Secretary

The Secretary for the Chief of Staff's office performs duties to assist the Chief of Staff, and in some cases the subordinate staff of the Chief of Staff, by performing general office work auxiliary to the work of the organization. The position is the principal clerical or administrative support position, operating independently of any other such position in the office.

Duties include, but are not limited to: Receives calls and screens visitors and telephone calls, i.e. identity, purpose of call and relative importance in relation to availability of staff members. Takes messages and/or provides information as to availability of the supervisor. Refers matters to appropriate staff on the basis of knowledge of the various organizational components and individual responsibility. Reviews, composes and prepares all correspondence received by the activity for necessary action. Composes correspondence on own initiative, based on a knowledge of superiors views. Types into final form from written material, brief instructions and/or voice recordings pertaining to intra-agency and public correspondence, narrative and tabulated reports, travel documents, personnel actions, etc., using manual, electric, or automated typing equipment. Assists supervisor's subordinates in the procedural aspects of expediting the work of the office, including distributing the workload of clerical help to take care of fluctuating workload. Takes meeting minutes accurately, and captures action items from the meeting. Provides information within standard office procedure, generally pertaining to any of the duty areas herein described and within caller's "need to know". Authorized to give out administrative and technical knowledge to callers upon determination of their right to receive it. Reviews documents prepared for signature of or requiring coordination by management for appropriate tone; conformance with regulations, grammar, format and special policies of the activity and completeness of information. Returns inadequate communications to originator for correction when not in conformance with known policies, or when correspondence regulations have not been followed. Prepares regular and special reports such as, but not limited to, time/attendance, leave, and degree of use of filing space, etc. Provides assistance for a variety of problems and inquiries which are received in person, telephonically or by referral from other secretaries in the organization. Responds to requests for information and/or develops one-of-a-kind reports covering organizational or technically oriented matters when information is available in office records and/or files. Follows up on projects resulting from conferences to insure that schedules are met and reports progress to managers. Keeps the superiors informed of important details of the office, visitors, and various events where failure to recognize significant matters might impair the effective operation of the organization. Decided whether the importance of business such as to require personal attention of superiors or referral to the appropriate division concerned with specific subject. Establishes priorities, sets up reschedules or refuses appointments, accepts or declines invitations to meetings and arranges for representation by a subordinate official. Controls activities schedule and reminds managers of appointments. Advises and instructs subordinate offices through discussions with author or typist on all phases of correspondence procedures to obtain higher degree of compliance with general activity policies and correspondence regulations. Processes incoming correspondence and material. Screens correspondence for matters which can be acted on personally and takes necessary action. Obtains information required by management from various sources within the VA, requiring a comprehensive knowledge of the VA's complex organizational structure. Refers to supervisor those cases which the incumbent is aware supervisor will want to act on personally or be made aware of. Reply to general inquiries not requiring a specialized knowledge of programs and projects under supervisor's control. Researches regulations applicable to the subject for presentation in one package along with any previous correspondence on the same subject. Reviews and proofreads outgoing correspondence, completed work, and other documents for format, policy conformance, and typographical and grammatical accuracy and ensures that all necessary background material is attached as circumstance requires. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for telework on an Ad-hoc basis. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Secretary/PD122170, PD122160, and PD122150 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.

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 required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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) 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.