Administrative Officer

Summary

The position serves as the Administrative Officer (AO) in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Mid-Atlantic Care Network (VISN 6), Durham VA Medical Center (VAMC), within the Surgical Care Service in Durham, NC and has full administrative management responsibility for a wide range of functional program staff that are assigned, matrixed, or deployed to Surgical Care Service.

Duties

The Administrative Officer provides high level analysis, administrative support, and recommendations to the ACOS for Surgical Care Service and facility leadership. Provides administrative support and oversight to eleven subspecialities within Surgical Service, including Vascular Surgery, Otolaryngology (ENT), Orthopedic Surgery, Gynecologic Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, General Surgery, Cardiac Surgery, Neurosurgery, Urology, Podiatry, and Plastic Surgery. Ensures efficient coordination within each service, compliance with VA regulations, and effective operations across a diverse range of clinical areas. Duties: Surgical Administration, Operations, and Oversight Serves as principal AO and operations manager for Surgical Care Service, providing comprehensive administrative oversight for a large, complex service line consisting of 11 surgical specialties across multiple care sites, including the Durham VAMC, Garner, Clayton, and Greenville locations. Serves as the primary advisor to the ACOS on all administrative management matters related to program operations, policy development, and organizational performance. Collaborates with the ACOS, Section Chiefs, Nursing Leadership, and interdisciplinary partners to develop, implement, and evaluate programs and processes that support organizational mission, performance expectations, and strategic goals. Directs and evaluates administrative operations, including workflow design, manpower utilization, and distribution of work assignments, to ensure efficient and effective service delivery. Provides leadership with analyzed data and objectively based information for making decisions on the administrative and programmatic aspects of Surgical Service operations and management. Leads the development, coordination, and implementation of long- and short-range operational plans and policies for Surgical Care. Surgical Operations Serves as the primary liaison with Human Resources, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and labor partners, and will participate in the resolution of employee relations issues, grievances, and complaints. Research and investigates new or improved processes or practices for potential application to Surgical Service operations. Collaborate with human resources management and operations for Surgical Care, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, regulations, and workforce needs. Manage all HR tasks such as posting vacancies, processing personnel actions, managing appointments and leaves, coordinating promotions and awards, maintaining employee records, and preparing position descriptions. Analyze organizational efficiency and suggest improvements in staffing and work methods. Manage clinic operations, including scheduling, workload tracking, and adherence to access and productivity standards. Evaluate clinic processes to ensure efficiency and proper controls and oversee clinical labor mapping to ensure accurate staffing and time allocation Resource Management Collaborates with the financial and resource management program, ensuring effective stewardship of funds, contracts, staffing resources, and material assets. Serves as the primary advisor to the ACOS on all budgetary and financial matters, including formulation, justification, execution, and monitoring of the service budget Develop and present budget plans based on workload projections, program requirements, and strategic priorities Oversee procurement and contracting activities, including preparation of procurement requests, evaluation of proposals, and management of contracts and agreements. The incumbent will serve as a Contracting Officer's Representative (COR), or equivalent, ensuring contractor performance and compliance with contract requirements. Supervision Provides technical and administrative supervision for two (2) positions that consist of one (1) Clinical Administrative Specialist and one (1) Management and Program Analyst. Sets and adjusts short-term priorities and assigns wok to meet organizational goals and deadlines. Preferred Experience: COR Certification preferred. Experience overseeing complex clinical operations and administrative processes, must be reflected in resume. Experience supporting graduate medical education, academic affiliations, or teaching hospital environments. Experience coordinating cross-facility collaborations, VISN-level initiatives, or national healthcare programs. Experience managing interdisciplinary projects involving multiple stakeholders across clinical, administrative, and support services. Knowledge of Veterans Health Administration operational systems, performance metrics, and enterprise reporting tools. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: May be authorized with Supervisor Approval - Ad Hoc only. Virtual: This is not a virtual position Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Position Description/PD#: Administrative Officer/PD502650

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/16/2026. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. 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 provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Creating reports, coordinating and scheduling meetings, and submitting requests/work orders using a personal computer and office automation programs (such as word processing, spreadsheets, etc.); maintaining and updating department or service-level databases and shared computer drives; accurately preparing timecards for submission and processing; resolving timekeeping issues related to overtime, holiday pay, unscheduled hours, and various types of extended leave; managing and balancing financial aspects of general fund control points and purchase procedures; and preparing and submitting requests for recruitment, promotion, reassignment, and disciplinary actions. 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. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. in a field related to this posi