Job Description

Summary The position serves as secretary to the hospital housekeeping officer (Chief, Environmental Management Service) at the VA. St. Louis Health Care System. The Environmental Service Maintains 1.8 million square feet of cleanable space over two division facilities, the John Cochran Division and the Jefferson Barracks Division. Responsibilities Receives and screens visitors to include varying levels from local leadership, community partners and stakeholders, and central office level visitors. Receives incoming telephone calls for the Hospital Housekeeping Officer; takes concise messages; answers questions concerning established policy and uses personal judgement in determining whether supervisor should interrupted, or caller referred to other key personnel; discerns and assigns priority to urgent calls and notifies appropriate persons for immediate actions. Arranges for conferences/meetings, including such matters as location, schedule, agendas, and attendance lists. Assembles background material for the Hospital Housekeeping Officer in preparation for briefings, meetings, and other presentations by preparing charts, and assembling and organizing documents and material. Maintains the Environmental Management Service and Hospital Housekeeping Officer's calendars and schedules appointment and meetings upon own initiative based upon personal knowledge of the workload and current issues of importance. Reminds supervisor of appointments and briefs supervisor on the matters to be considered before the scheduled meeting. On own initiative reschedules appointments when it becomes apparent that supervisors will not be able to meet previous schedules. Receives and reviews all incoming correspondence and determines that which require personal attention; determines those that can be acted upon personally and takes necessary actions. Maintains proficiency with office automation computer software and hardware typing a variety of technical material, reports and correspondence from longhand drafts or brief notes into final form, checking for clerical accuracy and completeness of data for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Organizes and maintains office files of various correspondences, such as committee minutes, congressional and other oversight letters, reports, statistics, budget information, authorization letters, etc. Maintains an accurate inventory of record created and stored by the service. Serves as the Automated Data Processing Application coordinator (ADPAC). As the ADPAC, the incumbent assists managers/staff in computer and printing issues. Monitor Vista menus and ensures all managers and staff have the appropriate menus to perform their duties; assists managers/staff in obtaining, managing, and deleting Vista menu options and assists new employees in setting up their new computer. Serves as the backup Contract Officer Representative (COR). Monitors contractors progress in performing tasks, compiles inspection reports and recommends contract terminations or modifications. Maintains communication between EMS, VISN contracting Officer(s), and Contractor. Keeps records, maintains administration records, performance agreements, compliance inspection reports, and approves invoices. Performs programmatic and acquisition-related pre-award activities such as the preparation of requisitions, acquisition plans, market research reports, work statements (ie, Performance work statements, quality assurance surveillance plans, independent government cost Estimates), source selection plans; justification and approval for other than full and open competition; and instructions to offerors and evaluation factors. Work Schedule: 7:30am-4:00pm Monday-Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Remote: Not Authorized. Position Description/PD#: Secretary/PD096500 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 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. urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. 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 ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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, 05/07/2026. 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. 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-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: FAC-Cor Level 1 for contract support. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at 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: 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: 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

Job Tags

Permanent employment, Contract work, For contractors, Seasonal work, Work at office, Local area, Immediate start, Remote work, Trial period, Relocation package, Monday to Friday

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