Summary

Incentive Authorized The Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) for Mental Health Service is a senior psychologist program manager at VA Puget Sound Health Care System. The ACOS is administratively and clinically responsible for all mental health staff and programs - and for service delivery provided throughout the Mental Health Service Line at VAPSHCS - which has major facilities in Seattle and American Lake (Tacoma) - as well as multiple community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs).

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. To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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: (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
• 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)
• OR (2) 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
• Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards
• OR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• Internships: (a) 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 (b) 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 (c) 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 (d) 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 (e) 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
• 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
• 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: Senior Psychologist Program Manager - GS-15 Experience
• At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate 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
• 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-15
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-15 Physical Requirements: Light Lifting - under 15 lbs
• Use of fingers
• Mental and Emotional Stability
• Environmental Factors: Working closely with others
• Working alone
• Protracted or irregular hours of work.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional MANAGEMENT Responsibility for the daily clinical operations of Mental Health Service
• Responsibility for assessing the needs of the veteran population and setting the direction of the clinical programming within the service line
• Fiduciary responsibility to ensure that they optimize the use of the resources available
• Uses data and analysis to make clinical programming and resource decisions
• Responsibility for ensuring supervision of all clinical staff within the service line
• Development - implementation - and oversight of operational policies and procedures for the Service Line
• Monitors provider-specific workload reports to team members and ensures provider adherence to workload standards
• SUPERVISORY Functions as the first line supervising authority (i.e. - rater) for 10 employees
• Provides administrative oversight and clinical consultation to over 320 interdisciplinary team members for whom the incumbent is not the designated first line rating authority
• Provides clinical supervision to psychology interns and other trainees as appropriate CLINICAL The Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health will carry a limited clinical load
• Conducts comprehensive psychosocial examinations on assigned patients
• Completes intake assessments and developing diagnostic formulations
• Develops treatment plans (in coordination with the multidisciplinary treatment team when appropriate)
• Initiates consults and referrals as indicated
• RESEARCH/EDUCATION Actively involved in research - either as principal investigator - co-investigator - and/or collaborator
• Serves on a Psychology Service committee concerned with oversight of the training program
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized