Clarification from the agency

*** This position is ONLY open to current, permanent Montana Veterans Health Care System employees*** NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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• Provides direct supervision for clinical and administrative employees located at Fort Harrison within these mental health, higher-level acuity support programs.
• Directly supervise multiple disciplines separated programmatically across the facility, including multiple clinicians and direct care staff at the doctoral and advanced practice levels.
• Manage the daily operation of the above complex treatment programs, develop policies and procedures for program operation, and prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use.
• The incumbent has administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program outcomes.
• Utilize relevant data to assess effectiveness of programs and create plans for quality improvement. In conjunction with the service chief, the incumbent plans, organizes and directs administrative, operational, patient and personnel activities for the service areas.
• Monitor, evaluate, coordinate and oversee the performance of staff.
• Ensure staff adherence to accreditation standards to include CARF and Joint Commission, VA directives and handbooks, standard operating procedures and standards developed specifically for the department.
• Manages and control the use of data related to the programs regarding day-to-day functioning and program evaluation.
• The incumbent is responsible for the RRTP budget and control points assigned to the programs. The incumbent is responsible for monthly billing protocols related to memorandums of understanding, VA grants and contracts, interagency agreements and fiscal management protocols. As program manager for these critical programs, the incumbent frequently interacts with facility and VISN leadership.
• Serve as a subject matter expert to respond to legislative and media inquiries, through coordination with the facility legislative and media liaisons.
• The incumbent is called upon to provide tours of the programs for dignitaries and other visitors. Programs overseen by this position may receive wide-ranging media attention.

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Independently provides biopsychosocial assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans with a broad range of psychopathology receiving care within the clinical setting. Has working knowledge and experience in use of mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures; this includes acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology.
• Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and their families. Provides education to both patients and family members regarding relevant mental health concerns.
• Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation
• Provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds.
• Provides consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients to ensure that care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the Medical Center.
• Has the ability to evaluate his/her own practice through professional peer review, case conference, and other organizational means.
• Develops, implements, and documents the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients.
• Complies with MTVAHCS Bylaws and other documentation requirements, including timely completion of prescribed templates for documenting results of assessment, treatment, and risk evaluation contacts.
• Adheres to all Facility and service line policies and practices for delivering clinical care, including but not limited to suicide risk reduction practices, timeliness of care and access standards, professional conduct requirements, and CPRS documentation conventions.
• Achieves clinical workload expectations as established by directive and the ACOS, MH.

Education and Training:

• Provides internship and externship opportunities for various healthcare disciplines
• Provides clinical supervision and/or training for medical residents, medical students, mental health counselor interns, psychology interns, nurse residents, or other trainees
• Provides didactics as needed

Work Schedule: Negotiable between applicant and hiring manager.
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: N
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Functional Statement #:436-612360
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact mailto:rita.owens@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

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).
• 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 to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education: Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/.

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:

GS-14 Social Worker Program Manager:

Experience and Education: One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Individual may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Licensure/Certification: Individuals assigned as social worker program manager must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all the following KSAs:

• Skill in large scale program coordination and administration across multiple sites, which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.
• Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.
• Ability to collaborate with internal and external partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care.
• Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; performance evaluations; selection of staff, training, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary action.
• Ability to oversee the fiscal matters of the functions supervised (including fund controls, contracts, and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer the allocated budget.
• Skill in developing policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program and in participating in national program development.
• Ability to collaborate with internal VHA partners, locally and on a national level, as well as external community partners to further program goals and enhance patient centered care.

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

Physical Requirements: The Incumbent must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the incumbent or others. May carry and lift items weighing up to 20 pounds.

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.