Administrative Officer
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Summary The incumbent serves as the Administrative Officer (AO) for Social Work Service at the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System (VANIHCS) (610) Fort Wayne, Indiana. The AO provides a variety of administrative support activities essential to the direction, operation, and functioning of Social Work Service and independently plans and carries out all assigned projects in accordance with pre-established deadlines and agency policies. Responsibilities The Administrative Officer functions with a high degree of autonomy, independently initiating projects and providing key support. Social Work Service has a variety of clinical programs providing inpatient, outpatient and community based services and treatment for Veterans and families in: General Medicine and Surgery, Medical Specialty Programs, PACT, Caregiver Support Program, M2VA Program, Physical Medicine and Rehab Programs (including Polytrauma and Spinal Cord), HCHV Programs, HUD/VASH Programs, Grant &Per Diem Programs, Veterans Justice Outreach, and Geriatric and Extended Care Programs (including Contract Nursing Home, Medical Foster Home, Community Residential Care, VDC, Adult Day Health) and various other programs related to educational, trainee, and evaluation functions. The Administrative Officer acts within the guidance and direction of the Chief of Social Work Service to oversee, manage, direct, and perform all administrative duties and business activities of Social Work Service in support of the VA, VHA, VISN, VANIHCS and Social Work Service goals and objectives. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as the primary administrative support to Social Work Service providing technical analysis, monitoring, evaluation, planning, coordination, and proper execution of administrative and financial actions within the Service. The AO manages the Social Work Service operational workflow in programmatic and administrative activities of Social Work supervisory and nonsupervisory staff and assists the Social Work Service Chief in all administrative and management functions. In addition, the Incumbent assists and supports human resource actions, manpower, financial management, contracting, logistics/supply management, and other related administrative functions. The Administrative Officer position facilitates the administrative management of the health care delivery system and contributes to the fulfillment of the Veterans Health Administration health care systems mission and vision. The Administrative Officer reports directly to Chief, Social Work Service. Work Schedule: Typically administrative in nature, Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm. Schedule will be discussed during the interview process. Telework: 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. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Administrative Officer/PD027450 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/18/2024. 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. GS-11 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: directing a personnel management program; providing budgeting and financial management; managing procurement and contracting; managing an accreditation program; providing for the overall administrative management of an organization; 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. Such education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work; (TRANSCRIPTS REQUIRED); OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of Graduate Education beyond a Masters Degree (leading to a PhD) and Specialized Experience. Such experience and education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Note: You must clearly demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities on your resume, or you will not qualify for the position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Communications Critical Thinking Information Management 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 is primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Work Environment: Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate controlled office. May require occasional travel. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements 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. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Transcripts must be official or unofficial college transcripts. A copy of your certificate/degree or screenshot of your current classes are not a replacement of your transcript and they will not be used in the qualifying process. Your transcript must include your name and the name and full address of the institution. If the position has an education requirement or you are qualifying based on education, you need to list your education history including the type of degree and your major of study. If the position requires a certain number of credit hours, you are strongly encouraged to list the relevant courses in your resume. 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 Receiving Service Credit or 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants 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.