Clarification from the agency

Open only to current, permanent employees of the Office of Mental Health (OMH) service line, duty station 132, at the Veterans Health Administration Central Office (VHACO).

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This job announcement is open only to current, permanent employees of the Office of Mental Health (OMH) service line, duty station 132. Applicants must submit their most recent SF-50 form to show that they meet this area of consideration (block 40 on the SF-50 form). The two-page resume requirement does not apply to this job announcement.
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• Provides national leadership, strategic direction, and programmatic oversight for women's mental health services across VHA medical centers and healthcare systems.
• Leads the development, implementation, evaluation, and expansion of national women's mental health programs, clinical initiatives, and evidence-based practices, in alignment with policies.
• Develops and implements national procedures, and operational guidelines to improve the quality, accessibility, and effectiveness of mental health services for women Veterans, in alignment with policies.
• Serves as principal national consultant, subject matter expert, and advocate for women's mental health, providing guidance to VA leadership, program offices, and healthcare facilities.
• Collaborates with national and field leadership to ensure appropriate staffing, resources, training, consultation, and referral services to meet women Veterans' mental health needs.
• Identifies healthcare disparities, service delivery gaps, and emerging mental health needs and develops strategies to improve access, quality, and continuity of care.
• Oversees the collection, analysis, and evaluation of national clinical program data to monitor performance, establish benchmarks, identify disparities, and inform strategic decisions.
• Directs national education and training initiatives to strengthen providers' competencies in addressing women Veterans' unique mental health treatment needs and suicide risks.
• Collaborates with researchers, clinical experts, and program offices to support research initiatives, evaluate findings, and promote the integration of evidence-based practices into clinical care.
• Represents women's mental health interests in national strategic planning, interdisciplinary initiatives, and stakeholder discussions.
• Responds to congressional, executive leadership, oversight agency, and stakeholder inquiries; prepares briefing materials, reports, recommendations, and official responses.
• Develops long-range strategic plans, program goals, and operational priorities; oversees the implementation and evaluates outcomes to ensure alignment with OMH objectives.
• Exercises independent judgment in managing national initiatives, identifying operational challenges, recommending corrective actions, and adapting programs to evolving healthcare priorities.
• Represents OMH at national meetings, conferences, professional forums, and stakeholder engagements related to women's mental health.
• Serves on national VA committees, professional task forces, and advisory committees as designated by leadership.
• Delivers presentations and communicates national program priorities, recommendations, research findings, and clinical initiatives to professional and Veteran audiences.
• Maintains professional engagement with relevant organizations and VA healthcare facilities to support collaboration, professional development, and awareness of clinical operations.
• Oversees the planning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation of assigned national programs and initiatives to ensure successful achievement of established objectives.
• Provides executive leadership with program updates, performance findings, emerging concerns, and recommendations for improvement.
• Demonstrates leadership, strategic decision-making, initiative, and collaboration in advancing national women's mental health priorities.
• Maintains consistent compliance with all applicable VA policies, federal privacy requirements, and information security standards.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00AM - 4:30PM
Telework: This position may be authorized for ad hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Ad hoc is defined as occasional, non-recurring telework.
Virtual: This position may be authorized for Virtual Work. Virtual Work eligibility is for current VA employees that are already subject to the return to in person work mandate in their current position. Virtual Work is defined as working outside of the original hiring duty station at a VA owned or leased space.
Return to Office (RTO) Mandate: RTO mandate is in effect and selectees will be required to report to in person work unless they have an approved exception or an exemption. Any approval for an RTO exception, exemption, or extension will occur after the selectee's tentative job offer but before the final job offer.
Functional Statement #: 646190
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens. Non-citizens may be appointed when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited, in accordance with VA policy.
• Applicants must be proficient in written and spoken English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).
• Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a Testing Designated Position (TDP) 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.
• Selected applicants must pass a pre-employment physical examination.
• Selected applicants are subject to background/security investigation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for all Health Care Personnel (HCP) at the VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for all male applicants born after 12/31/1959.
• As a condition of employment, the selected applicant will be required to serve either a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate their fitness and whether their continued employment advances the public interest. In determining whether their continued employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
  • the selected applicant's performance and conduct;
  • the needs and interests of the agency;
  • whether the selected applicant's continued employment would advance the organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
  • whether the selected applicant's continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
• Upon completion of the selected applicant's probationary period, their employment will be terminated unless they receive certification, in writing, that their continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending 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:

• U.S. Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403 (f).
• Licensure: 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
• Education: 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.

OR

Doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, a successfully completed re-specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the re-specialization program) to meet both of the following conditions:

• The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and,
• The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.
• 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 were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this qualification standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of the standard.

OR

Doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

• Internship: Professional psychology internship training program accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed and that is consistent with the assignment of the position.

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.

Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in the VHA as a Psychologist on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education (i.e., degree and internship requirements) and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

• Employees grandfathered under this provision for this qualification standard revision may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions or beyond the assignment currently held for those being grandfathered to assignments above FPL.
• Psychologists appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
• Psychologists initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation.
• Psychologists grandfathered under this provision who leave the occupation will lose their protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation.

Senior Psychologist (National Manager) GS-0180-15 Grade Determination:

Experience: At least four (4) years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one (1) year equivalent to the GS-14 grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

1. Skill in managing and directing the work of large, complex organizational units and in applying effective management practices.
2. Skill in persuasion, negotiation, and motivation to negotiate multiple program policies.
3. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees and other managers using advanced consultation and problem solving skills.
4. Skill in the application and analysis of measurement tools to systems issues.
5. Ability to balance responsibilities in a complex environment and to work with great autonomy; ability to set priorities and delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze complex organizational problems; and ability to develop and implement effective solutions for those problems.
6. Ability to assess need for basic and complex services across multiple programmatic contexts.
7. Ability to coordinate the efforts of multiple program elements across a complex system.

Preferred Experience: Prior experience as a facility Mental Health Service Chief or Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health, Mental Health Discipline Lead, or Program Manager of a Mental Health Program OR VISN/National level Mental Health and Suicide Prevention experience AND prior experience with Mental Health business operations and/or process/quality improvement.

Qualification Standard Reference: https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.Your application, resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified and errors or omissions may affect your consideration for this job announcement.

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.