Clarification from the agency

This job is open to Current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees. First consideration will be given to employees of the Louis A. Johnson VAMC. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Duties may include but are not limited to:

• Providing comprehensive religious, spiritual, and pastoral care to all persons that are commensurate with the needs, desires, and voluntary consent of the Veteran, caregiver, or staff.
• Addresses the spiritual component of health and wellness in every patient care setting to ensure that pastoral care is fully integrated into all aspects of chaplain services.
• Provides thorough guidance and advice to Chaplain Service management staff, other Chaplains, and other stakeholders.
• Provides supervision for the chaplaincy program of a major faith ministry which is highly integrated into VHA's Chaplain program.
• Manages and supervises the full spectrum of chaplaincy service operations for a small to moderately complex chaplain service program.
• Supervises non-supervisory and supervisory professional staff primarily at the GS-11 level or below.
• Performs supervisory and non-supervisory assignments consisting of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, and variety.
• Supervises the professional practice of all facility chaplains and provides chaplaincy services and programming.
• Manages and oversees all religious and spiritual care and provides counsel to facility leadership concerning religious expression.
• Develops local policy, productivity, and clinical practice standards.
• Oversees pastoral ministry, including intensive pastoral counseling, close integral working relationships with other staff disciplines, and active community liaison.
• Serves as a Supervisory Chaplain expert participant with other specialists as a fully recognized member of an interdisciplinary treatment team (IDT).
• Serves as an active participant and a key administrative staff member of the organization with VHA's leadership.
• Engages with other program heads and the VHA facility's administrator in decision making conferences concerning policies, practices, and regulations affecting the care and treatment program of the facility.
• Develops one or more subprograms (training, research, community relationships, or religious education if in relationship to the intensive overall treatment program), to advance the religious program and the mission of the medical facility.
• Provides supervision with full responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions.
• Gives advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters. Interviews candidates for positions in the unit; and recommends appointment, promotion, or reassignment to such positions.
• Supervises all administrative functions of the department, such as clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management, budget management, development of policy, and clinical practice standards.
• Maintains records, supplies, and religious equipment for the assigned program; and tracks and maintains the program's budget.
• Provides thorough spiritual leadership, offers prayers and provides overall religious services for Veteran patients, patient families, staff, and community. Conducts rituals before groups of people, which requires effective leadership and public speaking skills. Uses sound guidance and advice to lead prayer and religious services.
• Ministers to newly admitted, pre- and post-operative patients, the critically ill, and the families of concerned Veteran patients. Provides advance care planning education, information, and counsel for patients and their families.
• Provides routine personal visits, special visits, and new patient interviews based on requests and referrals/consults. Conducts friendly visitation, ritual and bedside administration of sacraments, or pastoral counseling.
• Other duties/tasks as assigned.

Work Schedule: Day shift primarily Monday - Friday. Provide on call coverage when requested.
Telework: Not available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
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.
• 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).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Education: Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational qualifications as evidenced by a graduate-level theological degree from a college, university or theological school accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) (https://www.chea.org/) or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) (https://www.ats.edu/) and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  • NOTE: For applicants who do not possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational degree may meet this requirement with an approved educational equivalency review from a nationally recognized board certification body for chaplains. This would include the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI) or a U.S. certifying body that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI.
• Endorsement: Applicants must possess and maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement and must be dated within the past 12 months. A complete list of Ecclesiastical Organizations that the Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes as Ecclesiastical Endorsing Organizations is available here: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Ecclesiastical_Endorsement.asp
  • Note: Current VA Chaplains do not have to get updated endorsements after they are hired.
• Certification: Applicants must be a Board-Certified Chaplain by the Board of Chaplaincy Certifications Inc. (BCCI), or a U.S. certifying body that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI. Board Certification that requires four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is qualifying.

Exception for Non-Board-Certified Chaplains (GS-9 Entry-Level Only): Applicants pending board certification may be given a temporary appointment not to exceed two years if they meet all other eligibility requirements and provide proof of completion of four units of CPE as required by an approved board certifying body.

Grandfathering Provision: All Chaplains employed in VHA under permanent, appropriate, and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard (07/03/2025), are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/assignment held, including positive education and certification, where applicable.

Grade Determinations: Supervisory Chaplain GS-0060-13:

Specialty Certification:

• Specialty certification is demonstrated advanced practice and/or specialization in chaplaincy beyond the board certification. Specialty certifications from a professional chaplain certifying body that is directly related to the assignment is qualifying for a senior chaplain assignment.
  • Note: The list of Board Certifying Chaplain Organizations and Specialty Certifying Organization is located here: (https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Employment_Information_and_Resources.asp)

Experience:

• In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-13, you must possess at least one (1) year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-12). Examples of GS-12 Experience include:
  • Providing supervision to professional and non-professional staff to include nonsupervisory and supervisory personnel .
  • Managing and supervising all aspects of chaplaincy service operations including clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management, and supervision of the service.
  • Oversight and management of all religious and spiritual care and provides counsel to facility leadership concerning religious expression.
  • Responsible for chaplaincy practice including all administrative functions of the department, such as budget management, development of policy, and clinical practice standards, development and oversight of service programming, establishing and ensuring performance and productivity metrics and outcomes, planning and organizational development, ensuring compliance with agency and accreditation requirements and setting the strategic direction of services.
  • Assessing spiritual and religious needs of the organization and patients.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• In addition to meeting the experience requirements and specialty certification at the GS-13 level, you must possess the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs):
  • Knowledge of administrative, personnel, and resource management and strategic planning for chaplaincy and chaplain pastoral education programs.
  • Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties, which include responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff and recommendation of awards, advancements and disciplinary actions.
  • Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution and ability to work collaboratively with managers from other departments.
  • Ability to develop local policy, productivity and clinical practice standards.
  • Ability to align chaplaincy services and programming with the strategic goals and objectives of the facility, VISN, and VHA.
  • Ability to ensure compliance with chaplaincy practice, policy and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care.
  • Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers and other staff on all religious expression and spiritual care

Assignment: For all supervisory assignments the Chaplain must spend 25% or more of their time providing administrative and technical supervision and perform major duties above those at the FPL that consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, variety. The supervisory chaplain is responsible for oversight and management of all religious and spiritual care and provides counsel to facility leadership concerning religious expression. The supervisory chaplain supervises professional and non-professional nonsupervisory and supervisory staff at the GS-12 grade level or below and is responsible for chaplaincy practice including all administrative functions of the department, such as budget management, development of policy and clinical practice standards, development and oversight of service programming, establishing and ensuring performance and productivity metrics and outcomes, planning and organizational development, ensuring compliance with agency and accreditation requirements and setting the strategic direction of the service. The supervisory chaplain ensures the right of free exercise of religion and protects against proselytizing. The supervisory chaplain maintains chapel space and oversees distribution of space, inventory and resources needed for the provision of spiritual care, education and programming. The supervisory chaplain assesses spiritual and religious needs of the organization and ensures the religious needs of patients are met through partnerships with community religious leaders and organizations, and community, state, and Federal agencies.

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: This position requires the Chaplain to meaningfully engage with Veteran patients and family members by walking and moving within the healthcare setting or with the incumbent using an assistive device. The Chaplain is required to speak, hear (hearing aid permitted) and work closely with others.

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.