Summary The Chief of Staff (COS) will report to the Medical Center Director. The COS has specific responsibility to preside over the medical staff and assure clinical excellence, uniform standards of practice, education, and research. The COS is entrusted with many of the VHA clinical and administrative directives to ensure they are appropriately translated into relevant local policies. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Authorized Responsibilities Applicants will be referred in the order that they are received. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. The overall responsibilities of the Chief of Staff include but are not limited to: Executive Leadership of Clinical Care & Operations The COS provides organizational leadership over clinical care across the facility, ensuring safe, high-quality, and accessible care for Veterans. Duties include guiding clinical operations, coordinating patient care delivery, maximizing operational efficiency, resolving professional staff matters, and supporting organizational goals and mission. Central Coordination of VHA Operations & Policy Implementation At the national VHA level, the COS serves as the central coordination point for high-level negotiations and implementation of policies, practices, and operational activities. The role includes management of executive correspondence, communications, legislative affairs, regulatory actions, and governance board activities. Oversight of Clinical Services & Resource Management The COS assists clinical services in delivering high-quality care, manages clinical systems, monitors compliance with policy and regulatory requirements, and leads resource and budget stewardship. They also aim to provide services in-house when possible to support cost-effective care delivery. Supervisory & Personnel Management Responsibilities The COS supervises clinical leaders and staff, providing direction on work assignments, strategic planning, mentoring, employee relations, disciplinary processes, proficiencies, and overall personnel management functions. High-Level Communication & Stakeholder Coordination The COS coordinates and responds to information requests from VA leadership, the White House, Congress, Veterans Service Organizations, and other federal agencies. The COS ensures that VHA messaging is aligned with VA strategic direction and collaborates with major VA offices including OGC, OIG, OSVA, OPIA, and OM. Governance, Strategic Planning & Performance Oversight The COS is deeply engaged in organizational performance improvement, strategic planning, patient and employee satisfaction initiatives, environment of care reviews, and system-wide clinical performance monitoring. Committee Leadership & Interdepartmental Collaboration The COS frequently chairs facility committees and collaborates with Patient Representatives, clinical chiefs, and administrative partners to integrate actions affecting the Medical Center Director and overall organizational direction. Regulatory Compliance, Policy Interpretation & Implementation The COS ensures compliance with clinical, administrative, and regulatory standards and interprets how national policies impact local operations. They also support the implementation of major VA initiatives and respond to changes affecting clinical services and clinical staff governance. Problem Resolution & Crisis Response The COS is expected to be present or available to respond to emergencies, complex issues requiring clinical leadership, and high-risk situations affecting patient care or facility operations. Representation at Executive Levels The COS serves as a senior advisor to the Medical Center Director and participates as a member of the Executive Senior Management team, influencing policy, planning, budget, operations, and departmental performance. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Authorized Work Schedule: Full-time. 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) 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) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). You may be required to serve a probationary period. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Qualifications To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation. 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. Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the Physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences. Exceptions: Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs. In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Additional Requirement: Board Certification: This position requires current board certification. Board certification is mandatory when any of the following conditions apply: The role includes supervision of medical students, physician residents, or physician fellows. The role carries faculty responsibilities with an affiliated medical school, including jointly recruited positions. The position is designated by Veterans Health Administration (VHA) policy as requiring board certification (for example, Director of a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory or Director of Clinical Laboratory Medicine). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Education Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated. NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. 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.
