Administrative Specialist

Summary

This position is located within the Administrative Offices of Inpatient and Emergency Services Division (IESD) at the VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS). The incumbent serves as an Administrative Specialist, with primary responsibility to assist the Division Administrative Officer and Executives by providing complex management and analytical services essential to the operation and direction of Division staffing.

Duties

***THIS IS NOT A VIRTUAL POSITION, YOU MUST LIVE WITHIN OR BE WILLING TO RELOCATE WITHIN A COMMUTABLE DISTANCE OF THE DUTY LOCATION*** Ensures smooth operation of processes and issues related to staffing for the Division, providing analysis and management of program development and planning through continued assessment of IESD's compliance with the stated mission, goals and objectives of the VISN, VACO, and OPM, as well as VAPORHCS's Human Resources, Medical Staff, Nursing Professional Services, Security, and Contracting Departments. Ensures that staffing processes are initiated, monitored, and completed timely and accurately. Work involves planning for and developing systems, policies, functions, and services to ensure all staff, including FTE, fee and contractors, meet procedural and regulatory requirements for work at the VA Portland HCS. Assists the delivery and revenue leadership and staff in projecting staffing needs, writing position descriptions, developing job analyses, preparing performance plans and appraisals, and processing training requests. Analyzes management techniques, processes, and styles for fostering and improving effective communication of critical information regarding HR actions to supervisors and staff. Coordinates with the delivery and revenue leadership to complete operational plan, administrative reports, program proposals, and other appropriate administrative duties. Presents findings to management, program managers, and others who would benefit from the information, and makes recommendations on future staffing needs and organizational changes to more efficiently meet mission requirements. Develops guidance on techniques for management and method improvements. Prepares concise reports documenting findings and conclusions. Assists in the development of directives and the design, development, documentation, and implementation of various reporting systems, which are critical to IESD and facility staffing and budgeting plans. Prepares reports and analysis of data, including organizational charts, staffing plans, and DSS mapping. Maintains the IESD HR database, organizational charts, and DSS mapping charts, and revises or creates new tools as needed. Analyzes workload and develops projections, comparing and constructing current and historical workload data to discern trends. Presents findings to management, program managers, and others that would benefit from the information. Provides recommendations on future staffing needs and organizational changes to more efficiently meet mission requirements. Works with IESD financial staff and management to analyze budgetary information and discern how current and projected staffing needs will be funded. Reviews financial staffing reports for discrepancies in salaries, overtime, incentive awards, terminal leave, and overall staff costs for a changing budget of administrative expenses involving different funding sources, staffing, contracts, etc. Administers internal review, quality, and productivity initiatives for the Division. The incumbent develops, interprets, applies, and integrates objective criteria and acceptable standards for use in monitoring activities. Serves as the primary point of contact for managers and supervisors seeking assistance and guidance on issues related to staffing, such as recruitment and placement and position management/classification. Reviews, analyzes and interprets incoming requests, recommends appropriate action or suggests appropriate alternatives based on knowledge of internal operations, agency personnel policies, budgetary constraints and work priorities. May perform other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level. Specialized experience includes, but are not limited to: Experience with standardized administrative practices and procedures to conduct studies of work processes, including HR, Medical Staff, Nursing Professional Service, Information Security, and Contracting; Identify, analyze, and recommend solutions to problems in organizational structure, staffing, administrative procedures, work processes, or workload distribution; experience with timekeeping; experience with staffing and other HR administrative functions; analyze and forecast budgetary trends affecting hiring practices for the organization; analysis techniques to identify, consider, and resolve issues or problems of a procedural or factual nature, and skill in applying those techniques; experience with software programs including, Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), DSS, VSSC, and relational databases; experience abstracting and interpreting data and presenting findings in a clear, concise manner and knowledge of medical terminology. NOTE: Experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. ~OR~ One (1) full year of successfully completed graduate level education that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Education at the graduate level must have been obtained in an accredited college or university and transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education beyond a bachelor's degree may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-07 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. ~OR~ Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled and I meet one of the following: Rank in the upper one-third of your class in the college, university or major subdivision; A grade-point average of "B" (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; A grade point average of "B+" (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; 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 http://www.achsnatl.org/quick_link.asp. NOTE: Copies of transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level. Specialized Experience with standardized administrative practices and procedures to conduct studies of work processes including HR, Medical Staff, Nursing Professional Service, Information Security, and Contracting; Identify, analyze, and recommend solutions to problems in organizational structure, staffing, administrative procedures, work processes, or workload distribution; experience with timekeeping; experience with staffing and other HR administrative functions; analyze and forecast budgetary trends affecting hiring practices for the