The incumbent serves as the Assistant Chief, Prosthetic & Sensory Aids Service (PSAS) at the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System (GCVHCS), Biloxi MS. GCVHCS is a two-division medical center with medical, surgical, psychiatric, and rehabilitation inpatients and a large outpatient program. The PSAS has offices in both Biloxi, MS and Pensacola, FL. The Assistant Chief, PSAS is responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of assigned PSAS staff in both locations.

Duties

The duties of the Assistant Chief are to share with the Chief full responsibility for managing and supervising all phases of prosthetic operations. The Assistant Chief functions as the Chief of the service in the Chief's absence. Duties performed include, but are not limited to the following: (1) Planning, developing, and directing a Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Program at the national, VISN, or local level; (2) Serving as an advisor to clinicians with regard to selection, prescription, and acquisition of prosthetic devices involving furnishing information concerning such matters as new developments in the field of prosthetics and sources of supply for such devices; 3) Interpreting prescriptions of clinicians in order to make certain that proper prosthetic devices are selected for, or by, the patients; (4) Authorizing the purchase, fabricating, or repair of prosthetic devices; (5) Maintaining continuous liaison with manufacturers and dealers of prosthetic supplies, inspecting their facilities and services, and participating in the award of prosthetic appliance contracts. (6) Participating in investigative/research project studies by selecting patients as pilot wearers of newly developed prosthetic items, evaluating the usefulness of such items, and compiling of data; and, (7) Giving technical and administrative advice and assistance on prosthetic problems to other facilities. (8) Perform the full range of supervisory duties including responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; assessment of competencies; evaluation of performance; selection of staff; and recommendation of awards, advance, advancements, and disciplinary actions. (9) Develop and maintain a system of internal reviews that ensure service programs operate in compliance with regulatory and accrediting organizations Preferred Experience: 7 years Prosthetics experience. Master's degree in business, Accounting, Public Administration or applicable discipline. 3 years program management experience. 5 years of supervisory experience. Supervisory experience managing 30 or more employees. Budget management experience of a resources valued at 30 million or more. 5 years Contracting Officer/Contracting Officer Representative experience. Process improvement/lean management certification. (Green Belt or Six Sigma) 5 years experience in clinical and non-clinical appeals. 5 Years' experience with Prosthetic Programs. (Home Improvement and Structural Alterations, Auto-Adaptive Equipment, and Clothing Allowance) Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Subject to change based upon agency needs) Telework: Available (Ad-hoc) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 520-00624-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/19/2023. BASIC REQUIREMENTS Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. After a determination is made that it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens, necessary personnel may be appointed on a temporary basis under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 without regard to the citizenship requirements of 38 U.S.C. 7402 or any other law prohibiting the employment of or payment of compensation to a person who is not a citizen of the United States. Candidates must meet all other requirements for the grade level and position concerned. Experience and Education. Individual must meet at least one of the requirements below. (1) Experience. One year of creditable experience that demonstrates: Knowledge of basic anatomy and medical terminology; knowledge of accounting methods; ability to research, analyze, comprehend, and apply decisions; basic knowledge of inventory management procedures; ability to use computer software packages for word processing, spreadsheet development, and database management; and ability to work independently and as a member of a team; or (2) Education. A bachelor's degree from an accredited educational institution AND at least 24 semester hours in course work related to health care, public administration, or business. The 24 semester hours could include but is not limited to any combination from the following fields: occupational therapy, physical therapy, kinesiotherapy, social work, psychology, prosthetics, orthotics, respiratory therapy, assistive technology, business law, leadership, healthcare, public administration, or business management. This course work may have been completed within the degree or in addition to the degree; or (3) Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying. Creditable Experience. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the use of knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with Prosthetic Representative responsibilities. The experience is only creditable if documented in the application and verifiable through employment references and/or other means. Examples of qualifying experience include experience in a health care setting, and familiarity with home medical equipment, rehabilitation, home oxygen, visual or hearing impairment, assistive technology, orthotics, or prosthetics. Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a Prosthetic Representative on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1) Employees grandfathered into the GS-0672 occupational series as prosthetic representatives may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journeyman) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Prosthetic Representatives who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) Employees who are retained as a Prosthetic Representative under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a prosthetic representative. Foreign Education. To be creditable, education completed outside the United States must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials, and such education must have been deemed at least equivalent to experience gained in conventional United States programs. Physical Requirements. Pre-placement and periodic physical examinations are required for hybrid occupations to ensure workers are placed in positions where they can perform the essential functions of their job including their physical, mental and emotional capacities, without endangering their health or the health of their co-workers. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. English Language Proficiency. Candidates will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who are not proficient in written and spoken English. See Chapter 2, section D, paragraph 5a, this part. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-12 Prosthetic Representative (Assistant Chief) (a) Experience. At least one year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Ability to perform the full range of supervisory duties, including responsibility for assignment of work to be performed; assessment of competencies; evaluation of performance; selection of staff; and recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. 2. Ability to analyze data and make recommendations to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity within the service. 3. Ability to manage a health care program that provides home medical equipment, rehabilitation services, home oxygen, visual or hearing impairment devices, assistive technology, orthotics, or prosthetics. 4. Knowledge of compliance and regulatory accrediting organizations. 5. Ability to manage, interpret, and present fiscal data (i.e. fund controls, contracts and equipment expenditures), forecast resource and equipment needs, and administer an allocated budget. (c) Assignments.For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and range of variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Assistant Chief positions are normally located at larger facilities that provide specialty services to smaller facilities and report to a PSAS Service Chief. Assignment as an Assistant Chief is restricted to those serving as a full Assistant to the Chief. Assistant Chiefs share with the Chief full responsibility for managing and supervising all phases of prosthetic operations. This person functions as the Chief of the service in the Chief's absence. They develop and maintain a system of internal reviews that ensure service programs operate in compliance with regulatory and accrediting organizations. They contribute to the effective utilization of resources, budgetary allocation and fiscal management. He/She makes selections; assigns personnel; and provides direction to subordinate staff. They manage the training and evaluation of staff and develop local organizational policies and procedures. Serves as liaison between Prosthetic Service and other departments. Typically, there are no subordinate supervisory prosthetic representatives at the facility level. References: VA Handbook 5005/3 Part II Appendix G13, April 10, 2003. The full performance level of this position is GS-11.

Education

IMPORTANT: 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 Biloxi VA Medical Center 400 Veterans Avenue Biloxi, MS 39531 US
• Name: Jasmaine Gray
• Phone: 602-796-0981
• Email: [email protected]