Psychologist (Assistant Chief)

Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. Applicants will be referred in the following order: First - Current Permanent White City VA Health Care System Employees; Second - Current Permanent VA Employees Nationwide; Third- Health Professions Trainee (HPT);

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Assistant Chief for Behavioral Health works closely with the Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) for Behavioral Health to support the service's strategic, clinical, and operational functions.

Duties include but are not limited to the following:
Program Planning, Analytics, and Resource Management

• Plans, implements, and tracks action plans and analytics-based improvement initiatives on behalf of the ACOS for Behavioral Health.
• Monitors, trends, and responds to Mental Health Same Day Service "easy button" data; alerts PCMHI leadership to workflow delays. -
• Maintains awareness of Bookability, Utilization, Productivity, and new-patient wait times to identify patterns indicating need for additional resources; prepares and submits data-driven FTE requests.
• Monitors performance improvement metrics and prepares or oversees corrective action plans for review by the Behavioral Health Oversight Council.
• Reviews labor mapping bi-weekly to ensure accuracy and alignment with operational requirements.

Clinical & Administrative Oversight

• Provides clinical and administrative oversight for Behavioral Health service activities, including staffing, budget, equipment, and supply requirements.
• Ensures compliance with accreditation, regulatory requirements, and performance standards; may monitor staff performance and develop programs based on Veteran needs and current research.
• Oversees chart audits for non-OPPE staff to ensure timely completion.
• Oversees the bi-annual scope-of-practice process for non-privileged staff, coordinating with discipline leads.
• Maintains extensive knowledge of all Behavioral Health and RRTP MCPs and SOPs; updates policies and provides training to staff.

Leadership, Supervision, and Workforce Development

• Provides guidance to staff and may serve as a direct administrative supervisor for interdisciplinary Behavioral Health personnel.
• Participates in candidate selection processes and recommends appointments, advancements, or disciplinary actions as appropriate.
• Develops position descriptions and functional statements as needed; assigns personnel and serves as a mentor to support employee development.
• Resolves staff conflicts impacting service delivery and promotes service recovery through timely response to PATS-R inquiries.
• Identifies training and continuing education needs to strengthen staff competencies.
• Serves as Acting Service Chief during absences and shares delegated managerial responsibilities with the ACOS

Regulatory Communication & Reporting

• Develops responses to controlled correspondence at the facility, VISN, and VACO levels, including inquiries from elected representatives and OIG Hotline submissions.
• Assists with the preparation of the annual Management Briefing and ensures Behavioral Health sections provide the required information.

Interdepartmental & Facility-Level Coordination

• Consults with other service lines and facility leadership on behavioral health service development and programmatic needs.
• Maintains interdepartmental relationships and collaborates with community partners to support medical center goals.
• Assists the ACOS and RRTP Chief in coordinating behavioral health responses during critical incidents, violence events, disasters, or mass-casualty situations.
• Coordinates psychological first aid training for VA SORC.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Auhtorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
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)
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 may be available at supervisors discretion.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 90608F
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

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).
  • Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a re- specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the 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 the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. 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, OR
  • Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internships:
  • Have 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.
• 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.
• English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

GS-14 Psychologist (Assistant Chief) Grade Determinations:

• Experience: At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • 1. Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
  • 2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.
  • 3. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meets multiple deadlines.
  • 4. Ability to supervise and manage subordinate employees effectively.
  • 5. Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution.
  • 6. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.

Preferred Experience: Previous leadership experience within Behavioral Health.

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

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:

• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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