Supervisory Dietitian - Chief, Nutrition and Food Services - NTE 1 year

Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. Open to Veterans Health Administration employees only.

Supervisory Dietitians serve as Chief of Nutrition and Food Service.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Exercise a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities with responsibilities in planning, directing, and assessing work of supervisors and subordinate staff.
• Serves as a technical advisor and subject matter expert in nutrition and food operations.
• Actively support, promote, and oversee the implementation of Nutrition and Food Service at the facility level.
• Nutrition and Food Service Chiefs participate in VISN and National level NFS initiatives.
• Oversees all Human Resource functions for the department. Holds staff accountable for performance and conduct
• Establish performance standards and evaluate overall performance of employees
• Defines competency requirements, identifying developmental and training needs and takes necessary actions
• Develop budget and staffing requirements to manage organizational changes and ensure national directives and goals are met
• Communicates and advocates with executive leadership for resources
• Develops the NFS strategic plan establishing service priorities which address the goals and strategic direction of the Medical Center, VISN and National Programs
• Implements a performance improvement program to continually improve delivery of quality, safe and cost effective food and nutrition care to all patients/residents
• Develops and updates policies and procedures, establishes, and oversees a system for regulatory compliance
• Ensures adherence to the National Dietary Supplement and Subsistence Prime Vendor contracts
• May perform other related duties which are appropriate for this grade and assignment
• The incumbent is expected to complete work assignments with relative independence and minimal guidance. Assumes responsibility in work assignments in accordance with regulations and independently resolves most conflicts by using considerable judgment and interpretation

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30am to 4:00pm.
Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized
Telework: Ad-hoc as determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: PD99498S
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).

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year 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.
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

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 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:

• Employees 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 journey level or be newly placed in a supervisory or managerial position.
• Employees must meet the assignment-specific certification/education requirements to be placed in Dietitian (Advanced Level Practice) or Dietitian (Dietetic Internship Director) assignments.
• 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.
• 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.

Grade Determinations: Supervisory Dietitian (Chief, Nutrition and Food Services), GS-14

Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-13*).
*Examples of duties at the GS-13 include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of business administration practices such as budget planning, contracting and food and supply purchasing to operate a food service program successfully; Skill in written communication including policy development and standard operating procedure; Skill in strategic planning to develop goals, objectives and action plans; Skill in analyzing data to monitor progress towards improving and sustaining outcomes; Ability to supervise subordinate staff (i.e., plan, organize, delegate, direct, control and review activities and performance); Ability to negotiate; Supervise a complex Veteran-Centric food operation consisting of four distinct sections (Informatics, Food Service, Production and NCC); make decisions based on intricate and unrelated information and assumptions from inconclusive or variable data in all aspects of food operations; provide food-operations-specific leadership and exercise a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and responsibilities in planning, directing and assessing the work of subordinate staff.

In addition to the above experience the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of security measures within food operations to ensure patient and staff safety.
• Knowledge of organizational structure to assess impact on program operations.
• Skill in ensuring regulatory requirements are met.
• Skill in leading a group of professionals to facilitate collaboration and organizational development.
• Skill in leading managers to establish strategic goals.
• Ability to oversee the planning of new initiatives addressing patient care delivery systems and system reorganizations.
• Ability to lead efforts in business administration to include budgeting, contracting and purchasing.

Assignment. For all supervisory assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, variety and be performed by the incumbent as a major duty at least 25% of the time.

The incumbent must spend 25% or more of their time providing administrative and technical supervision over administrative staff who support NFS operations and both a GS-13 Supervisory Dietitian (Food Operations) and GS-13 Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition). Supervisory Dietitians in this assignment serve as Chief NFS for a complex NFS department.

Chief NFS provides leadership and guidance, with wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment, to ensure the diverse activities of the department are closely coordinated, integrating clinical nutrition and food operations. They exercise a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities with responsibilities in planning, directing and assessing the work of supervisors and subordinate staff. Chief NFS establishes performance standards and evaluates overall performance of employees, defines competency requirements, identifies developmental and training needs and takes necessary actions to ensure 27 subordinate personnel maintain and enhance technical and leadership expertise. They serve as technical advisors and subject matter experts in nutrition and food operations. Chief NFS develops budget and staffing requirements to manage organizational changes and ensure national directives and goals/objectives are met. They communicate and advocate with executive leadership for resources.

Chief NFS develop the NFS strategic plan establishing service priorities that address the goals and strategic direction of the medical center, VISN and national programs. They are responsible for accomplishing priorities and ensuring compliance with VHA directives and medical center policy and procedures. They oversee planning endeavors addressing patient care delivery systems and system reorganizations for new or redesigned operational space, equipment requirements, etc. Chief NFS ensures adherence to the National Dietary Supplement and Subsistence Prime Vendor contracts. They designate the Contracting Officer Representative to negotiate purchase agreements for NFS contracts. Chief NFS actively supports, promotes and oversees the implementation of NFS initiatives at the facility level and engages other service chiefs as needed to ensure success. They participate in VISN and National level NFS initiatives and are responsible for all action items for NFS. Chief NFS evaluates overall NFS effectiveness through the review of operations, quality assurance, performance improvement and benchmarks, making decisions based on intricate and unrelated items of information from inconclusive or variable data. They facilitate and support NFS participation in performance improvement studies, ensuring the dissemination of nutrition-related research and quality improvement within the department and facility. Chief NFS leads efforts to provide food-forward, Veteran-centric dining options. They implement security measures in all NFS areas to protect against theft, reduce the risk of food terrorism and maintain Veteran and staff safety.

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

Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.

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
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Professional References: Please provide contact information for one current/former supervisor and two professional reference who can speak to your qualifications and work performance
• RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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

Next steps