Psychology Program Manager - Workplace Violence Prevention Program

Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies, and U.S. Citizens; NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

The Workplace Violence Prevention Program (WVPP) Manager is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the WVPP at the CAVHS including the Disruptive Behavior Committee (DBC), the Employee Threat Assessment Team (ETAT), the Disruptive Behavior Reporting System (DBRS), Behavioral Health Code Team (BHCT; if BHCT is implemented at CAVHS), and the Workplace Behavioral Risk Assessment(WBRA)

Duties of the Psychologist Program Manager include, but are not limited to:

• Supervises the Chair, Disruptive Behavior Committee (DBC). The DBC chair is appointed by Chief of Staff (COS) to lead a facility-based multidisciplinary DBC as required by VHA Directive 1160.08(1)
• Supervises the Chair, Employee Threat Assessment TEAM (ETAT). The ETAT chair is appointed by the Facility Director to lead a diverse and multidisciplinary team including representatives from the Local Bargaining unit, Executive Office, Human Resources, Behavioral Health Professionals, VA Police, Nursing Leadership, Safety Office, and Regional Counsel
• Serves as Team Leader for the completion of the annual Workplace Behavioral Risk Assessment (WBRA), a data- driven process that evaluates the unique constellation of factors that affect workplace safety
• Oversight of Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior (PMDB) program and ensure program is meeting identified training needs for CAVHS
• If implemented locally at CAVHS, the Program Manager provides oversight and program development of BHCT
• Maintain expertise in evidence-based, data-driven behavioral threat assessment and management practice
• Provides and organizes Safety Briefings for the facility, to include collaboration with high-risk areas of the medical center as identified by the Annual Workplace Behavioral Risk Assessment. Submit After Action Report to Executive Leadership and monitor progress on actions/goals
• Provides an annual report on implementing progress to the VISN and the National WVPP committees as requested
• Formulates, interprets, and implements policies and procedures pertaining to quality, workplace violence prevention in various settings across the hospital to assure that CAVHS is a safe and highly reliable organization
• Evaluates current program services in a systematic manner, including the collection, tabulation, and presentation of program statistics, trends, and outcome measures to adjust staffing levels or work procedures to meet the needs of the facility
• Responsible for complete, independent program and fiscal oversight
• Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, sets and adjusts short-term priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of work
• Evaluates work performance of subordinates

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am-4:00pm (Subject to change based on the needs of the service)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 598-01554F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VHALITSBU@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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.
• Must be able to independently operate Government Vehicle.
• Must provide clean driving record report from the DMV during the pre-employment process.

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

Applicants pending the 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:
1. United States Citizenship: Be a United States (U.S) citizen. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
2. 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.
3. Education Requirement:

1. 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, OR
2. Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a 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 you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for; OR
3. Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

4. Internships:

1. 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
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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.

5. 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.

6. Board Certification and Loss of Credential:

• Board Certification: Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education.
• Loss of Credential. Once board certified, psychologist must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required board certification must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official, an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists

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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

Psychology Program Manager, GS-14
Experience: At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, thecandidate must demonstrate all of the following 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:

• Three (3) or more years of experience coordinating and implementing Disruptive Behavior Committee (DBC), the Employee Threat Assessment Team (ETAT), and conduction of annual Workplace Behavioral Risk Assessment (WBRA) within VHA
• Three (3) years supervising others
• Proficiency in current evidence-based behavioral threat assessment and management practice
• Experience working as a member of a collaborative multidisciplinary care team
• Psychological Testing
• Experience educating others
• Experience building coalitions
• Experience presenting to a wide variety of customers, including leadership, managers, stakeholders, police, patient safety officer, clinical staff, and Veterans and civilian family members

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 Demands: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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 Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System employees, including CBOC's
2. Current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA) employees
3. Current permanent VA Nationwide employees
4. Current permanent federal employees of other agencies
5. All other applicants

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)
• Transcript

Resume Requirement:Your resume MUST include the following information:

1. Job title
2. Description of duties
3. Beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment
4. Average hours worked per week.

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)
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Eligibility):

• Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:

• Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
• Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
• SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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