Executive Assistant

Summary

Executive Assistant to the Director and Deputy Directors of Compensation Service (CS) in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). Responsible for the coordination of administrative activities and providing technical support to CS Leadership. Assists CS Leadership with an extensive scope of matters other than those involving policy decisions and major management actions. Coordinates office activities for the front office and with other top VBA management officials.

Duties

• Specific duties include: Serves as the Executive Assistant to the Deputy Executive Director (DED) of Policy and Procedures in Compensation Service. Reviews internal processes and procedures and provides recommendations for process improvements, as appropriate. Provides regular and comprehensive administrative and operational oversight and guidance in Policy and Procedures, ensuring compliance with VBA directives and its overarching mission. Reviews organizational proposals for Policy and Procedures and advises the Deputy Executive Director on implications of the proposals, and makes recommendations to approve, disapprove, or modify specific proposals, many of which have Department-wide impact. Evaluates the content of new or modified legislation for projected impact on VBA's transformation and innovation efforts and assigns work as appropriate within Policy and Procedures staffs. Responsible for detailed staff coordination and operations to ensure the DED is continually prepared for all decisions, administrative matters, and sensitive items, throughout the program. Ensure policies and/or issues have been fully coordinated, vetted, and staffed, and advises the DED on implications, key issues, to include affected relationships with interested groups, both internal and external, and recommends courses of action. Reviews calendars, events, documents, etc. to ensure coordination with required offices is complete and conflicts are resolved before DED review. Responsible for coordination of major staff actions and events, ensuring consistency with overall direction and guidance. Coordinates with VBA leadership and external partners for major, sensitive, and cross functional issues. Uses expert skill in creating, organizing, reviewing, and editing a variety of documents to ensure they are technically sound and grammatically correct, and are appropriate for the intended audience. Regularly advising senior management officials on complex, sensitive, controversial, and highly sensitive issues which may impact or shape the future direction of Operations programs. Communicates with internal and external customers in a courteous, tactful, and helpful manner. Interacts in a businesslike and courteous manner with others to facilitate the accomplishment of work. Demonstrates the ability to adjust to change, handle difference of opinion in a harmonious fashion, and follow instructions conscientiously. Analyzes and evaluates situations requiring the Director's personal action, develops management options, and advises the Director of the potential consequences of each. Maintains a critical awareness of sensitive program developments and problems. Advises on the development of directives for Policy and Procedures activities. Ensures the efficient operation of the Office of the DED through proactive management and effective problem resolution. Plays a key role in addressing issues that cross organization staffs and directly affect Policy and Procedures. Gathers background material and develops speeches/testimony on a wide range of Operations subjects for the DED's presentation to service organizations, congressional staff, and other stakeholders. Also, prepares and/or coordinates responses to inquiries from Congressional members, VSOs, and other stakeholders. Maintains continued awareness of overall activities in order to evaluate effectiveness and to keep the DED informed and recommends actions to strengthen operating and administrative policies and procedures, and/or to advise staff elements of the Director on priority matters of concern. Takes final action in connection with the application of managerial and administrative functions that are within delegated authority. Incumbent is required to be aware constantly of the overall Policy and Procedures programs and to recognize those areas with which the DED should not be burdened, what actions and commitments should be made without reference to them and what matters require his/her counsel or dec…

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:11/06/2026. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: As a current Federal, GS employee you must meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-14 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-13 level. If you are a current VBA employee requesting reassignment or change to lower grade via this vacancy announcement, you must currently hold the GS-14 or higher and the promotion potential of your current position must be at least GS-14. 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. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience as described below: GS-14 Grade Level: Specialized Experience must include: Applicants must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-13) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Specialized Experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position(s), and that is typically IN OR RELATED TO the work of the position to be filled. Specialized Experience is defined as experience demonstrating all of the following: The applicant must document knowledge of program management pertaining to planning, development and execution of worldwide program and be able to prepare various documents including program justifications. Volunteer Experience: 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. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week. Physical Requirements: This work at this level is primarily sedentary. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no education substitution for GS-14.