This Social Science Program Coordinator position is located in the Whole Health program under VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System in Leeds, MA. The position is responsible for the delivery of Whole Health Coaching and skill development, including provision of care through coaching, promotion and education regarding Whole Health Coaching to Veterans and staff. The position is integral to supporting Whole Health Coaches and Veterans in navigating the Whole Health Journey.

Duties

Whole Health Coach Duties Conducts Coaching for Veterans using one-on-one, couple, or group modalities in outpatient and inpatient settings, including both in-person and virtual care platforms. Coaches support clients in mobilizing internal strengths and external resources and develops self-management strategies for making sustainable, healthy lifestyle behavior changes and more effectively managing chronic disease. While health and wellness coaches do not diagnose conditions, prescribe treatments, or provide psychotherapeutic interventions, they provide expert guidance and may offer resources from nationally recognized authorities. As partners and facilitators, health and wellness coaches support their clients in achieving health goals and behavioral change based on their clients' own goals and consistent with treatment plans as prescribed by individual clients' professional health care providers. Coaches assist clients to use their insight, personal strengths and resources, goal setting, action steps and accountability toward healthy lifestyle change. Contacts eligible participants for enrollment and explain the health coaching process. Provides health coaching for Veterans in order to reduce or eliminate high-risk behaviors while increasing healthy ones. The following duties are performed: Conducts interventions for Veterans using one-on-one, couple, or group modalities in outpatient and inpatient settings. Conducts Whole Health Facilitated Groups; participate in MOVE, smoking cessation, diabetes management, hypertension clinics, mental health, and other inpatient and outpatient groups as appropriate. Program Development The position promotes the use of health coaching throughout the facility, educating internal and external customers on the benefits of a coaching approach, publicizing available resources, developing coaching clinics and groups, participating in outreach events, and serving as a champion for Whole Health Coaching. Health Coaches work with their facility and organization to promote healing relationships, healing environments, and a patient-centered approach to care across all service lines. They collaborate as needed with the local Healthy Living Teams, including the Health Behavior Coordinator, the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Program Manager, the Veterans Health Education Coordinator and the MOVE! Coordinator. The following duties are performed: Develops information for Veterans about the Whole Health Group and Individual Programs. Conducts outreach activities to inform Veterans and family members of available programs. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Social Science Program Coordinator (Whole Health Coach)/PD99582-S and PD99581-S

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/11/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. (This is separate from your experience and is mandated by statutory and regulatory requirements.) For a GS-07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-05. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Basic Requirements: You must meet the Basic Requirements and the Minimum Qualifications as described below to qualify for this Social Science Program Coordinator position. Experience: Four (4) years of appropriate experience in a position that demonstrates you have the acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR, Education: Successfully completed a full four (4) year course of study at an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's degree or higher, with a major study in behavioral science, social science, or related disciplines appropriate to this position. OR, Combination: A combination of education and experience that included courses equivalent to a major in behavioral or social science or a subject-matter field appropriate to this position, plus appropriate experience that provided knowledge comparable to that normally acquired through the successful completion of a 4-year course of study described above. The quality of the combination of education and experience must be sufficient to demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform work in this occupation. In addition to the above Basic Requirements, you must qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-07 Specialized Experience: You must have one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: Direct whole health management care in coaching, promotes health an wellness, motivation interviewing skills, coordinating care through the VA whole health services, and facilitate groups as well networking skills. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one (1) year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement at an accredited college or university. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond graduate-level education, as described above, which meets the total experience requirements for this grade level. GS-09 Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience include, but are not limited to: Reviewing supporting material to determine compliance with regulations and policy requirements; assists in planning and implementing programs within a medical center setting; using creativity to engage employees and community partners in a newly developed program; developing training materials for staff educational needs; and experience using a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods for the assessment and improvement of program effectiveness. OR, Education: Successfully completed two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree in a related field of the position to be filled. OR, Combination: Combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (beyond the first year) and specialized experience as described above, to meet the total experience requirements. The education portion must include graduate courses that demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do to the work of this position. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical ReasoningCommunicationEducation and TrainingVeteran and Customer Focus Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Regular and recurring work is mostly sedentary there are no unusual risks. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Northampton VA Medical Center 421 North Main Street Leeds, MA 01053 US
• Name: Thomas Rock
• Email: [email protected]