Secretary (OA)
Veterans Health Administration
Miami, FL, USA
5/13/2026
Administrative Assistant
Full time
Summary
The Secretary (OA) serves as the personal secretary to the Associate Director or Chief of Staff, assigned in the Executive Director's office for a VA Medical Center. They will serve as the principal office clerical or administrative support position to the head of the organizational unit by assisting the supervisor, and in some cases, the subordinate staff of that individual.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
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The duties require a knowledge of clerical and administrative procedures and requirements; various office skills; and the ability to apply such skill in a way that increases the effectiveness of others. The Secretary (OA) carries out and coordinates all the clerical and day-to-day administrative support activities which are typically required to accomplish the work of the organization. They may also provide clerical and administrative support to other members of the executive leadership team when needed.
Duties include but are not limited to:
Work Schedule: 8:00am- 4:30pm
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD99950A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
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:
Upon completion of your probationary period or trial 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, 05/21/2026.
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-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7.
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-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Manages the executive team member's email inbox. Maintains supervisor's calendar of events, Receiving telephone calls and visitors, handles complains, determine nature of call or business of visitors, Composes correspondence, Assigns items to the appropriate personnel/organization for action/response, Establishes internal suspense items and maintains log of open taskers to manage the process to meet suspense dates, Replies to taskers requiring responses, Makes necessary arrangements for travel, arranging schedule of visits, making transportation and hotel reservations, Creates, processes and/or tracks personnel actions as assigned, Arranges meetings and conferences including space, time, attendees, agenda, and background material, Attends various meetings, takes notes, briefings, and prepares meeting minutes, Makes final commitments for appointments and reminds supervisor of scheduled meetings.
Preferred Experience: Minimum 2-3 years of experience as secretary in an executive setting or service line. Evidence of excellent writing and communication skills.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
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. Work requires some walking, standing, bending and carrying light items such as books, folders, papers, etc.
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….
Education
There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
Additional information
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.
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 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.
Expand Hide additional information
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
Help
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.
Review our benefits
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.
The Secretary (OA) serves as the personal secretary to the Associate Director or Chief of Staff, assigned in the Executive Director's office for a VA Medical Center. They will serve as the principal office clerical or administrative support position to the head of the organizational unit by assisting the supervisor, and in some cases, the subordinate staff of that individual.
Learn more about this agency
Duties
Help
The duties require a knowledge of clerical and administrative procedures and requirements; various office skills; and the ability to apply such skill in a way that increases the effectiveness of others. The Secretary (OA) carries out and coordinates all the clerical and day-to-day administrative support activities which are typically required to accomplish the work of the organization. They may also provide clerical and administrative support to other members of the executive leadership team when needed.
Duties include but are not limited to:
- Manages the executive team member's email inbox. Maintains supervisor's calendar of events.
- Receiving telephone calls and visitors, handles complains, determine nature of call or business of visitors.
- Composes correspondence. Assigns items to the appropriate personnel/organization for action/response.
- Establishes internal suspense items and maintains log of open taskers to manage the process to meet suspense dates.
- Replies to taskers requiring responses.
- Makes necessary arrangements for travel, arranging schedule of visits, making transportation and hotel reservations.
- Creates, processes and/or tracks personnel actions as assigned.
- Arranges meetings and conferences including space, time, attendees, agenda, and background material.
- Attends various meetings, takes notes, briefings, and prepares meeting minutes.
- Makes final commitments for appointments and reminds supervisor of scheduled meetings.
Work Schedule: 8:00am- 4:30pm
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Secretary (OA)/PD99950A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Requirements
Help
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
- 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 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 or trial 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, 05/21/2026.
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-8 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7.
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-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Manages the executive team member's email inbox. Maintains supervisor's calendar of events, Receiving telephone calls and visitors, handles complains, determine nature of call or business of visitors, Composes correspondence, Assigns items to the appropriate personnel/organization for action/response, Establishes internal suspense items and maintains log of open taskers to manage the process to meet suspense dates, Replies to taskers requiring responses, Makes necessary arrangements for travel, arranging schedule of visits, making transportation and hotel reservations, Creates, processes and/or tracks personnel actions as assigned, Arranges meetings and conferences including space, time, attendees, agenda, and background material, Attends various meetings, takes notes, briefings, and prepares meeting minutes, Makes final commitments for appointments and reminds supervisor of scheduled meetings.
Preferred Experience: Minimum 2-3 years of experience as secretary in an executive setting or service line. Evidence of excellent writing and communication skills.
You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
- Accountability
- Attention to Detail
- Customer Service
- Database Administration
- Decision Making
- Flexibility
- Integrity/Honesty
- Interpersonal Skills
- Learning
- Manages and Organizes Information
- Planning and Evaluating
- Reading Comprehension
- Reasoning
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
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. Work requires some walking, standing, bending and carrying light items such as books, folders, papers, etc.
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….
Education
There is no educational substitution at this grade level.
Additional information
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.
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 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.
Expand Hide additional information
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
Help
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.
Review our benefits
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.