Clarification from the agency

This position is open to all qualified applicants from the public. However, first consideration may be given to current employees of the Hershel "Woody" Williams VA Medical Center. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Major duties include but are not limited to the following:

Administrative Responsibilities: 90%

• The Chief of MH is responsible for day-to-day management and operational oversight of the Mental Health Service.
• Has staff authority for resource allocations within Mental Health Service
  • Ensures efficient operation of the Mental Health Service
  • Prepares annual Budget Call for the Mental Health Service
  • Monitors and oversees Fund Control Points of assigned
  • Seeks additional resources as warranted, with use of data-driven criteria in support of all requests.
• Provides leadership, guidance, and coordination of multidisciplinary staff to ensure the provision of comprehensive and quality services to meet the needs of Veterans served
• Supervises a group of employees performing work at various GS levels and across organizational units, specialty areas and programs providing administrative, personnel, technical and clinical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit/service including outreach efforts and efforts at other sites within a Health Care System
• Organizes and leads leadership team meetings to meet organizational goals
• Plans work to be accomplished by team leaders and program managers, including establishing priorities, timelines for completion and necessary adjustments therein
• Ensures optimal collaboration across program teams, to include effective communication, resource sharing, and transfer of patients across a continuum of services
• Monitors compliance of program managers, coordinators, team leaders and members with VA performance measures and effectively shapes provider practice patterns to improve standing on performance measures
• Functions as the supervisor of record for MH Supervisory team members, establishing guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system
• Develops work improvement plans, recommending personnel actions as necessary
• Effects disciplinary measures as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area
• Ensures timely access to care of patients assigned to each team, in accordance with local and national policies
• Conducts ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects that monitor the effectiveness of clinical operations within their respective program(s)
• Has oversight for various fund control points assigned to the Mental Health Service. The incumbent manages and controls the use of data related to these programs regarding the day-to-day functioning and program evaluation.

Clinical Responsibilities: 10%

• Provides a full range of integrated psychological care to Veterans with mental health disorders, including psycho-diagnostic assessment, individual and group psychotherapies, collaborative care management, evidence-based integrated psychotherapies, motivational interviewing, and other services both in person and through tele-health technology when required. Produces timely, appropriate documentation of care in accordance with agency policies
• Provides diagnostic evaluations, treatment planning and functional evaluations for mental health disorders
• Consults with health care providers of all disciplines regarding care for patients on a wide variety of patient care issues
• Provides clinical support to patients in MH crisis needs

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Ad-hoc according to Agency policy
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement # 581-25278-F
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 identification 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

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.
• Education:
  • 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. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology).OR
  • 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; NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship. [Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards. OR
  • A doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. NOTE: There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. AND
• Internships:
  • 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);OR
  • 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. 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.
• Board Certification: Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education.

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:

Senior Psychologist, GS-15 (Service Chief)

Experience: At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 level. Examples of equivalent experience include but are not limited to:

• Line and staff authority for resource allocations within the area of responsibility, overall responsibility for the service-level department and full responsibility for clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management and supervision for the service, providing leadership with objective, independent assessments and recommendations for policy, operational / administrative issues and initiatives, discipline-specific programs or the overall system of mental health programs, responsibility for planning, assessing, and evaluating programs, conduct performance appraisals and perform other clinical and administrative responsibilities

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

1. Ability to supervise and manage a large group of professional staff effectively
2. Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution and ability to work collaboratively with supervisors from other units
3. Ability to accurately apply the qualification standards, assesses the potential of current and prospective employees, and promotes their professional development
4. Ability to develop appropriate productivity standards for professional staff, often across multiple program lines
5. Knowledge of the goals and objectives of the medical center and VISN and ability to communicate these to subordinates.

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

Physical Requirements: Majority of work is completed in an office setting. The work of this position of primarily sedentary with occasional walking of short distances. No heavy lifting required. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete a physical as a part of the pre-employment process.

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.