Summary
This position works directly for the Chief of Surgical Service at the VA Boston Healthcare System and will be located primarily in an office setting at the West Roxbury Campus at the VA Boston Healthcare System in West Roxbury, MA.
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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***
Duties include but may not be limited to the following:
- Manages the Chief of Surgery's calendar by scheduling briefings, appointments, meetings, and required actions.
- Screens incoming telephone calls and visitors and routes inquiries to the appropriate staff member.
- Drafts assigned letters, memoranda, notifications, and other correspondence for leadership signature.
- Reviews correspondence for content, format, spelling, and accuracy.
- Coordinates recurring meetings by preparing agendas, confirming attendance, and recording minutes.
- Maintains the academic-year schedule of Surgical Service conferences and meetings, including Grand Rounds, morbidity and mortality conferences, staff meetings, and section chief meetings.
- Reviews credentialing and privileging packages for completeness and compliance before submission for approval.
- Arranges official travel by confirming reservations, times, locations, speaking topics, and itinerary details.
- Tracks leadership commitments made during meetings through completion of required follow-up actions.
- Monitors position-review and personnel-performance-evaluation actions for timeliness and administrative accuracy.
- Evaluates administrative issues involving personnel, equipment, budget, and space and submits recommendations to leadership.
- Supports the Administrative Officer in tracking and coordinating Focused Professional Practice Evaluation (FPPE) and Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE) documentation for all privileged clinical staff.
- Develops or revises office procedures and guidelines in response to identified administrative or procedural needs.
- Distributes work to support staff and monitors workload, timeliness, and output.
- Performs other related duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 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.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary, However, some walking, bending, reaching, and carrying of items such as surgical files and reports are 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) - 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
TO QUALIFY FOR THIS POSITION AT THE GS-7 GRADE LEVEL, YOU MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-6) in Federal Service, that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties and that is typically in or related to the work of this position. Specialized experience includes performing administrative and secretarial support duties such as maintaining calendars and scheduling appointments and meetings; arranging routine travel; screening calls and visitors and routing inquiries; preparing and proofreading correspondence and meeting materials for accuracy and proper format; maintaining records and tracking deadlines or action items; and coordinating routine administrative matters with staff and other offices.
NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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.
Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. 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.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
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.
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 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.
