Clarification from the agency

This job is open to U.S. Citizens and VHA employees nationwide. 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 Behavioral Health Program Manager provides clinical leadership, administrative oversight, and operational management of the MH-RRTP. The Program Manager collaborates with the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health (ACOS/MH), service line leadership, and interdisciplinary teams to ensure delivery of high-quality, Veteran-centered, recovery-oriented care consistent with Veterans Health Administration (VHA) national priorities. The position requires strong leadership skills, operational management expertise, and experience supervising interdisciplinary staff in a complex healthcare environment. Major duties include but are not limited to:

• Program Leadership:
  • Provides leadership and oversight for assigned Behavioral Health programs to ensure alignment with:
    • VHA Mental Health policies and directives
    • VISN operational priorities
    • Joint Commission accreditation standards
    • Whole Health and recovery-oriented care principles
  • Leads program development, strategic planning, and implementation of initiatives that improve Veteran outcomes and access to care.
• Supervisory Responsibilities:
  • Provides leadership and supervision to interdisciplinary staff including:
    • Registered Nurses
    • Social Workers
    • Psychologists
    • Nurse Practitioners
    • Psychiatrists
    • Other behavioral health staff
  • Responsibilities include:
    • staff scheduling and coverage planning
    • mentoring and professional development
    • participation in recruitment and onboarding
    • performance management and evaluation input
  • Promotes a collaborative, interdisciplinary culture focused on Veteran-centered care.
• Operational Oversight
  • Monitors program performance and ensures compliance with VHA policies, regulatory requirements, and accreditation standards. Responsibilities include oversight of:
    • access to care metrics
    • clinic utilization and productivity
    • workload capture and labor mapping
    • patient safety and incident review
    • staffing models and operational efficiency
  • Coordinates with service line leadership to address operational challenges and implement improvements.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration
  • Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders including:
    • Behavioral Health Service Line leadership
    • Medical Service leadership
    • Primary Care Mental Health Integration programs
    • Community partners and referral sources
    • VISN-level program leaders
  • Ensures effective coordination of care across services and supports continuity of care of Veterans.
• Crisis Response and Operational Support
  • Provides leadership support during operational challenges including:
    • emergent patient safety events
    • staffing shortages or coverage issues
    • incident investigations and corrective actions
  • Assists Mental Health leadership in maintaining safe and effective program operations.
• Quality Management and Performance Improvement:
  • Leads quality improvement initiatives to enhance clinical outcomes and patient experience. Responsibilities include:
    • monitoring quality indicators and performance metrics
    • supporting accreditation readiness
    • implementing corrective action plans when necessary
    • participating in facility quality and safety committees
  • Promotes a culture of continuous improvements and patient safety.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 08:00 AM - 4:30 PM, subject to change based on the needs of the facility.
Telework: Ad-hoc telework may be authorized in accordance with VHA telework policies and operational needs.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 520-00591-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentive: Authorized for highly eligible candidate.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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 evaluation.
• 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

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 Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
• Education Requirement - You must have a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS), or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) at the time the program was completed. The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR, have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a re-specialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) the re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and b) the specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for; OR, have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internship Requirement - You must have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program that was accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed and that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed; OR, New VHA psychology internship programs that are in the process of applying for APA accreditation are acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement, provided that such programs were sanctioned by the VHA Central Office Program Director for Psychology and the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations at the time that the individual was an intern; OR, VHA facilities that offered full-time, one-year pre-doctoral internships prior to PL 96-151 (pre-1979) are considered to be acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement; OR, Applicants who completed an internship that was not accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed may be considered eligible for hire only if they are currently board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty area that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. (NOTE: Once board certified, the employee is required to maintain board certification). NOTE: Applicants who have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill this internship requirement by having the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience in a site specifically acceptable to the candidate's doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicant's official transcript, the applicant must provide a statement from the doctoral program verifying that the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience was completed in a site acceptable to the doctoral program.
• Licensure: Candidates must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Exception: Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 (c)(2)(B) for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment.

*Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:

Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following:GS-14 Level: at least 3 addition years of experience, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 level, as a professional psychologist that was obtained through employment as a psychologist or through participating in a supervised post-doctoral psychology training program that demonstrates 1) active professional practice that was paid/non-paid employment and/or 2) a full, current and unrestricted license. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics associated with current psychology practice:

• Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
• Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
• Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
• Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
• Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Programs (RRTP) or other 24/7 residential or inpatient behavioral health settings.
• Demonstrated experience providing supervisory or lead-level oversight of interdisciplinary staff in a mental health program.
• Experience with high-acuity populations, including Veterans with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, PTSD, and co-occurring conditions.
• Working knowledge of VHA Mental Health Services, residential care requirements, and Joint Commission Behavioral Health standards.
• Experience supporting staff scheduling, workload management, and coverage planning in a 24/7 environment.
• Familiarity with workload capture, productivity principles, and labor mapping.
• Experience with quality management, performance improvement, and accreditation readiness.
• Ability to respond to emergent operational and patient safety issues and support incident follow-up.
• Experience collaborating with Program Managers, Service Chiefs, HR and interdisciplinary teams.
• Measurement-based care and evidence-based mental health treatment.

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

Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15lbs), light carrying (under 15lbs), reaching above shoulder, use of fingers, walking (1hr), standing (1hr), repeatedly bending (1hr), operation of crane, truck tractor or motor vehicle, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, depth perception, and hearing (aid permitted).
Workload Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

How you will be evaluated

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

Selections from this announcement will be made without regard to Veterans' preference in accordance with OCHCO Bulletin dated 09/25/2025.

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.