Secretary (OA)

This position is located at the VA San Diego Healthcare System for the Associate Director Patient Care Services (ADPCS)/Nurse Executive. The position reports, for administrative and technical direction, to the Supervisory Health System Specialist, accepting assignments and direction from the ADPCS/NE.

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/04/2026. 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-7 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-6. for a GS-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7.

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: You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: For the GS-7 level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-6 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.

Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: knowledge in executive assistant/secretarial level administration to manage calendars, funds, utilize purchase cards, coordinate travel, take/prepare meeting minutes and track actions. Skill in how to operate a computer and computer software including Microsoft Office, Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as timekeeping systems and procedures.

For the GS-8 level: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: experience in executive assistant/secretarial level administration to manage calendars, funds, utilize purchase cards, coordinate travel, take/prepare meeting minutes and track actions.

Skill in how to operate a computer and computer software including Microsoft Office, Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as timekeeping systems and procedures.

Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reading Comprehension Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires sitting, walking, standing bending and carrying of light items such as papers, binders and books. Pace is fast and possibly at times, stressful. Auditory acuity to transcribe dictation is necessary. Visual acuity to accurately transcribe information into reports is essential.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.