Senior Psychologist (Director of the Integrative Mental Health Program)

Summary

The VA Integrative Mental Health Director has full programmatic authority for all professional, management and administrative aspects of the complex, national VA IMH program.

Duties

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• Responsible for subordinates and responsibility for all professional, management, and administrative aspects of VA IM
• Organizes work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines
• Manages and directs the work of others, within a complex, national organization, to accomplish program goals and objectives, and able to devise ways to adapt work operations to new and changing programs, staffing, and budget requirements
• Supervises operational resource management, including staffing requirements, space, equipment, projects, contracts, and supplies
• Supervises a program that functions as a national resource leading educational training, clinical quality improvement, implementation science, community engagement, and research at the intersection of mental health and spiritual care for Veterans
• Responsible for ensuring that all research activities conducted by personnel with IMH support have been reviewed and approved by the relevant VA Institutional Review Boards and Research Committees
• Ensures that all research data are stored on VA property with required security and privacy safeguards
• Assesses qualifications and potential of current and prospective employees for appointment with VA IMH
• Manages the comprehensive IMH portfolio of initiatives spanning education, clinical quality improvement, implementation science, community engagement, and research based on the strategic direction of the program
• Maintains effective interpersonal relationships that facilitate collaborative work with internal staff and other programs and centers, as well as resolves conflicts
• Acts as a liaison to represent VA IMH on a national level (to VACO leadership, other Centers of Excellence, academic partners, national programs, community organizations, and other federal entities including the Department of Defense)
• Actively engages in and supports IMH scientific research programs, including responsibility (personally or assigned) for accomplishing the scientific review and evaluation process for research programs
• Develops policies, procedures, and criteria for administration of the IMH research program, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies and monitoring entities, as appropriate
• Serves as a principal investigator on research, evaluation, implementation science, and clinical quality improvement initiatives designed to advance the mission of VA IMH
• Consults with research elements within the organization, agency, academic community, and/or private industry to develop research project opportunities to support the mission and objectives of VA IMH
• Manages research, evaluation, and implementation programs of major public health importance or policy emphasis
• Oversees federally funded and congressionally mandated initiatives relevant to the mission of VA IMH
• Provides structured mentorship for developing research professionals within VA IMH and collaborating institutions
• Presents outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific and professional meetings
• Prepares grant proposals, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other funding applications as needed in areas relevant to the mission of VA IMH
• Facilitates partnerships with clinical leaders, implementation scientists, researchers, chaplains, and operational partners to improve clinical care and patient outcomes
• Oversees the Mental Health Integration for Chaplain Services (MHICS) training program and related educational initiatives
• Provides oversight of educational and workforce development activities sponsored by VA IMH
• Acts as a liaison with university partners, providing managerial oversight to academic collaborations and delegating university relations when appropriate

*Driving will be required for this position.

Work Schedule: 8am - 4:30p; Flexible - Compressed

Telework: Ad-hoc

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Requirements

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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.
• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Driving physical exam may be required for this position.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 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;
• 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: Be a citizen of the United States
• Education: 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
• 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
• 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;
• (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) Have 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) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature, fulfilling 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.
• Licensure: Must holda 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: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j

GS-15: Experience. Must possess 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

Licensure: Must currently possess a full, current, and unrestricted license at the doctoral level.

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

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

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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

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

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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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.