Serves as a Supervisory Chaplain professional performing supervisory and senior clinical assignments for the VHA. Provides comprehensive religious, spiritual, and pastoral care to all persons that are commensurate with the needs, desires, and voluntary consent of the Veteran, caregiver, or staff. Addresses the spiritual component of health and wellness in every patient care setting to ensure that pastoral care is fully integrated into all aspects of chaplain services.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: Serves as a Supervisory Chaplain professional providing comprehensive, religious ministry services to Veteran patients according to their specific needs and desires. Provides thorough guidance and advice to Chaplain Service management staff, other Chaplains, and other stakeholders. Provides supervision for the chaplaincy program of a major faith ministry which is highly integrated into VHA's Chaplain program. Manages and supervises the full spectrum of chaplaincy service operations for a small to moderately complex chaplain service program. Supervises non-supervisory and supervisory professional staff primarily at the GS-11 level or below. Performs supervisory and non-supervisory assignments consisting of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, and variety. Supervises the professional practice of all facility chaplains and provides chaplaincy services and programming. Manages and oversees all religious and spiritual care and provides counsel to facility leadership concerning religious expression. Develops local policy, productivity, and clinical practice standards. Oversees a chaplaincy program at this level is carefully integrated throughout the total care and treatment program to further the mission of the VHA facility. Oversees pastoral ministry, including intensive pastoral counseling, close integral working relationships with other staff disciplines, and active community liaison. Serves as a Supervisory Chaplain expert participant with other specialists as a fully recognized member of an interdisciplinary treatment team (IDT). Serves as an active participant and a key administrative staff member of the organization with VHA's leadership. Engages with other program heads and the VHA facility's administrator in decision making conferences concerning policies, practices, and regulations affecting the care and treatment program of the facility. Carries out full program responsibility with professional independence, while subject to only administrative controls from immediate supervisor. Supervises subordinate chaplains and/or visiting assistants. Develops one or more subprograms (training, research, community relationships, or religious education if in relationship to the intensive overall treatment program), to advance the religious program and the mission of the medical facility. Works in difficult environmental settings that require considerably more than a working knowledge of the behavioral sciences; and understands and effectively addresses highly sensitive issues Provides supervision with full responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff, recommendation of awards, advancements, and disciplinary actions. Plans work to be accomplished by subordinates, establishes and adjusts short-term priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of work. Assigns work to subordinates based on priorities, selective consideration of the difficulty and requirements of assignments, and the capabilities of employees. Gives advice, counsel, or instruction to employees on both work and administrative matters. Interviews candidates for positions in the unit; and recommends appointment, promotion, or reassignment to such positions. Supervises all administrative functions of the department, such as clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management, budget management, development of policy, and clinical practice standards. Maintains records, supplies, and religious equipment for the assigned program; and tracks and maintains the program's budget. Aligns local chaplaincy services and programming with the strategic goals and objectives of all levels of the agency, department, or organization. Ensures compliance with chaplaincy practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care. Provides consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on all religious expression and spiritual care. Establishes performance and productivity metrics and productivity outcomes, organizational plans, and staff development issues. Ensures compliance with agency and accreditation requirements and sets the strategic direction of the service. Maintains chapel space and oversees the distribution of space, inventory, and resources needed for providing spiritual care, education, and programming. Assesses the spiritual and religious needs of the organization. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0730-1600 Telework: Available, Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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 - Citizen of the United States (U.S.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). English Language Proficiency - Chaplains must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education - Applicants must possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational qualifications as evidenced by a graduate-level theological degree from a college, university or theological school accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. NOTE: For applicants who do not possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational degree, an approved educational equivalency review from a nationally recognized board certification body for chaplains (see paragraph f) is acceptable. Foreign Education - To be creditable, theological or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a current affiliate agency of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) listed at https://www.naces.org/members. MUST PROVIDE TRANSCRIPT WITH GRADUATION DATE. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) - Applicants must have completed four units of CPE from a CPE center that is accredited by an organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. MUST PROVIDE VERIFICATION OF CPE CREDITS. Ecclesiastical Endorsement - In accordance with 38 C.F.R. § 17.655, ecclesiastical endorsement is a condition of employment as a VA chaplain. An individual must possess and maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement to be employed as a VA chaplain. Applicants must have an ecclesiastical endorsement, dated within the past 12 months. Ecclesiastical endorsements must be from the official national endorsing authority of the applicant's/employee's faith group or denomination. Ecclesiastical endorsement is a written official statement, by the official national endorsing body of the faith group or denomination, certifying that the applicant is in good standing with the applicant's faith group or denomination; and stating that the individual is, in the opinion of the endorsing body, qualified to perform the full range of ministry required in the VA pluralistic setting. Loss of endorsement will result in removal from the GS-0060 Chaplain series and may result in termination of employment. The National Chaplain Service maintains a list of approved endorsing organizations that can be found here: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Employment_Information_and_Resources.asp. MUST PROVIDE COPY OF ECCLESIASTICAL ENDORSEMENT DATED WITHIN THE PAST 12 MONTHS. Board Certification - Applicants must be a Board Certified Chaplain certified by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI) ® or nationally recognized certification body that utilizes the BCCI ® Common Qualifications and Competencies for Professional Chaplaincy or a certifying organization that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI ®. MUST PROVIDE COPY OF BOARD CERTIFICATION. Grandfathering Provision - All chaplains employed in VHA, in this occupational series, performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of this qualification standard, are considered to have met all the qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements of this standard, but met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to the position, the following provisions apply: (1) Chaplains who do not meet the basic requirements for education and certification may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level, or demoted within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2) Chaplains 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) Chaplains initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain education and/or certification that meets all the basic requirements of this qualification standard, must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. (4) Chaplains who were retained in this occupation, 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 to the occupation. Grade Determinations: Supervisory Chaplain, GS-12 Experience. At this level, the candidate must possess one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level that is directly related to the position to be filled. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: i. Knowledge of administrative, personnel, resource management and strategic planning for chaplaincy and chaplain pastoral education programs. ii. Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties which include responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff and recommendation of awards, advancements and disciplinary actions. iii. Skill in interpersonal relationships including conflict resolution and ability to work collaboratively with managers from other departments. iv. Ability to develop local policy, productivity and clinical practice standards. v. Ability to align local chaplaincy services and programming with the strategic goals and objectives of all levels of the agency, department or organization. vi. Ability to ensure compliance with chaplaincy practice, policy and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care. vii. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers and other staff on all religious expression and spiritual care. Preferred Experience: Prefer 3 years of previous supervisory experience in the federal system. References: VHA 5005/135, Part II, Appendix G67, September 24, 2020 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Light lifting/carrying (up to 15 lbs.), use of fingers, walking, standing, hearing (aid permitted). Environmental factors include working inside/outside, working closely with others and working alone.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 4815 North Assembly Street Spokane, WA 99205 US
• Name: Michelle Rootes
• Phone: (907)257-3713
• Email: [email protected]