Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent Tennessee Valley Healthcare System employee only. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition) assignment are the expert in clinical nutrition and oversees a complex Clinical Nutrition Section which involves providing administrative and technical supervision of GS12 Dietitians and the oversight of the work of clinical dietitians at the GS-11 level and below. The Supervisory Dietitian makes decisions based on intricate and unrelated information and assumptions from inconclusive or variable data in all aspects of nutrition operations. They are an essential part of the NFS executive leadership team. They provide professional and management support to the department and continuously strive to increase patient satisfaction and improve veteran experience. The Supervisory Dietitian is responsible for carrying out the strategic and business aspects of the Clinical Nutrition section.

Major Duties include:

• Provides clinical nutrition section specific leadership serving as professional and technical advisor to staff and other health care professionals.
• Has oversight over HR staffing, employee relations and labor relations in Clinical Nutrition section.
• Exercises a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and assumes full responsibility in planning, directing, and assessing work of subordinate staff.
• Establishes a training plan for the clinical section that is based on evidence based nutrition.
• Develops and leads clinical nutrition operations.
• Establishes strategic goals and ensure priorities align with the strategic plan of the NFS department, VISN and national programs.
• Leads performance improvement efforts within Clinical Nutrition section, acting on quality improvement data and plans.
• Identifies and prioritizes problems, sets long and short-term goals, develops action plans and analyses data to evaluate progress to improve outcomes.
• Develops and updates policies and procedures and the establishment and oversight of a system for regulatory compliance.
• Solicits support and/or negotiate with facility managers to influence decision making and garner support to ensure clinical nutrition operations are a success.
• Collaborates closely with the supervisory dietitians to cover the work in all NFS and execute the activities of the department.
• May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment.
• The incumbent works under the general supervision of the Supervisory Dietitian, Chief, Nutrition and Food Services, who establishes objectives and department priorities.
• The incumbent is expected to complete work assignments with relative independence and minimal guidance, personally setting the deadlines for work completions. They assume responsibility in work assignments in accordance with regulations and independently and resolves most conflicts by using considerable judgment and interpretation.
• Work is reviewed to ensure that overall objectives of the position are met.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday: 7:30am-4:00pm
Telework: Available at the needs of the service.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 99517-S

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 dentification 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 may 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:

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates.)
• English Language Proficiency. Dietitians must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Registration. 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).

Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements.

Grade Determinations:GS-13 Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Skill in written communication including policy development and standard operating procedures.
(b) Skill in strategic planning to develop goals, objectives and action plans.
(c) Skill in analyzing data to monitor progress towards improving and sustaining outcomes.
(d) Ability to negotiate.
(e) Ability to supervise subordinate staff (i.e., plan, organize, delegate, direct, control and review activities and performance).

Preferred Experience: Previous experience in Clinical Nutrition management within VHA is preferred.

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

Physical Requirements: The position requires intermittent walking and standing. Carrying normal amounts of written/reference materials is routinely done. Occasionally, duties may require the movement of audio-visual equipment, charts and arrangement of classroom areas.

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:

• CDR
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

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
• License
• CDR
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Next steps