Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees only. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Videos

• Improves patient flow and access to achieve measurable outcomes
  • Improve access to care, meet access goals per MISSION Act guidelines
  • Improve service line efficiency by:
    • Clinic grid management
    • Increasing physician productivity
    • Reducing cancellations
    • Improving timeliness
    • Expanding hours of operation where needed and feasible
  • Implement evidence-based practices to expand access options, including Telehealth
  • Expand outpatient care by:
    • Achieving timely patient evaluation by:
      • Assuring new and established patients are seen within the access goals established by VHA
      • Assuring patients perceive that they are seen within their desired date
    • Achieving optimal resource (space, professional and administrative staff) utilization to maximize service utilization.
    • Ensuring after-hours services where needed and feasible
• Improves quality of care by achieving:
  • Implementation, monitoring, and successful outcomes of facility-wide performance measures and quality standards established by VHA.
  • Excellence in transitions of care and coordination of care across services including PC, S&D, ED, Acute Care, Community Care, CLC.
  • Excellence in the delivery of care to patients with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and mental health disorders.
• Develops clinical strategies to increase unique Veterans service, increase complexity of care delivered, ensure workload capture and assure vesting of all eligible Veterans by:
  • Designing processes to ensure timely documentation of encounters (within 24 hours of encounter).
    • Improving workload capture through pertinent and timely documentation.
    • Understanding VERA and training providers on the importance of pertinent documentation and impact on VERA.
  • Develops clinical strategies and assures clinical leadership oversight for effective use of institutional resources by:
    • Providing oversight for clinical budget operations.
    • Improving patient satisfaction scores by effectively using data sources, such as V-Signals, SHEP, Patient Advocate Tracking System, HCAPS etc. to develop improvement processes.
    • Implementing Opioid Safety initiatives
    • Reducing pharmacy costs per Veteran served
  • Develops strategies to engage and coordinate with community partners and Veteran organizations
    • Participates in Veteran Town Halls
    • Participates in meetings with VSOs
    • Provides outreach to and coordinates with community partners
    • Ensures efficient and appropriate use of community resources
  • Acts as an effective executive leadership member by:
    • Acting for and in the absence of the Chief of Staff when the Chief of Staff is on leave or travel status.
    • Attending daily huddles
    • Participating in meetings of the facility executive leadership
  • Provides leadership in organizational management.
    • Develops coaching skills and is able to teach and demonstrate lean tools to staff
    • Serves as a Public Affairs resource as needed: media interviews, etc.
    • Provides outreach to Veteran and community organizations
    • Supports and implements best practices consistent with a high-reliability organization
  • Ensures that Informatics
    • Supports Electronic Health Record Modernization Initiative
    • Supports development of tools related to high-reliability and best practices
    • Supports and prepares the organization for Cerner readiness
  • In addition to the above duties, the Deputy Chief of Staff will demonstrate flexibility in day-to-day management by assisting the Chief of Staff with ad hoc issues/assignments as necessary.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed.
• Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia.
• Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR
  [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR
  (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences.
  Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent or fee-basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

• Senior-level experience supervising medical service line chiefs, including clinical, informatics, pharmacy, and specialty programs.
• Demonstrated success in leading initiatives to improve patient access, efficiency, and quality of care, with measurable outcomes in performance metrics.
• Experience with implementation and oversight of evidence-based practices and innovative care options, such as expanding telehealth services.
• Leadership in clinic grid management and resource utilization to maximize service efficiency and staffing models.
• Direct experience in strategic planning, budget oversight, and process improvement using Lean or similar methodologies to drive organizational change.
• Proven track record in physician recruitment, retention, and team development, with an emphasis on high-reliability organization principles.
• Advanced skills in managing transitions and coordination of care across a large medical system, including experience with electronic health records and modernization initiatives.
• Strong background in quality improvement, including monitoring and achieving performance measures in patient satisfaction and employee feedback surveys.
• Experience collaborating with community partners, Veteran organizations, and participating in outreach and public affairs activities.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively and respectfully with diverse stakeholders, including staff, leadership, patients, and community partners.
• Board certification in a relevant medical specialty and evidence of continued professional development, mentoring, and teaching.
• Participation in or leadership of regional (VISN-level) committees, taskforces, or workgroups on clinical or administrative topics.
• Ability to promote and implement Opioid Safety, pain management, pharmacy cost reduction, and specialized program development (e.g., Women's Health).
• Knowledge of documentation requirements for workload capture and understanding of VERA (VA's resource allocation system).

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application, resume, C.V., and/or other supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy.

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.