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The Assistant Chief, Nutrition and Food Service (N&FS) serves as assistant to the Chief, advising the chief on all matters pertinent to the service. Provides direct supervision for both the Clinical N&FS Systems Managers, successfully integrating both sections. Incumbent works in cooperation with the Chief in the identification of major management initiatives as well as the provision, production and service of high quality food and effective nutrition therapy to the veteran population served.
06/03/2025 to 06/12/2025
$111,442 - $144,876 per year
GS 13
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Yes—Ad-hoc
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
No
Permanent
Full-time
Excepted
None
Yes
No
CBTB-12743045-25-JMM
838036200
Functions of the Assistant Chief
A. Management/ Administrative:
1. Assists in the establishment of organizational structure guidelines, performance standards, reporting requirements and assists in defining the lines of authority and supervisory controls necessary and essential in carrying out the mission of the service.
2. Assists in the provision of leadership to assure that all activities of the staff are closely coordinated in order to achieve an effective integration of the key elements of patient care, education, training and research.
3. Coordinates and evaluates Service compliance to VHA regulations, Central Office directives, ADA Laws, VISN guidelines, Medical Center policy, Union Master agreement, Service procedures and all accrediting and regulatory agencies including but not limited to US food code, JCAHO, OSHA and OIG to assure optimal nutrition care of veterans, in the continuum of care and in a multidisciplinary model.
4. Assists in or provides oversight in the coordination of menu planning, subsistence purchases, production, and delivery of safe, high quality, nutritionally adequate meals.
5. Provides leadership and/or serves on the Nutrition Committee and Nutrition Support Team.
6. Assumes full responsibility for the management of N&FS in the absence of the Chief/Manager.
B. Resource Management:
1. Assists in the development and administration of a human resource management program for all NFS employees that maximizes staff performance and job satisfaction and supports labor-management cooperation.
2. Coordinates and allocates staffing patterns and position management that will support a high quality food service system and the demand for complex clinical nutrition care promoting optimal efficiency and effectiveness.
3. Assists in the planning of an annual budget for subsistence, supplies, and personnel costs. Providing for the effective utilization of available financial resources.
4. Assures compliance to prime vendor contract.
5. Manages the service purchase request process.
C. Quality Improvement:
1. Assists in the development and implementation of a performance improvement program to continually monitor major functions of N&FS for quality and appropriateness of nutritional care.
2. Assures that the Performance improvement program is incompliance with applicable standards established by OSHA, HACCP, VHA, JC and other reviewing agencies.
D. Supervisory Controls:
1. Assists the Chief, in providing leadership to N&FS, which consists of professional and nonprofessional staff. Coordinates implementation of initiatives and presents conclusions and recommendations to staff at departmental meetings.
2. Promotes positive labor-management relations by hearing employee grievances and complaints that are not resolved at a lower supervisory level. Responds to EEO complaints and unfair labor practice charges.
3. Recommends approval for incentive and special contribution awards and rewards employees for good performance.
4. Completes evaluations of subordinate and reviews evaluations made by subordinate supervisors on employees they supervise.
E. Education/Staff Development:
1. Assists with the provision and allocation of staff educational funding, evaluating regularly to make certain funds are effectively utilized for the benefit of the Medical Center.
2. Coordinates and delegates as appropriate nutrition related training for other disciplines, students, and/or trainees so they can perform their patient care duties more efficiently.
3. Coordinates the education and training program in the service for all levels of employees. The program considers the needs of all levels of employees to ensure all are competence. Establishes a mechanism to monitor the effectiveness of N&FS training programs.
F. Research:
1. Facilitates participation in clinical nutrition studies and research projects that have a nutrition component.
2. Coordinates the extent and type of formal clinical nutrition-related research and investigative studies, which are administrative, metabolic or clinical in nature.
3. Assures that new information / nutritional advancements are incorporated into daily practices and procedures which ensures continued improvement in services provided.
G. Support:
1. Provides input and recommendations to the Chief regarding medical center and healthcare system long and short-range planning and assists in the development and implementation of policy which reflects the goals of the agency and VISN.
2. Maintains effective communication with medical center staff to identify and assist in the resolution of a wide variety of programs. Encourage and supports proactive planning.
3. Assists the chief in the Interpretation and advises other services, programs and top management concerning general agency guidelines the impact N&FS.
Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm
Telework: Ad-hoc
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
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.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 06/12/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12743045.
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/838036200. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.