Psychologist-Organizational Development Specialist

Job Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

About the Job

This position is assigned to the Organizational Development and Employee Engagement Service (ODEES) at the Southwest Virginia VA Health Care System (SVAHCS) and reports directly to the Chief, Organizational Development and Employee Experience service. The incumbent will develop, implement, train, maintain, and improve a wide range of employee programs and initiatives ensuring the alignment of people, processes, systems, and rewards. The position requires providing educational and coaching services to Service Chiefs, supervisors, workgroups, and individual employees at SVHCS. Work hours may vary to include coverage of all shifts (days, evenings, nights, and weekends).

Key Responsibilities

Develop, implement, apply, and evaluate systems in the areas of leadership development, work climate, learning, employee development, employee recognition, and workplace assessment. Consultation, task facilitation, action inquiry, coaching, mentoring, conflict resolution, team building, and management consultation to both the clinical and administrative units of SVAHCS directed at improving organizational culture, performance, and health. The incumbent works in the areas of cultural transformation, report and statistical interpretation, communications strategy and planning, instructional systems design and implementation, program evaluation, and training and development. Partners successfully with Service Chiefs, supervisors, workgroups, and individual employees to accelerate implementation of change, build leadership talent designed to fuel future growth, enhance organizational performance, and accelerate learning across the organization. Assessment services to the organization and to employees including knowledge of psychometry, 360-degree assessment, organizational culture, simulations, coaching and mentoring, training and evaluation, and the implementation of individual development plans. Researches and/or analyzes organizational problems based on psychological theory or program requirements. The incumbent provides expert analysis and advice on complex program issues. Undertakes or participates in special projects, ongoing analyses, investigations, and initiatives. This may involve producing complex analyses and written reports, organizing and facilitating special committees/workshops/other gatherings, and initiating program reviews. Responsible for developing project plans, establishing measurement methods, monitoring progress, and evaluating results. Provides meaningful interventions with staff and groups in distress and provides senior leadership with suggestions about cultural change initiatives, such as coaching skills, which may result in improvements in employee work settings. Researches employee engagement, employee experience, and psychological safety measures and analyzes factors that contribute to both higher and lower outcomes in order to support ongoing development of best practices and implementation of those best practices. Skill in effectively communicating complex technical material or complex issues that may have controversial findings, or both, using language appropriate to specialists and/or non-specialists, facilitating the formulation of a decision. A strong, action-oriented individual who can partner successfully with Service Chiefs, supervisors, workgroups, and individual employees to accelerate strategy implementation and change to build leadership talent and fuel future growth, promote excellent customer service skills and strategies, and enhance organizational performance and serve as an assistant in accelerating learning across the organization.

Requirements

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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. 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. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005. 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, or the Canadian Psychological Association, 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. AND (4) 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 pre 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. NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard. 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. (1) 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). Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (2) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. 2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. 3. Knowledge of clinical research literature.

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