Staff Assistant - Research & Development

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs' Portland VA Medical Center in Research and Development seeks a Staff Assistant to provide day-to-day administrative support to the Administrative Officer/Administrative Director of R&D, collaborating with the ACOS, Deputy ACOS, PIs, AO's and ORD HR and leadership.

The role supports scheduling, correspondence, minutes, and file management in a medical research environment, with opportunities to coordinate large meetings and assist with resources and equipment

Qualifications

• Specialized experience requirements for GS-7/GS-9 include day-to-day administrative support for a medical facility.
• Education substitutions and combinations are described for GS-7/GS-9 levels.
• Superior Academic Achievement criteria and transcript documentation are noted.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day administrative support for a medical facility.
• Assist with scheduling large meetings, obtaining space, and typing minutes.
• Support acquisition of resource materials and equipment and maintain files of correspondence.

Job description

The Staff Assistant position is located at the Portland, OR. VA Medical Center (PVAMC) in Research and Development (R&D). The position reports directly to the Administrative Officer/Administrative Director of R&D but often works directly with the Research Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) and Deputy ACOS along with Principal Investigators (PI's), Administrative Officers (AO's) and Office of Research & Development (ORD) human resources and leadership.

To qualify for this position at the GS-7 level you must meet one of the following requirements:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-7:

Applicants must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-5 level in the Federal service, that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to this Staff Assistant position to be filled. Specialized experience for the position includes providing day-to-day administrative support for a medical facility; assisting with the acquisition of resource materials and equipment; establishing and maintaining files of correspondence and other documents; scheduling large meetings including obtaining meeting space, preparing agendas, and typing minutes.

NOTE:

Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE GS-7:

You must have successfully completed 1 full year of graduate level education that included coursework that is directly related to the specialization of the position to be filled. NOTE: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study; if that number cannot be obtained from the transcript, 18 semester hours will be considered as one full academic year of graduate study. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION GS-7:

You must possess equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate-level education and specialized experience to meet total qualification requirements at the GS-7 level. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. NOTE: Experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable, and a copy of transcripts are required at time of application.

Superior Academic Achievement (Transcript Required):

Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) at the baccalaureate level in the qualifying curriculum detailed above is fully qualifying. Applicants who wish to apply under this provision must submit proof from their educational institution that they meet one of the criteria listed below.

1. Rank in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration.
2. A grade-point average of "B" or better (a GPA of 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.
3. A grade point average of "B+" or better (a GPA of 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0) for all courses in your major field of study, or those courses in your major completed in the last two years of undergraduate study.
4. Membership in a national honor society (other than freshman honor societies) recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies.

For a list of recognized honor societies please visit https://www.achshonor.org/. For more information regarding SAA please visit http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/SEC-II/s2-e5.asp#e4f.

NOTE:

Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

To qualify for this position at the GS-9 level you must meet one of the following requirements:

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE GS-9:

Applicants must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience, equivalent to the GS-7 level in the Federal service, that equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of the position and that is typically in or related to this Staff Assistant position to be filled. Specialized experience for this position includes providing day-to-day administrative support for a medical research program; assisting with the acquisition and inventory of resource materials and equipment; providing support with managing schedules, human resources activities, travel, and timekeeping; maintaining databases and hard-copy documents.

NOTE:

Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hour worked per week.

EDUCATION SUBSTITUTION GS-9:

You must have successfully completed a Masters (or equivalent graduate degree), or possess two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or possess an LL.B. or J.D. that is related to this position. Your graduate education must demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent one year of full-time study; if that number cannot be obtained from the transcript, 18 semester hours will be considered as one full academic year of graduate study. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation.

COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION GS-9:

You must possess equivalent combinations of experience and education as described above to fully meet the requirements of this position. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grade GS-9. NOTE: Experience must be supported by your resume to be creditable, and a copy of transcripts are required at time of application.

Physical Demands:

The work requires no special physical demands. It may involve some walking, standing, bending, or carrying light items.

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/.