SENIOR PSYCHOLOGIST PROGRAM MANAGER

Summary

Truman VA Medical Center is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nation's Veterans.

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Overview

* Accepting applications
* Open & closing dates

04/25/2024 to 05/02/2024

* Salary

$169,797 - $220,731 per year

* Pay scale & grade

GS 15

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

* Columbia, MO 1 vacancy

* Remote job

No

* Telework eligible

Yes-Ad Hoc

* Travel Required

25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.

* Relocation expenses reimbursed

No

* Appointment type

Permanent -

* Work schedule

Full-time -

* Service

Excepted

* Promotion potential

15

* Job family (Series)

0180 Psychology

* Supervisory status

Yes

* Security clearance

Not Required

* Drug test

Yes

* Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

* Trust determination process

Credentialing

Suitability/Fitness

* Announcement number

CBSS-12397268-24-RCK

* Control number

788472100

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This job is open to

* Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency

This position is open to employees of Truman VA only.

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Duties

The Senior Psychologist Program Manager is assigned to the Behavioral Health (BH) service line within the Harry S. Truman Memorial Veterans' Hospital (Truman VA).

Duties may include but are not limited to:

Administrative:

* Directly supervises a diverse team (over 30 FTE) of psychologists (GS 13), social workers (GS 12), nurses and psychometrists.
* Manages substantial and specialized, complex, and highly professional services that significantly impact the behavioral health care provided to Veterans.
* Engages in strategic planning to ensure the provision of quality services to meet the needs of Veterans served and develops short- and long-range goals and plans in collaboration with the Chief of Behavioral Health, facility leadership, and the BH leadership team. Translates goals and objectives into effective work operations.

Clinical:

* Provides a full range of psychodiagnostic services, including psychological assessment and psychological testing of patients. Selects the optimum battery of tests or procedures to gain the appropriate information in each case. Oversees the administration and scoring of psychological assessment procedures, interprets and reports the findings of the evaluation in the medical record in a timely fashion, and integrates the findings to inform the treatment planning for patients.
* Utilizes appropriate therapeutic techniques or combinations of techniques to provide evidence-based and recovery-oriented treatment to Veterans with complex mental health needs within outpatient and inpatient settings. The incumbent provides the full range of therapeutic interventions, including education, individual and/or family psychotherapy, and group psychotherapy to patients, family members, and significant others, as clinically indicated.

Teaching and Training:

* Provides clinical supervision and instruction for psychology practicum students, doctoral psychology interns, and/or post-doctoral fellows, as assigned.
* May serve as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Missouri and provide trainings and didactics to psychiatry residents, as appropriate.
* May provide in-service training or presentations to other mental health providers, providers with other service lines, and may also be tasked with presenting trainings/didactics to community providers or law enforcement agencies, as appropriate.

Research:

* Remains aware of current research by attending professional conferences and by reading professional publications. The incumbent may also present his/her own findings or theories at such conferences and/or in professional publications.
* May perform independent research, based on his/her interest and ability and approval of the Chief of Behavioral Health. The incumbent takes responsibility for the ethical preparation and implementation of his/her/their research program to be approved by an institutional review board (IRB) and review process.

Other Significant Responsibilities/Truman VA, VISN, National, or University:

* May serve as the Behavioral Health representative for Truman VA, University of Missouri, VISN, and/or National committees, workgroups, task forces, as it pertains to the incumbent's position and expertise and as assigned by the Chief of Behavioral Health.
* May serve as a local, VISN, or National trainer or consultant in an Evidence-Based Psychotherapy that pertains to the incumbent's position and expertise, as assigned by the Chief of Behavioral Health.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Compressed/Flexible:Not Available

Telework: Ad Hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VISN15EDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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Requirements

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.
* You may be required to serve a probationary period.
* Subject to background/security investigation.
* Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
* Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
* Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See Additional Information below for details.

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:

* United States Citizenship - Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
* English Language Proficiency Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
* Education Requirement - You must 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. OR, 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, have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
* Internship Requirement - You must 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). NOTE: 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: Candidates must 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. Exception: Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate psychologist at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 (c)(2)(B) for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment.

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 Determination - GS15:

Experience: To qualify for this position you must possess at least 4 years of experience as a professional psychologist with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 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.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103 FEBRUARY 7, 2018 PART IIAPPENDIX G18

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-15.

Physical Requirements: This position is mostly sedentary and requires walking, kneeling, bending, standing, and light lifting. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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* Benefits

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

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.

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