Administrative/Office Support Assistant

Summary

Join the Indian Health Services as an Administrative/Office Support Assistant at the Red Lake Service Unit. This position provides administrative support through office coordination, records management, correspondence, scheduling, and program support, while serving as a key point of contact for patients, providers, staff, and external parties. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Duties

• Provides administrative and clerical support to clinical and program staff by coordinating patient appointments, scheduling activities, and assisting with the flow of patients and services within the department. Schedules appointments, maintains calendars, prepares appointment reminders, and coordinates meetings, agendas, and follow-up activities to support efficient departmental operations. Prepares, reviews, processes, and maintains correspondence, reports, forms, records, referrals, and other administrative documents while ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and compliance with established requirements. Serve as a point of contact for patients, staff, providers, and other parties by responding to inquiries, routing telephone calls, coordinating communications, and assisting with patient flow and departmental operations. Maintains electronic and paper records, enters and tracks information in automated systems, and assists with administrative functions such as timekeeping, travel coordination, data entry, and report preparation. Provides clerical and administrative assistance that supports efficient patient flow, continuity of care, and effective communication among patients, providers, staff, and external parties.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. 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; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: GS-05: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include performing clerical work such as preparing, receiving, reviewing, and verifying documents and maintaining office records; scheduling appointments or maintaining calendars; serving as a receptionist or point of contact for visitors, patients, or staff; locating and compiling data or information from files and other data sources; and preparing administrative, travel, and other office-related documents OR 4 years of education beyond the high school level. Education must have been obtained in an accredited business, secretarial or technical school, junior college, college or university OR combination of education and experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position. Only education in excess of the first 60 semester hours is creditable toward meeting the specialized experience requirement. The total percentage equals at least 100 percent (Must submit transcripts). GS-06: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the federal service. Examples of qualifying experience include preparing correspondence and other written materials using office automated software; maintaining calendars and coordinating meetings, appointments, or scheduling activities; serving as a receptionist or point of contact for an office; entering data into an automated system; preparing reports and meeting materials; and providing administrative support for office operations. In describing your experience, please be clear and specific. We do not make assumptions regarding your experience. Your resume must support your application responses. Time In Grade Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP). You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Requirements

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/. You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you. Background Investigation Requirement: This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment. A background investigation is a standard process used by the Federal Government to verify an individual's identity, employment history, education, and other relevant information to determine suitability for Federal service. Upon receipt of instructions, applicants must complete all required background investigation forms within five (5) calendar days of issuance. Timely completion is critical to avoid delays in processing or a determination of unsuitability. Applicants are strongly encouraged to prioritize this requirement and to maintain regular communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process. Financial Suitability Requirement: This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations prior to applying. Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS). Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant. This position is being re-advertised to solicit additional applications. Applicants who applied previously need not reapply unless submitting updated and/or missing information.

Education

If you are substituting education for experience; You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.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/.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. For additional questions please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) found here: https://www.ihs.gov/jobs/faq/.