Summary

Supervisory Dietitians in this assignment serve as Chief of NFS for a complex department and have administrative and technical supervision over GS-13 level staff from both clinical nutrition and food operations and NFS administrative staff. Chiefs of NFS provide leadership and guidance, with wide latitude for the exercise of independent judgment, to ensure the diverse activities of the department are closely coordinated, integrating clinical nutrition and food operations.

Duties

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Supervisory Dietitians (Chief, Nutrition and Food Service) exercise a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities with responsibilities in planning, directing, and assessing work of supervisors and subordinate staff. NFS Chiefs serve as the technical advisor and subject matter expert in nutrition and food operations. The work of the Chief aligns NFS goals and strategic direction to that of the medical center, VISN and National Program Office.

Duties for the position may include but are not limited to:

• Oversees all human resource functions for the department.
• Establishes performance standards and evaluate overall performance of employees
• Defines competency requirements, identifies developmental and training needs and takes necessary actions to ensure subordinate personnel maintain and enhance technical and leadership expertise.
• Develops budget and staffing requirements to manage organizational changes and ensure national directives and goals/objectives are met.
• Develops the NFS strategic plan establishing service priorities which address the goals and strategic direction of the medical center, VISN and national programs.
• Implements a performance improvement program to continually improve delivery of quality, safe and cost-effective food and nutrition care to all patients/residents.
• Develops and updates policies and procedures, establishes, and oversees a system for regulatory compliance.
• Ensures NFS compliance with accrediting bodies, standards, and action items.
• Establishes the department organizational structure, defining the lines of authority essential to carry out the mission of the service.
• Responsible for accomplishing priorities and ensuring compliance with VHA directives and medical center policy and procedures.
• Oversees the planning of new endeavours addressing patient care delivery systems and system reorganizations for new or redesigned operational space, equipment requirements, etc.
• Ensures adherence to the National Dietary Supplement and Subsistence Prime Vendor contracts.
• Designates the Contracting Officer Representative to negotiate purchase agreements for NFS contracts.
• Implements security measures in all NFS areas to protect against theft, reduce the risk of food terrorism and maintain Veteran and staff safety.
• Ensures the dissemination of nutrition related research and quality improvement within the department and facility.
• Directs resource distribution for food, supply, and labor costs, focusing on benchmarks, delegating resource management to others as appropriate.
• May perform other related duties which are appropriate for this grade and assignment.

Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday - Friday; 8:00 - 4:30 p.m.; Suject to change to meet the needs of the Agency

Telework: Not available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 99498-S

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

Requirements

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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 identification 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).
• 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

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: Dietitian candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. a7 7403(f).
• Registration: All applicants must hold the RDN credential from the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing agency of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Note: Applicants who hold the RDN credential have met the education requirement (e.g. bachelor's degree or higher) of CDR, as such this occupation is considered professional and scientific with a positive education requirement and the procedures in Part I, Chapter 4 of this Handbook will be followed when applying Veteran's preference.

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:

Supervisory Dietitian (Chief, Nutrition and Food Services), GS-14

• Experience: One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
• Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  
  • Knowledge of security measures within food operations to ensure patient and staff safety.
  • Knowledge of organizational structure to assess impact on program operations.
  • Skill in ensuring regulatory requirements are met.
  • Skill in leading a group of professionals to facilitate collaboration and organizational development.
  • Skill in leading managers to establish strategic goals.
  • Ability to oversee the planning of new initiatives addressing patient care delivery systems and system reorganizations.
  • Ability to lead efforts in business administration to include budgeting, contracting and purchasing.

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-14. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-14.

Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.

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

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

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.