Social Worker (Program Manager) - Outpatient Mental Health Section

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Tacoma (WA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs operates the Outpatient Mental Health program at the American Lake division of VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Tacoma, WA.

This Senior Program Manager for OMH leads clinical care delivery, sets priorities, and coordinates a multidisciplinary team to ensure integrated veteran care. The role requires a doctoral degree in psychology, secure licensure, and substantial program management experience, with emphasis on leadership, policy development, and

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in psychology from an APA/CPA-accredited program (or PCSAS/CPA options) or equivalent re-specialization as described.
• Current full, unrestricted license to practice psychology in a U.S. state or territory.

Responsibilities

• Directs OMH program management for a large clinical care line in Tacoma, overseeing multidisciplinary teams.
• Develops and implements operational policies and procedures for the treatment team.
• Provides clinical supervision and consultation to staff and ensures workload standards are met.

Skills

Program management

Leadership

Negotiation

Interpersonal skills

Analysis & planning

Prioritization

Education

Doctoral degree in psychology (APA/CPA)

Job description

Summary

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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position - applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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
• 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
• 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: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program
• and - 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
• Internship: 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 and 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 (pre- 1979) 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.) OR 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
• 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: Senior Psychologist Program Manager - GS-15 Experience
• At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in managing and directing the work of large - complex organizational units and in applying effective management practices
• Skill in persuasion - negotiation - and motivation to negotiate multiple program policies
• Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees and other managers using advanced consultation and problem solving skills
• Skill in the application and analysis of measurement tools to systems issues
• Ability to balance responsibilities in a complex environment and to work with great autonomy
• ability to set priorities and delegate tasks - meet multiple deadlines - analyze complex organizational problems
• and ability to develop and implement effective solutions for those problems
• Ability to assess need for basic and complex services across multiple programmatic contexts
• Ability to coordinate the efforts of multiple program elements across a complex system
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-15
• Physical Requirements: There are no physical requirements for this occupation per OCHCO Communications email to VA Handbook 5019 - updated on 4/17/2026.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The psychologist serves as a Senior Program Manager for the Outpatient Mental Health (OMH) program at the American Lake division of VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS) in Tacoma WA
• In this capacity - the psychologist functions as the Director - OMH for the Mental Health Service Line
• The Mental Health Service at the VAPSHCS is a large and diverse integrated care line with over 400 FTEE - including psychiatrists - psychologists - social workers - nurses - and several additional clinical and administrative staff
• Senior Program Management Responsibilities (30%) Provides broad program management responsibilities of a clinical care team - including leadership in the development - implementation - evaluation - and oversight of a complex program responsible for comprehensive clinical care of Veterans
• Leads a multidisciplinary team - which includes psychologists - physicians - physician assistants - social workers - nurses - and other health care professionals and trainees
• Responsible for the development - implementation - and oversight of operational policies and procedures for the treatment team - with the approval of the affiliated Program Director and/or Service Line Leader
• Monitors and distributes provider-specific workload reports to program managers and ensures provider adherence to workload standards
• Plans work to be accomplished by program managers - including establishing priorities - timelines for completion - and necessary adjustments therein
• Initiates and maintains liaisons with associated VA health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services
• Supervisory Responsibilities (20%) Functions as the first line supervising authority (i.e. - rater) for six Program Managers and four front-line staff members
• For these individuals - the incumbent provides administrative - as well as clinical - supervision and/or consultation as appropriate
• Provides administrative oversight and clinical consultation to over 50 other interdisciplinary team members for whom the incumbent is not the designated first line rating authority
• Assumes responsibility for taking appropriate disciplinary actions for employees with performance problems in a timely and effective manner
• Clinical Responsibilities (45%) Provides psychological assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans with a broad range of psychopathology receiving care within the clinic setting
• Provides education to both patients and family members regarding relevant mental health concerns
• Provides comprehensive - evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions - including individual - family - and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation
• Provides consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients to ensure that care is coordinated - collaborative - and integrated within the Medical Center
• Develops - implements - and documents the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients
• Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8am - 4:30PM Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact [e-mail] - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• 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) Telework: ADHOC may be available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 0000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized