Dietitian (Facility Program Coordinator)

Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. This announcement is open to current, permanent employees of the Central Iowa VA Health Care System.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Manages all aspects of the program for the facility, assuring local compliance with national policy and direction.
• Coordinates with the multidisciplinary team to develop local goals. Measures progress toward the goals and reports to the appropriate officials at a local, VISN and national level.
• Provides direct patient care by developing and implementing comprehensive nutrition therapy, practicing within their scope/clinical privileges.
• Serves as the professional and technical advisor for their program.
• Promotes and maintains effective working relationships with all faculty and significant parties at the national, state, and local level.
• Directs or participates in the design of studies, collects data, conducts statistical analysis, interprets findings, and translates results into written and oral communications.
• Sets priorities, delegates tasks, meets multiple deadlines, analyzes organizational problems, and develops and implements effective solutions.
• Serves as a consultant and technical advisor within NFS and with other facility health care staff in evaluating health care delivery to Veterans and employees.
• Determines the continuing education needs of program staff and appropriate resources to meet those needs.
• Oversees all aspects for the program, policy, and procedure development.
• Oversees development and maintenance of training and reference materials.
• Establishes and manages program goals and objectives.
• Plans and administers a program, coordinates associated activities and resources, evaluates program accomplishments, redefines priorities, problem solves, and modifies objectives.
• Takes an active role in the fiscal management for the program, identifying resource needs that may include staffing, supplies, contracts, etc.
• Maintains program information through approved social media outlets.
• May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment.

Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday-Friday, 0730-1600
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 99400-S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): 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.
• 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.
• 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

All requirements must be met by the close date of this announcement, 11/06/2026.

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.
• Registration: All applicants must hold the RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing agency of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• English Language Proficiency: Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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-12 Dietitian (Facility Program Coordinator)
Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level, GS-11.
AND
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of program administration establishes program goals and objectives, coordinates activities, evaluates accomplishments and solves problems.
(b) Skill in developing quality improvement or research activities.
(c) Skill in developing training and reference materials.
(d) Ability to develop policies and procedures.
(e) Ability to provide program-specific coordination to include leadership, technical advice and staff development.

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

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Grandfathering Provision. Employees in VHA in this occupation, under a permanent, appropriate and legal placement on the effective date of the qualification standard, are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade and/or assignment held, including positive education and registration/certification, where applicable. Employees appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, either on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. The following provisions apply to employees who do not meet all the qualification requirements:
(1) Employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level or changed to a lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or be newly placed in a supervisory or managerial position.
(2) Employees must meet the assignment-specific certification/education requirements to be placed in Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice) or Dietitian (Dietetic Internship Director) assignments.
(3) Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or registration/certification that meet all the qualification standard's basic or assignment-specific requirements must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation/assignment.
(4) Employees retained in this occupation under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of re- entry in the occupation.

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
• Recommended: Write to Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) - See "Qualifications" section of announcement
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Next steps