Summary

The Supervisory Speech Pathologist (Service Chief) will serve as the Chief, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Service at the Cincinnati VA Medical Service which includes oversight, planning and development of all Service functions and programs.

Duties

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This facility is a level 3 complexity facility servicing one of the largest geographical catchment areas in the United States. As the Chief, PM&R Service, the incumbent will plan, direct, and coordinate all aspects of a multifaceted, complex service which includes Physiatry, Physical Therapy, occupational Therapy, Pain Management, Traumatic Brain Injury/Polytrauma, Spinal Cord injury, and Amputee Services. The duties of the position includes but are not limited to the following:

• Evaluates and monitors administrative and clinical activities and acts independently or makes substantive recommendations to the Executive Leadership Team to make Service improvements. Provides expert advice and technical assistance to Medical Center managers at all levels and supervisors and team leaders within the Service in a wide variety of areas, clinical and administrative, related to the Service.
• Directs the personnel management program for PM&R Service, performing or overseeing the full range of human resources requirements. Acts as personnel management expert for the Service. Functions as a Service leader with overall project responsibility as the primary Service representative for the Medical Center to redistribute the workforce, positions, and sections of the Service to comply with legislative or regulatory changes impacting the mission and goals of the Medical Center, VISN 10, National PM&R Program Office and Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
• Arranges for and participates in annual goal-setting/strategic planning sessions, coordinates the development of the final operating plan, and conducts continuing evaluations at the Service level as well as the Medical Center, VISN, and national levels as it relates to the activities of the Service addressing patient care delivery systems, facilities management, system reorganizations or the other issues and initiatives.
• Provides for the budgeting and financial management for the Service. Performs as an expert in budgeting and financial management for the Service and for the Medical Center as it relates to Service programs.
• Manages procurement and contracting for the Service and the Medical Center in projects related to the Service. Determines when contract termination is warranted and initiates action as appropriate with the accountable Contracting Officer.
• Serves as the official PM&R Service consultant to all other Medical Center services and departments and provides expert advice and technical assistance to entities outside of the Medical Center, including those within VISN 10 and at the national level on matter related to PM&R in the various roles in which the incumbent serves.
• Communicates effectively verbally and in written correspondence with employees and customers at all levels of the Service and Medical Center; Medical Center peers and superiors; individuals at the VISN, National PM&R Program Office as well as other Central Office level contacts; and stakeholders.
• Oversees the work of Service employees and ensures the accuracy of reports submitted by supervisors and team leaders. Identifies and implements opportunities for improvement and ensures Service compliance with clinical and other standards based upon professional journal and literature reviews, Medical Center policies, VHA Directives, Clinical Practice Guidelines and other applicable documents.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday with subject to negotiable upon selection. Driving is required and will need a valid license.

Telework: Ad-hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive(s) may be authorized for a Highly Qualified Individual.

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.
• 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).
• 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; and
• 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.
• Education and Experience:

1. A master's degree, or its equivalent, in speech-language pathology, communication disorders or a directly related field from an accredited college or university or university and one year of creditable experience.

Or,

1. A doctoral degree in speech-language pathology, communication disorders and sciences or a related field, from an accredited college or university.

• Licensure: Individuals must hold a full, current and unrestricted license in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth or the District of Columbia.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C., 7403(f).

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:

(1) Experience: In addition to the Basic Requirements at the GS-13 level, completion of one year of professional experience comparable to the new lower grade.

(2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience requirements, the candidate must demonstrate al of the following KSAs:

1. Skill to translate management goals and objectives into efficient service operations.
2. Skill in providing clinical and administrative oversight of service operations within complex facilities and/or multiple sites.
3. Skill in conflict resolution to facilitate positive working relationships between employees, team leaders and management.
4. Ability to effectively collaborate with local, VISN and national leadership.

(3) Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Service Chiefs at this level are responsible for managing unified audiology and speech-language pathology service or equivalent organizational units in a large, complex or multi-site medical center. They ensure that services provided are of high quality and are consistent with contemporary and evidence-based clinical practice. In providing direction for a specialized and complex service-level department, Service Chiefs formulate objectives and priorities and implement plans consistent with the organization's long-term interest, capitalizing on opportunities and managing risks. Service Chiefs must demonstrate active problem and conflict resolution skills and maintain effective interdepartmental relationships to accomplish the medical facility's mission and goals. Service Chiefs manage budgets, determine resource needs, allocate resources and ensure appropriate service productivity, efficiency and cost-effectiveness. They perform supervisory duties such as preparing personnel actions, performance management; planning, scheduling performance; and recommending clinical privileges or scope of practice. Service Chiefs ensure orientation and training programs are established for staff development and oversee academic affiliations, internship and fellowship programs.

Preferred Experience:

• 3-5 years in Federal Healthcare managing a medium to large section and/or service; experience as a site/program director for American College of Graduate Medical Education programs with affiliated universities and health professions trainees through OAA.
• An understanding of complex accreditation requirements for rehabilitation programs within the purview of the Rehabilitation Service Line.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is 14.

Physical Requirements: Physical requirements are those physical, mental and emotional capabilities and characteristics that are essential for successful job performance. Physical requirements must be clearly supported by the actual duties of the position and documented in the position description or functional statement, and supported by a studies or evaluations establishing physical requirements is job-related to the occupations. An applicant or employee may not be disqualified arbitrarily on the basis of physical requirements or other criteria that do not relate specifically to performance of the duties of a specific position.

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 bene