Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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The Chief, Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) is the director of the department at this highly affiliated teaching/research and large/complex medical center and functions with full independence, under the general administrative supervision of the Associate Director. Consultation with the Chief of Staff and Associate Director for Patient Care Services is maintained for effective coordination of the professional and clinical program elements.

The Chief is responsible for the provision of high quality food and progressive/effective nutrition therapy to the Veteran population served. The Chief has full and final technical, professional and administrative responsibility for planning, developing, organizing, staffing, implementing, and evaluating a functionally comprehensive Nutrition program. As member of the senior leadership team, provides advice and supports the hospital mission and VISN/National goals, coordinating departmental activities with other services in the medical center, ambulatory clinics and the local community.

Duties include but not limited to:

• Establishes organizational structure and guidelines, performance standards, reporting requirements and defines the lines of authority and supervisory controls necessary and essential in carrying out the mission of the service.
• Oversees the coordination of policy and procedure for nutrition care of Veterans of various ages (young adult, middle adult and geriatric) in the continuum of care and in a multidisciplinary model. Assures that all policies and procedures are in compliance with VA manuals, Central Office Guidelines, NFS program guides, VISN guides, professional guidelines and T JC standards.
• Develops and administers a human resource management program for all employees that maximizes staff performance and job satisfaction and supports labor-management cooperation. Develops and implements staffing and position management goals that will support high quality food service, complex clinical nutrition care and constantly promote effective manpower utilization.
• Develops and administers a budget management program that provides for the effective utilization of available financial resources, adequate monetary controls and budget estimates based on accurate and applicable data. Plans and justifies an annual budget for subsistence, supplies and personnel costs. Benchmarks against other VA facilities offering similar service as well as private sector to assure cost effective services. Communicates with and advises Fiscal regarding the status of NFS resource management.
• Develops and directs a performance improvement program to continually monitor major functions of NFS for quality and appropriateness of nutritional care. Programs focus on Patient Centered Care modalities.
• Assures that the performance improvement program is in compliance with applicable standards established by OSHA, HACCP, VHA, T JC and other reviewing agencies.
• Provides leadership to NFS, which consists of professional and non-professional staff. Provides direction and presents conclusions and recommendations to staff at departmental meetings.
• Directs personnel management program for the service by making decisions on all personnel actions including selections, promotions, reassignments, retention, and recommendations for adverse actions. Reviews cases, documents and takes disciplinary action for employees with poor performance records and those involved in service disciplinary actions.
• Assures that locally available educational funding and any other funding available for staff education are effectively utilized for the benefit of the medical center and the maximum development of NFS staff. Insures timely completion of mandatory training by all staff.
• Recommends training to improve efficiency of work force and increase manpower utilizations using personal observation and employee surveys.
• Facilitates participation in clinical nutrition studies and research projects that have a nutrition component.
• Coordinates the extent and type of formal clinical nutrition-related research and investigative studies, which are administrative, metabolic or clinical in nature.
• Protects sensitive data from unauthorized release or from loss, alteration or unauthorized deletion.
• Provides input to medical center and healthcare system long and short range planning and assists in the development and implementation of a policy which reflects the goals of the agency and VISN.
• Maintains effective communication with medical center staff to identify and assist in the resolution of a wide variety of programs. Encourages and supports proactive planning.
• Perform other assigned duties.

Work Schedule: Full time; Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: PD99498S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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.
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

• Non-credentialed Dietitians must have fulfilled each of the following:
  • Earned a bachelor's or higher degree from a U.S. regionally accredited college or university or foreign equivalent. Foreign Education: To be creditable, college and/or university degrees earned outside the U.S and its territories must be evaluated by ACEND and meet ACEND's International Dietitian Education standards which are designed to provide graduates with the knowledge and competencies to sit for the CDR credentialing exam. ~AND~
  • Completed an ACEND accredited experiential or supervised practice program and provide a verification statement from the program director that conveys eligibility to take the CDR registration exam as a prospective RDN. A list of ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory.

Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements.

Grade Determinations: Supervisory Dietitian (Chief, Nutrition and Food Services), GS-14.
(1) Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
(2) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of security measures within food operations to ensure patient and staff safety.
(b) Knowledge of organizational structure to assess impact on program operations.
(c) Skill in ensuring regulatory requirements are met.
(d) Skill in leading a group of professionals to facilitate collaboration and organizational development.
(e) Skill in leading managers to establish strategic goals.
(f) Ability to oversee the planning of new initiatives addressing patient care delivery systems and system reorganizations.
(g) Ability to lead efforts in business administration to include budgeting, contracting and purchasing.

Preferred Experience: 5 years exp, in a large complex system like a VA, DOD, or a state agency

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Physical requirements are those physical, mental and emotional capabilities and characteristics that are essential for successful job performance.

How you will be evaluated

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

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.