Summary The position serves as Staff Assistant for the Office of the Under Secretary for Benefits (OUSB) and is responsible for the communication and coordination of administrative activities and providing technical support to, and in representation of, the Under Secretary for Benefits (USB) and other high-level Senior Executives. As Staff Assistant, OUSB, coordinates office activities with staff and other top management officials. Responsibilities Specific duties include: Serves as Staff Assistant and the point of contact for the Office of the Under Secretary for Benefits on designated matters of management, administration, coordination, and similar activities as assigned. Performs highly complex assignments involving major administrative projects, or program and/or operations impacting development, adoption, and implementation of VBA programs and policies affecting overall operations. Responsible for performing highly complex assignments involving major administrative projects, or program and/or operations impacting development, adoption, and implementation of VBA programs and policies affecting overall operations. Participates in and coordinates special projects having far reaching implications with the Service, Staff and VA officials. Conducts special program studies, analyses and surveys covering VA benefits and services. Evaluates the effectiveness of VBA operations. Recommends program changes and new policies to improve delivery of benefits and services. Determines impact of proposals and makes appropriate recommendations. Follows up on issues as necessary to ensure that appropriate action is implemented timely. Performs recurring assignments involving high level contacts with public officials, professional organizations, societies, schools, Veterans Service Organizations, the media; seeking information about VBA or wishing to voice positions or complaints regarding policies, plans and operations of VBA. Participates in any or all phases of organizational and management matters concerning activities of VBA, including labor relation issues. Develops and recommends effective and efficient internal management controls and administrative practices. Coordinates, prepares, and reviews presentations. Researches and obtains needed materials and designs appropriate presentation of information. Attends briefings and meetings as required to include meetings with teams focused on labor practices and negotiations. Coordinates and discusses with leadership regularly regarding findings of reports, projects, or committees. Attends briefings and meetings as required to include meetings with teams focused on labor practices and negotiations. Coordinates and discusses with leadership regularly regarding findings of reports, projects, or committees. Works with the staff on accomplishment of short- and long-term goals related to the mission of the office, including executive correspondence, congressional relations/liaison, and public affairs issues. Works closely with staff on programmatic, procedural and policy issues. Performs other related duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: None Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: At the discretion of the agency. Telework: Yes Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Staff Assistant; 41589-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:06/18/2024. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees, former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, or a current federal employee applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment must meet time in grade requirements. 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. NOTE: This does not apply to Non-Federal Applicants, or applicants applying for consideration under Non-Competitive Authority (i.e.... "30% or more Disability", VRA, and/or Schedule A). To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 that indicates proof of status, and shows Time in Grade (for example, you were a career or career-conditional employee) and identifies your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). 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 also submit your most recent promotion or within-grade increase in addition to your recent SF-50. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. DO NOT submit Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-14 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Demonstrated experience working with senior leaders or executive teams coordinating and providing technical advice and guidance on VA benefits, services, programs, and/or goals. This experience would typically include, but not limited to: (1) Researching, interpreting, and applying VA laws, polices, and processes; (2) developing, analyzing, and editing documents and deliverables for internal and external stakeholders; (3) providing oversight of programs, projects, policies relating to any facet of VA operations and developing and recommending appropriate actions to improve efficiency and/or effectiveness. Volunteer Experience: 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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require walking and standing in conjunction with attending meetings and conferences. Work may require carrying light items such as papers, books, or small parts. The work does not require any special physical effort. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education Additional Information ALL APPLICANTS MUST BE IN THE LOCAL COMMUTING AREA. THIS POSITION MAY BE AUTHORIZED FOR UP TO 40% 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. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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 (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Click here for more information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. 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. 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. 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. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.