Program Assistant Jobs in Orange, CA (NOW HIRING)

Summary
The position is a primary member of a team responsible for providing operational support to the Medicine Outpatient Health Care Group, VA Long Beach Health Care System. The position requires ability to apply principles and practices of health care management, methods, techniques and skills in integrating the business goals of the Health Care Group with the strategic goals of the Healthcare System.
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Duties
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Main duties include, but are not limited to:

• The incumbent ensures the accuracy of the data being processed by performing routine and non-routine audits. The audits may be performed on source data from Financial reports, VISTA, VHA financial systems, Pyramid Analytics, DSS data, or end-user reports displaying DSS data.
• Develops procedures and systems for establishing, operating, and assessing the effectiveness of administrative control systems such as those designed to prevent waste, loss, unauthorized use, or misappropriation of assets; and performs management surveys to determine compliance with agency regulations, procedures, management practices, and effective utilization of staff.
• Independently collects, reviews, and analyzes statistical data from various automated data systems used by VA. Develops analytical tools to identify, format, and reduce data for analysis, to provide information to management in an easily recognized format, or to assist other analysts and Independently collects, reviews, and analyzes statistical data from various automated data systems used by VA.
• Develops analytical tools to identify, format, and reduce data for analysis, to provide information to management in an easily recognized format, or to assist other analysts and staff.
• Monitors statuses of service projects and recommends reallocation of resources as needed. Incumbent at full performance serves as Approving Official and assures that all expenditures are properly authorized and documented.
• Tracks recruitment and vacancies within the HCG in order to maintain accuracy of Organizational Chart.
• Troubleshoots pay issues with staff and works with Fiscal and HR to resolve issues.
• Reviews existing policies, procedures and reports relating to the capture of clinical and administrative information in order to give management accurate and usable data.
• Establishes reporting requirements and assumes follow-up responsibility for developing reports to meet the requirements of special studies and projects; designs report formats based on discussions with management, Service Chiefs, and supervisors.
• Uses Microsoft Office and VA computer programs to perform formal analysis of program processes relating to performance improvement including: patient flow, patient satisfaction, National VA performance measures, national VA performance monitors such as patient wait time, quality improvement indicators, establish thresholds, search databases, and calculate and generate statistics for monthly performance improvement reports.
• Coordinates data collection of workload statistics, quality measures, and credentialing and privileging tracking conducted by lower grade employees.
• Formulates extracted data into different database programs such as Excel, Access, or SQL and to prepare analysis in the form of reports for the Medicine HCG management.
• Incumbent assists in developing and uses established analytical techniques and precedent studies to gather narratives based on defined problems within the service programs, collects and integrates process information from clinical managers and line supervisors to develop recommendations for improved organization and structure within the service and propose alternate courses of action.
• Assists in developing new or modified administrative program policies, regulations, goals, or objectives; identifies data required for use in the management and direction of programs; develops management and/or program evaluation plans, procedures, and methodology; conducts studies of employee/organizational efficiency and productivity and recommending changes or improvements in organization, staffing, work methods, and procedures.
• The work involves gathering information, identifying and analyzing issues, and developing recommendations to resolve problems of effectiveness and efficiency of operations.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Management & Program Assistant/PD12205A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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 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.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/21/2026.
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. 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:
Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade 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 supporting SEPG/EER operations, including equipment procurement, asset tracking, and maintaining records in tracking systems.
• Experience tracking EOL/BER equipment, managing inventories, and coordinating replacement or disposal.
• Experience supporting provider onboarding by coordinating documentation, system access, and training requirements.
• Experience compiling equipment and performance data and preparing routine reports.
• Experience providing customer service by resolving routine issues and escalating as needed.

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/.
Education
There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
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 http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
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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.
Benefits
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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.