Program Support Assistant (OA)

Summary

The incumbent serves as the Program Support Assistant to the Chief/ Assistant Chief of the Sterile Processing Service. The PSA provides administrative support to the Sterile Processing Service by using multiple automated programs and software packages to develop and maintain various documents significant to the Sterile Processing Service. The incumbent collects and analyses data, identifies interrelationships, and takes actions consistent with the objectives of the function or program served.

Duties

• Major Duties: Performs office automation duties using Microsoft software such as outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. Reviews, uploads, and maintains electronic files on facility/VISN 2 SharePoint database. Prepares meeting agenda items and minutes, schedules on-site vendor training, maintains records of training/in-services, prepares annual performance appraisal and competency documents. Responsible for entering work order requests in VistA, electronic equipment requests, and equipment turn-in requests. Responsible for ensuring that all staff complete mandatory TMS training and assists with TMS navigation issues. Serves as the primary ADP AC for the section. Operates and maintains a wide variety of office equipment and computers, maintaining ADP security. Receives and distributes mail, answers phone calls and serves as the VIP sponsor for the service. Independently performs analytical and evaluative work that includes extracting, compiling, researching, tracking, and reporting of data and program information to the Chief of SPS. Summarizes data, background information, and other materials into detailed charts and graphs for use in presentations. Independently reviews and verifies data for accuracy and completeness prior to submission to various internal and external customers. The incumbent is responsible for ensuring that all reports originating in SPS are submitted timely. This includes, but is not limited to, maintaining a detailed list of all recurring reports such as internal and external tracers, and quality assurance reports. The incumbent is responsible for the coordination of instruments, equipment, and office supplies to support various clinical and surgical program needs. Contacts vendor companies for manufacturing instructions for use when appropriate. The incumbent meets with service representatives to gather information regarding service requirements, communicates with vendors to facilitate appropriate quotes, submits requests to logistics/Materiel Management and monitors the delivery of requested items. Procurement duties will include preparing requests for procurement of instruments and equipment, and obtaining quotations from vendors. The incumbent will prepare 2237 temporary service requests, signed by the Chief or Assistant Chief of SPS that will be sent to the Centralized Purchasing Unit. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday (8:00am - 4:30pm) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Support Assistant (OA)/PD56968O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/25/2026. 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 GS-05 level, and all qualifying experience must have been performed in a healthcare setting. Such experience must include performing timekeeping or related payroll-support functions such as maintaining time and attendance records, reviewing timekeeping data for accuracy, and assisting with resolving payroll discrepancies; preparing and maintaining meeting agendas and minutes; operating personal computers and office software to produce accurate administrative work; applying administrative methods and processes to monitor and accomplish clerical and program tasks; maintaining electronic files and records; receiving and routing correspondence; and resolving minor technical issues related to software or telecommunications, all in support of clinical and administrative operations within a healthcare environment. Typing Proficiency: This position includes the Office Automation (OA) parenthetical, which requires the skills of a qualified typist. In addition to meeting the experience and/or education requirements, you must be able to type at least 40 words per minute. 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/.

Requirements

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 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.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level. 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: http://ope.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 for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include the initial online questionnaire and submission of the required documentation 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. To preview the application questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13066947. The application process is as follows: To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. 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, 09/25/2026. 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 at least 3 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. NOTE: 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: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to. 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. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit.