Program Support Assistant

Summary Incumbent provides support to the Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) Chief Medical Director. The incumbent has overall responsibility for managing, directing and administering a wide variety of complex, administrative, financial and technical functions relating to GEC and other department support staff. Responsibilities Duties include but not limited to: Program Administrative Support Work Participates in the planning and development of long and short range goals for the GEC Chief Medical Director. Assists with analyzing and evaluating productivity, responsible for adjustments, when permissible, to ensure adequate control of significant programs, and makes an accounting to management. Plans and prepares statements of policy and procedures governing service activities to ensure compliance with various review organization's Joint Commission (JC), Crepitation on Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and the Institute for Long Term Care (iLTC). Formulates current procedure guidelines, provides training to other staff as needed and issues written instructions for difficult and non-routine matters. Areas of administrative responsibility include maintenance of current waiting lists for clinics under the direct purview of the GEC Chief Medical Director. Preparation of responses on behalf and with approval of the GEC Chief Medical Director in response to written, personal or telephonic inquiries. Prepares reports of all facets of GEC Chief Medical Director program activities, systematic reviews and other studies as required. Prepares statistics and narrative on various reports. Tracks goals and objectives for programs under GEC Chief Medical Director purview. The incumbent is directly responsible for the coordination and development of current administrative needs of the GEC Chief Medical Director. The incumbent will maintain a collaborative relationship with the Group Practice Management (GPM) service, professional Service Chiefs, Community Nursing Home Staff and others who may have a necessary and pertinent relationship with the GEC Chief Medical Director. The incumbent will serve on various professional and administrative committees and boards. Provides representation for the GEC Chief Medical Director as directed. Incumbent will provide management analysis by collecting data and keeping statistics. This position requires that the incumbent create and maintain a tracking system of all activities related to SAIL measures. Program Coordination Support Work Organizationally, the incumbent is responsible to the GEC Chief Medical Director. The incumbent serves as a resource person to the GEC Chief Medical Director and reporting staff. Selects, orders and monitors equipment inventories and ensures accurate reports on office equipment are made timely or as requested. Serves as primary timekeeper for the GEC Provider group, ensuring all time cards are accurate to provide timely due compensation to employees and protect the interest of the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant/PD10693O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized 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. 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, 11/13/2026. 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-06 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. 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. Preferred Experience - Experience working with Microsoft Office Suite. 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 GS-05 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 administrative support; composing correspondence, reports and policies; preparing agendas and taking minutes; maintaining and auditing data; compiling reports; management of control records and equipment inventory; entering time and attendance records. 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 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. 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/.