Psychology Program Manager

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Roseburg (OR); On-site; USD 95,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Roseburg, OR seeks a Psychology Program Manager (GS-14) to oversee outpatient behavioral health services. Requires doctoral degree in psychology (APA/PCSAS/CPA), full licensure, and board certification criteria as applicable.

Eligible for Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) assistance may be available. Responsibilities include organizing work, guiding staff in evidence-based practices, and ensuring program goals align with clinical standards.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. citizen; non-citizens only when VA policy allows.
• Doctoral degree in psychology from APA/PCSAS/CPA-accredited program.
• Internship must be APA/CPA-accredited or equivalent.
• State licensure as a psychologist (full, current, unrestricted).
• Board certification by ABPP or equivalent may be required for certain positions.

Responsibilities

• Organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks & meet deadlines.
• Apply evidence-based practices and clinical guidelines with staff guidance.
• Translate management goals into well-coordinated program operations.
• Lead and supervise multidisciplinary teams to achieve program objectives.

Skills

US citizenship required

English proficiency

Education

Doctoral degree in psychology (APA/PCSAS/CPA)

Job description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. 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: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education 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 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.

NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship. [Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.

• OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• AND Internships
• 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 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 & the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations at the time that the individual was an intern.
• OR VHA facilities that offered full-time, one-year pre-doctoral internships prior to PL 96- 151 (pre1979) are considered to be acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement.
• OR 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.)
• 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.
• Board Certification and Loss of Credential
• Board Certification. Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education.
• English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.

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).

Grade Determinations

Psychology Program Manager, GS-14Experience. At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, & meet multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge of & ability to utilize evidence based practices & clinical practice guidelines appropriately & ability to guide staff in using these tools.
• Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups.
• Skill in managing & directing the work of others to accomplish program goals & objectives.
• Ability to translate management goals & objectives into well-coordinated & controlled work operations.
• Ability to establish & monitor production & performance priorities & standards.
• Ability to analyze organizational & operational problems & to develop & implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

Preferred Experience

Preferred experience includes leadership & supervisory responsibility within an outpatient behavioral health setting, with demonstrated success in program management, interdisciplinary team coordination, & performance improvement initiatives.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.