Summary Serves as the Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) of the Mental Health Service (MHS) for the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System (CAVHS). This position reports directly to the Chief of Staff (COS). The incumbent is responsible for setting overall goals for the Mental Health Service that comply and support Veterans Administration (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and CAVHS strategic goals and objectives. Responsibilities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Duties include but not limited to: Directs all activities of the Mental Health Service, to include budget and fiscal management, human resource management, strategic planning, clinical end administrative program development, management and evaluation of services and programs, and ensuring that the clinical and administrative functions are integrated to provide optimum utilization of resources. Incumbent participates in management discussions, policymaking, provide program direction to other directors, managers, and assigned personnel within the MHS and makes sound decisions in line with law, federal regulations, and policy. The incumbent actively participates in the development of overall management goals, objectives, and philosophies necessary for the attainment of optimum system efficiency and effectiveness in providing recovery focused holistic health care to the Veteran population. Manages a large, diverse service that provides mental health care services central to the mission of CAVHS. Mental Health Service is one of the largest, most complex services within CAVHS, with more than 460 employees working in multiple locations across the State of Arkansas. Provides clinical and administrative oversight of multiple programs throughout the healthcare system and functions as the primary advisor to the Chief of Staff and Medical Center Director on all Mental Health programs. In this capacity, the ACOS/MH has responsibility for the effective and efficient management of all Mental Health programs and services. The ACOS ensures timely delivery of patient-centered care that includes assessment, diagnosis, and management of Mental Health disorders through a broad range of treatment programs. At CAVHS, Mental Health Service programs include: two distinct Acute Inpatient Psychiatry programs, a general Mental Health Outpatient Clinic, specialty Mental Health programs including outpatient and residential PTSD programs, a full spectrum of Substance Use Disorder programs , a Homeless Day Treatment Center, Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery Services, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Program, Suicide Prevention, Primary Care Behavioral Health, Emergency Services, Neuropsychology, a Health Psychology Section, a Military Sexual Trauma program, Tele-Mental Health, and a range of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. In addition, CAVHS is the home of a 179-bed Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program with a broad scope of specialty Mental Health programs and treatment for homeless Veterans. A full range of mental health services are available in all eight CBOC locations which are staffed by mental health providers. The ACOS establishes objectives congruent with and reflective of the philosophy and objectives. Develops short-term and long-term goals and programs required to meet stated objectives and directs the planning and operations of the MHS to complement attainment of the established System goals and objectives. The incumbent formulates service and facility policies and operating procedures, ensuring compliance with VA regulations, statutes and the standards of various internal and external reviews and accrediting bodies. The incumbent develops program evaluation methodology and analytical processes to provide on-going monitoring and improvements in program effectiveness, organizational productivity, operational efficiency, performance measure success, Veteran satisfaction, and resource utilization. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. subject to change based on the needs of the service. Possible weekends, nights, or holidays to ensure consistency of veteran care within Service. Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): not available Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): not available Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: not eligible Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 598-01339F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): not available 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. 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. 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. Qualifications 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: (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 (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. 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. (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND 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 96-151 (pre-1979) 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.) 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). (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. 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. Grade Determinations: GS-15 Senior Psychologist Program Manager Experience. 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 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. Preferred Experience: Five or more years of leadership or supervisory experience. Skills collaborating with health care teams across services and teams. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 15. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for this occupation, see duty section for essential duties of this position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted heated and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once and sometimes stressful situations. 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. 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. 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. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
