Duties

Summary

The incumbent serves as a Program Support Assistant for Research and Development Service, Salem VA Health Care System, providing clerical assistance and support in the areas of budget preparation and analysis, purchasing and accounting to the Administrative Officer for Research (AO,R). as well as principal investigators and laboratory personnel.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

This is a Term appointment not to exceed 4 years. (Min 1 year 1 day, Max 4 years)

Major duties include (but are not limited to):

• Responsible for assessing office's supply, equipment, and furniture needs, preparing requisitions, and racking status of supply and equipment orders within the constraints of fiscal year obligation querulents; acts as designee of the Equipment Inventory Listing (EIL).
• Serves as backup Timekeeper for Research Service. Responsible for time and attendance reporting, prepares time and attendance reports for other office personnel as directed.
• Serves as Alternate ADPAC (Automated Data Processing Application Coordinator).
• Provides monthly expenditures and projections to the AO,R of all accounts (FCPs) and of the Service's research budget as a whole.
• Establishes obligated transactions (1358/2237) and keeps obligation and expenditure trackers up to the moment. Each account balance is analyzed, and adjustments made to reflect transfer of funds, obligations, expenditures and other actions altering the account balance
• Works with Lab Managers to initiate, procure, manage and monitor service and maintenance contracts for Research Service scientific equipment and lab equipment.
• Primary COR (Contracting Officer Rep) for the R&D Service. Works with appropriate principal investigator and/or AO,R to compose accurate contracting agreements as grant projects require.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 07:45AM - 4:30PM
Position Description Title/PD#: Program Support Assistant/ 022680
Physical Requirements: The work of this position is primarily sedentary in nature, although some slight physical effort will occasionally be required (e.g. when lifting and carrying light items/supplies (weighing up to 25 lbs.) for delivery). Occasional travel may be required

Travel Required

Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
6

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• May serve a probationary period
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• A complete application package; Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

Selective Placement Factor: This position includes a skill, knowledge, ability or other worker characteristic basic to -and essential for- satisfactory performance of the job. Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. Evidence of the Selective Placement Factor must be reflected in your resume.

SELECTIVE PLACEMENT FACTOR: You MUST have experience and MUST be well documented in your resume for further consideration.

• ???????Experience working with budgets and finance management (using EXCEL formulas & macros) and Adobe Pro software.

Time-In-Grade: 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE MUST BE WELL DOCUMENTED IN YOUR RESUME. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL DISQUALIFY YOU FROM FURTHER CONSIDERATION.

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-05) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: working experience in a healthcare environment performing revenue functions; collecting, compiling and/or tracking statistical information; providing monthly expenditures and projections for all accounts; health information management; compliance, operating a personal computer with a variety of software programs.

There is no educational substitution for the this grade level.

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.

Education

Additional information

VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process.

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 well-qualified, applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors if applicable, and must be proficient in most of the requirements of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website which can be found at https://www.opm.gov/ .

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.

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 .

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. Applicants will be accessed in the order in which the applications were received and select any qualified applicant in that order.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Suitability/Fitness

Required Documents

Documents Accepted:

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• Resume

Documents Required:

• Resume

Please review the above list(s) to ensure you have included all necessary documents required for your application.Not every applicant will require the same documents, therefore it is the applicants responsibility to ensure that their application package includes all necessary documents to determine qualifications and eligibility for appointment, such as a copy of your SF-50, transcript, ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information. Applicants will be deemed ineligible if supporting documentation is not submitted.

Veterans' Preference: Since the Direct-Hire Recruitment Authority is being used, traditional Veterans' Preference rules do not apply. Qualified veterans will, however, be given full consideration for this position.

Applications are accepted online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.