Clarification from the agency

VHA Employees Only - Open to Current Permanent Veterans Health Administration (Agency) Employees ONLY, including Current Permanent Tampa VA Healthcare System (Facility) Employees. Facility Employees will have FIRST consideration. Applicants from one of the following Multidisciplinary Occupations will be considered for this position: - Audiologist- Announcement Number: CBTC-11758056 -25-DC or Speech Language Pathologist from this announcement.

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PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Incumbent is a service chief for a service-level department in a High Complexity Level1a VHA facility. Incumbent has broad and overall responsibility for a service-level department, or its organizational equivalent in large, complex, or multi-division facilities.

EDUCATION
a. Provides orientation/training of medical staff;
b. Assists in orientation and training of new staff;
c. Assists in the training and supervision of students, trainees, and fellows, providing
feedback on progress toward established educational goals;
d. Keeps current with theory and practice through continuing education programs,
journals, textbooks, and other literature, and in-service programs; and
e. Provides patient and family education including informed consent

ADMINISTRATIVE

In carrying out the administrative duties and responsibilities of the position, incumbent:

a. Develops, organizes, directs, manages, supervises, controls, and implements policies
and procedures for complex service-level departments;

b. Has overall responsibility for planning, assessing, and evaluating programs to ensure
proper coordination between care delivered by the service and the overall delivery of
health care within the facility;

c. Makes decisions that affect subordinate section or assistant chiefs (if applicable),
clinical, and clerical staff, and other resources associated with the department and are
made with great autonomy;

d. Has full responsibility for developing and directing educational and training programs;
negotiating affiliation agreements with academic partners; and setting training objectives;

e. Delegates responsibilities to subordinate section or assistant chiefs (if applicable),
planning, and scheduling work; assigning work to employees; accepting, amending or
rejecting completed work; assuring that production and accuracy requirements are met;
appraising performance and recommending performance standards and ratings; assigning
delineated clinical privileges; approving leave; and effecting all levels of disciplinary
measures;

f. Exercises supervision, administrative management and direction of both professional
areas in a unified audiology and speech-language pathology service or equivalent service level
department, or administrative management and program direction of other
rehabilitation-related areas;

g. Shows potential ability to supervise, motivate, and manage effectively a diverse
clinical staff applicable to a service-level department in a large, complex, or multi division
facility;

h. Shows potential skill in assessing qualifications and abilities of current and
prospective employees;

i. Establishes and monitors productivity standards and production and performance
priorities;

j. Organizes work, sets priorities, delegates tasks and responsibilities;

k. Manages and directs the work of others to accomplish program goals and missions;

l. Accommodates to new and changing work conditions and contingencies, staffing; and,

m. Translates management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled
service operations.




Work Schedule: 7:30am-4pm
Telework: Not Authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 70191-F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

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.
• You may be required to serve a trial period.
• 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 examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

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. SLP candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education and Experience:

(1) A master's degree, or its equivalent, in speech-language pathology, communication disorders or a directly related field from an accredited college or university and one year of creditable experience (see paragraph 2.g.).

or

(2) A doctoral degree in speech-language pathology, communication disorders and sciences or a related field, from an accredited college or university.

Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S.
program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials.

Licensure. Individuals must hold a full, current and unrestricted license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth or the District of Columbia.

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupational series or in another occupational series that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:

(1) SLPs may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level or changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.

(2) If SLPs who are retained under this provision leave the occupation, they will lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re-entry to the occupation.

(3) SLPs initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment.

(4) SLPs who are 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

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: . Supervisory Speech-Language Pathologist, GS-14.

Experience. In addition to the basic requirements at the GS-13 level, completion of one year of professional experience comparable to the next lower level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience requirements, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) Skill to translate management goals and objectives into efficient service operations.
(b) Skill in providing clinical and administrative oversight of service operations within complex facilities and/or multiple sites.
(c) Skill in conflict resolution to facilitate positive working relationships between employees, team leaders and management.
(d) Ability to effectively collaborate with local, VISN and national leadership.

Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Service chiefs at this level are responsible for managing a unified audiology and speech-language pathology service or equivalent organizational unit in a large, complex or multi-site medical center. They ensure that services provided are of high quality and are consistent with contemporary and evidence-based clinical practice. In providing direction for a specialized and complex service-level department, Service chiefs formulate objectives and priorities and implement plans consistent with the organization's long-term interest, capitalizing on opportunities and managing risks. Service chiefs must demonstrate active problem and conflict resolution skills and maintain effective interdepartmental relationships to accomplish the medical facility's mission and goals. Service chiefs manage budgets, determine resource needs, allocate resources and ensure appropriate service productivity, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. They perform supervisory duties such as preparing personnel actions, performance management; planning, scheduling and assigning work; managing leave; assessing competencies; appraising performance; and recommending clinical privileges or scope of practice. Service chiefs ensure orientation and training programs are established for staff development and oversee academic affiliations, internship and fellowship programs.

Preferred Experience: Supervisory experience

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

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration- Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other current VA Agency employees.


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.