the work of the position.

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:

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:

Additional information

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at

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.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

About the Company

Veterans Health Administration

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