Program Specialist - Staff Assistant

This position is located in the Office of the Chief of Staff at the Washington DC VA Medical Center. The incumbent serves as a Program Specialist (Staff Assistant) providing comprehensive, independent administrative and management support to the Chief of Staff (COS) and all three Deputy Chiefs of Staff (DCOS) as a unified executive suite. There are two staff assistants within the Office of the COS.

Major duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: CORRESPONDENCE, SUSPENSE, AND EXECUTIVE ACTION MANAGEMENT - 25% Receives from the Administrative Officer (or directly, where a matter is addressed specifically to a COS/DCOS principal); correspondence, controlled correspondence, Congressional inquiries, and executive taskings requiring the personal attention of the COS or a DCOS. Reviews incoming items for completeness and appropriate framing, determines the appropriate internal routing for substantive input, monitors due dates, and follows up with responsible parties to ensure timely completion. Prepares, coordinates, and edits correspondence and administrative products for executive review and signature, applying applicable VA policy, formatting, and tone requirements and coordinating with subject-matter offices to ensure products are complete, properly cleared, and suitable for executive-level release. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND TRACKING FOR COS/DCOS-LED INITIATIVES-15% Plans, organizes, and independently manages projects and initiatives led or sponsored by the COS or a DCOS (as distinct from Clinical Service-level quality-improvement projects, which are tracked by the Program Analyst, Business Analysis). Defines project scope, deliverables, and milestones in coordination with the sponsoring executive; develops and maintains project schedules, action-item trackers, and status reports; and identifies dependencies, resource needs, and risks throughout the project lifecycle. MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAM SUPPORT (FRONT OFFICE)-15% Plans, coordinates, and performs administrative and management functions specific to the operation of the COS/DCOS front office, including records and document control, forms and internal workflow tracking, and other recurring administrative requirements for the executive suite itself (as distinct from office-wide administrative infrastructure, which is the Administrative Officer's responsibility). Reviews and evaluates staff actions, memoranda, reports, studies, fact sheets, and information papers originating from across the medical center for completeness, coordination, consistency, logic, accuracy, and compliance with applicable requirements before these products are referred to the COS or DCOS for review or signature, serving as the quality-control checkpoint between the originating office and the executive. SERVICE-LEVEL LIAISON ON BEHALF OF EXECUTIVES - 15% Serves as the administrative point of representation for the COS and/or assigned DCOS officials in routine dealings with Clinical Service Chiefs, Administrative Officers, and other facility service-level staff, standing in for the executive on logistical and administrative matters so the executive's time is not consumed by every operational touchpoint. Conveys the executive's administrative instructions, expectations, and follow-up requirements to service-level points of contact and gathers information, status updates, and materials on the executive's behalf in preparation for meetings, decisions, or VISNNACO reporting requirements. EXECUTIVE-LEVEL DATA SYNTHESIS AND DECISION SUPPORT-10% Retrieves, compiles, and synthesizes administrative and program data, drawing on outputs from positions such as the Program Analysts (Business Analysis); and the Program Analyst (Strategic Communications), as well as direct VA reporting systems, into concise, decision ready summaries for the COS and DCOS officials' own situational awareness and meeting preparation. EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE, TRAVEL, AND STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT-10% Provides executive administrative support to the COS and DCOS officials, including travel arrangements and reimbursement documentation, visitor and VIP coordination, and other executive-office support activities. EXECUTIVE CALENDAR, SCHEDULING, AND MEETING COORDINATION -10% Manages and coordinates executive calendars for the COS and/or assigned DCOS officials, with responsibility extending across all four C-Suite principals as workload and coverage require.

Work Schedule: Monday -Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist - Staff Assistant/PD220260

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/15/2026.

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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 and/or education as described below:

Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: providing executive-level administrative support in complex, multi-service healthcare organization, including independent management of competing scheduling and correspondence demands across multiple senior executives; exercising sound judgement and discretion in handing sensitive, high-visibility, or politically charged matters; Independently execute the full range of administrative and management functions, such as, executive correspondence and suspense management, calendar and scheduling coordination across four principals, service-level liaison and representation of the executives on routine administrative and logistical matters, quality control and completeness review of products submitted for executive signature or decision, project tracking initiatives, executive level data synthesis, travel and stakeholder support, and front-office administrative operations.

OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., if related, that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED).

OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of graduate education in excess of 2 years and specialized experience directly related to the position to qualify (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED).

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/.

Preferred Experience: Experience reviewing and refining staff-prepared products for executive-level readiness and independently coordinating service-level leadership on the executive's behalf is strongly preferred. Prior experience within VA or another large federal healthcare system is desirable.

Physical Requirements: The majority of work is performed in an office setting which adequate light, heat and ventilation. Work is mostly sedentary, but requires some bending, walking, standing, lifting and carrying of light items such as reports to various areas of the Medical Center. Working at the computer for long periods of time and accessing information from the various computer systems is necessary. Typical office setting is subject to noise caused by multiple visits by staff, equipment and telephone interruptions when performing various functions on a daily basis. The work requires no special physical demands.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. 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/.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

Requirements

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.