Staff Assistant - Research & Development

Veterans Health Administration

Portland, OR

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JOB DETAILS

SKILLS

Administrative Management, Administrative Skills, Business Administration, Calendar Management, Computer Security, Cost Estimates, Department of Veterans Affairs, Documentation, Fax Machines, Federal Government, File Maintenance, Furniture, Government, Healthcare, Hotel Management, Human Resources, Human Resources Management, Internet Research, Job Requisition Posting, Leadership, Legal, Maintenance Services, Medical Office Administration, Medical Research, Negotiation Skills, Occupational Health, Onboarding, Operations Security (OPSEC), Performance Reviews, Plan Meetings, Printers, Project/Program Management, Purchasing/Procurement, Research & Development (R&D), Schedule Development, Security Clearance, Staff Requirements, Strategic Planning, Training/Teaching Curriculum, Travel Planning, Typing, United States Citizen, Vaccination, Website Management

LOCATION

Portland, OR

POSTED

Today

Summary

The Staff Assistant position is located at the Portland VA Medical Center (PVAMC) in Research and Development (R&D). The position reports directly to the Administrative Officer/Administrative Director of R&D, but often works directly with the Research Associate Chief of Staff(ACOS) and Deputy ACOS along with Principal Investigators (PI's), Administrative Officers (AO's) and Office of Research & Development (ORD) human resources and leadership.

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Duties

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***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION***

This position involves a multi-grade career ladder. The major duties listed below represent the full performance level of GS-9. At the GS-7 grade level, you will perform assignmentsof a more limited scope and with less independence. You will progressively acquire the background necessary to perform at the full performance level of GS-9. Promotion is at the discretion of the supervisor and is contingent upon satisfactory performance, availability of higher level work, and availability of funds.

Major duties and responsibilities include:

Acquisition and inventorying of resource materials and equipment including telephones, computers, printers, fax machines, filing cabinets, desks, archive boxes, etc.
Establishing and maintaining files of correspondence and other documents related to investigations, performance appraisals and competency folders.
Oversight and facilitation of maintenance, service, repair, inventory, procurement, disposal and issue, and all projects associated with those functions.
Mapping key distribution, tracking numbers of keys distributed, ordering new keys, and updating master key control map.
Completing the move worksheet that identifies all equipment, furniture and office supplies needing to be moved, attending move committee meetings to negotiate move dates that best meets Research Service and employee needs.
Scheduling large center meetings (i.e., All Staff Meetings or Strategic Planning); obtaining meeting space, preparing agendas, and typing minutes in appropriate format and in final form for signature.
Ensuring security clearances and computer access prior to initiation of work.
Coordinating the Without Compensation (WOC) program for Research Service.
Coordination with multiple medical center services including, but not limited to, human resources, IT, and occupational/employee health.
Creating, maintaining, and updating an active WOC employee list along with associated paperwork for biannual reports to Office of Research and Development (ORD headquarters).
Providing back-up support for the Research Service web site management function.
Primary backup for timekeeping purposes.
Providing support and managing program level travel administration and meeting coordination which includes conducting cost estimates for meeting locations, preparing forms and packets for approvals, working with project management and travelers on hotel, meeting room, travel arrangements.
Performing other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

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.
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
Physical Requirements: The work requires no special physical demands. It may involve some walking, standing, bending, or carrying of light items. The work is performed in an office or similar setting requiring normal safety precautions against everyday risks or discomforts.
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) - See "Required Documents" below for details.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, 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:

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, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-7 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-7: You must possess 1 year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service, that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to this Staff Assistant position to be filled. Specialized experience for the position includes providing day-to-day administrative support for a medical facility; assisting with the acquisition of resource materials and equipment; establishing and maintaining files of correspondence and other documents; scheduling large meetings including obtaining meeting space, preparing agendas, and typing minutes. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.)

~OR~

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE GS-7: You must have successfully completed 1 full year of graduate level education that included coursework that is directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled. NOTE TO APPLICANTS: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study; if that number cannot be obtained from the transcript, 18 semester hours will be considered as one full academic year of graduate study. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

~OR~

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION GS-7: You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements at the GS-7 level. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

~OR~

SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT GS-7: You must possess a bachelor's degree and superior academic achievement (S.A.A.) based on one of the qualifying options below. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.

Class standing Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.

2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) Applicants must have a grade-point average of:

- 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or
- 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2years of the curriculum.

3. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies listed below. Agencies considering eligibility based on any society not included in the following list must ensure that the honor society meets the minimum requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision.

IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-9 LEVEL YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-9: You must possess one year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal service, that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to this Staff Assistant position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position includes providing day-to-day administrative support for a medical research program; assisting with the acquisition and inventory of resource materials and equipment; providing support with managing schedules, human resources activities, travel, and timekeeping; maintaining databases and hard-copy documents. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE.)

~OR~

EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION GS-9: You must have successfully completed a Masters (or equivalent graduate degree), or do you possess two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or do you possess an LL.B. or J.D. that is related to this position. Your graduate education must demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position as a Program Specialist performing duties related to health services research. NOTE TO APPLICANTS: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study; if that number cannot be obtained from the transcript, 18 semester hours will be considered as one full academic year of graduate study. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

~OR~

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION GS-9: You must possess equivalent combinations of experience and education as described above to fully meet the requirements of this position. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9. (THIS EXPERIENCE MUST BE SUPPORTED BY YOUR RESUME TO BE CREDITABLE AND COPY OF TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED AT TIME OF APPLICATION)

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

Education

IMPORTANT: 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: 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

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. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. 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.

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.

The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 80 or more before any Veterans preference points) for this vacancy. 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.

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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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