Program Support Assistant
Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Portland, OR
Summary This Program Support Assistant is located in the VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS) in the Infection Prevention and Control Program (IPCP). VAPORHCS is a large, complex health care system and one of two tertiary referral centers for VISN 20. The purpose of this position is to support and enhance the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of the VAPORHCS IPCP. Responsibilities The Program Support Assistant is responsible for a wide variety of tasks including but not limited to administrative support, program management, basic data analysis, and data presentation for IPCP. This position will collaborate with the data analytics group (DAG) to create new data queries and validate accuracy of data query results. The Program Support Assistant position reports to the Infectious Disease Section Chief. Major duties include but are not limited to:Performs administrative duties such as correspondence and information control to include tracking equipment, supplies and services. Advises management on the practical and technical aspects of office administration, purchasing, personnel administration, data processing and files management, and performs support work in each of these areas. Schedules appointments and keeps accurate calendars for project leads. Composes and edits letters and reports and develops standard forms or form letters. Performs office automation duties utilizing programs such as Microsoft Office, including analysis of data and generating a variety of reports. Manages and performs office duties such as meeting schedules and information control including tracking suspense items. Ensures timely and accurate documentation of meeting minutes. Responsible with the administration and the organization of the IPCP for VAPORCHS to include but not limited to scheduling meetings, completing minutes, and triaging phone calls. Requires extensive knowledge of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems including classification systems such as International Classification of Disease (ICD), Current Procedural Terminology (CPT), Healthcare Common Procedural Coding (HCPC), Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC), and Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED-CT). Incumbent will also be familiar with standard healthcare data sets, quality standards, processes and outcome measures, infection prevention protocols and industry-standard terms of clinical and operational data, healthcare operations and quality improvement techniques, appropriate modes of presentation, communication and visual display of data. Performs other related duties as assigned to facilitate program organization. Work Schedule:Monday - Friday, 7:00a.m. - 3:30p.m. OR 8:00a.m. - 4:30p.m. (PST) Telework:This position not a Telework position. Virtual:This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#:Program Support Assistant/PD215940 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives:Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI):Not Approved 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 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 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 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 03/23/2026. 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 next lower grade GS-06 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to:Proficient in administrative procedures such as budget execution and management, project management and clinical informatics and hospital operations; Provides assistance to analysts or managers in performing analyses and/or evaluation of operating program characteristics; Obtains, organizes, files, and retrieves reports, correspondence, and numerical data for use in preparing status reports, briefings, and presentations; Must have strong public speaking and writing skills to produce the necessary procedures, policies, minutes, memoranda and training materials in addition to computer skills, including a working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint; Skill in applying basic data gathering and analysis methods. NOTE: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. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:Accountability Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning 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. 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/.
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