Supervisory Chaplain

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in Seattle seeks a Supervisory Chaplain to provide supervisory and senior clinical chaplaincy services across VHA facilities. The role integrates spiritual care with patient-centered health care and leads the chaplaincy team to support veterans, caregivers, and staff.

The position requires a Master of Divinity, ecclesiastical endorsement, and board certification, with strong leadership and policy development skills to advance program objectives and crisis

Qualifications

• Must hold Master of Divinity or equivalent degree from CHEA/ATS-accredited institution.
• Ecclesiastical endorsement from official endorsing authority within 12 months.
• Board certification by BCCI or reciprocal body; 4 units of CPE preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide supervisory and senior clinical chaplain duties in VHA settings.
• Deliver religious, spiritual, and pastoral care aligned with patient and family needs.
• Integrate pastoral care into all aspects of chaplain services and health care.

Skills

Administrative leadership

Staff supervision

Interpersonal skills

Strategic planning

Policy development

Crisis counseling

Education

Master of Divinity (M.Div.)

CHEA/ATS-equivalency review

Board Certification (BCCI or reciprocal)

Job description

This position serves as the Supervisory Chaplain professional performing supervisory and senior clinical assignments for the VHA. They provide religious, spiritual, and pastoral care to all persons that are commensurate with the needs, desires, and voluntary consent of the Veteran, caregiver, or staff. They address 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. 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.
• 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 is acceptable.
• 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/Ecclesiastical_Endorsement.asp
• Board Certification: Certification. Applicants must be a Board-Certified Chaplain certified by BCCI ® or a U.S. certifying body that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI ®. Board Certification that requires 4 units of CPE is qualifying. The National Chaplain Service maintains a list of approved certifications found on the National VA Chaplain Service SharePoint.
  • Association of Certified Christian Chaplains - https://certifiedchaplains.org/
  • Association of Professional Chaplains®(APC®) - www.professionalchaplains.org
  • National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) - www.nacc.org
  • Neshama Association of Jewish Chaplains (NAJC) - www.najc.org
  • National Association of Veterans Affairs Chaplains (NAVAC) - https://www.navac.net/
  • Spiritual Care Association - https://www.spiritualcareassociation.org/
  • Note: Provisional or Associate or other status as a candidate for board certification does not meet the board certification requirement for the FPL GS-11 or above
• Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a current affiliate agency of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) at https://www.naces.org/members and be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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

Supervisory Chaplain, GS-13.

• Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of administrative, personnel, and resource management and strategic planning for chaplaincy and chaplain pastoral education programs.
  • 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.
  • Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution and ability to work collaboratively with managers from other departments.
  • Ability to develop local policy, productivity and clinical practice standards.
  • Ability to align chaplaincy services and programming with the strategic goals and objectives of the facility, VISN, and VHA.
  • Ability to ensure compliance with chaplaincy practice, policy and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care.
  • Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers and other staff on all religious expression and spiritual care.

Preferred Experience

• Graduate-level theological education (e.g., M.Div.)
• Leadership experience in chaplain program administration, supervisory experience mentoring staff and trainees
• Active participation in interdisciplinary teams
• Expertise in specialized spiritual care and crisis counseling

Preferred Experience

• Experience serving as Chief at a facility with an active CPE program
• Proven experience in leading significant organizational change, especially in preparation for CISCM and Cerner transitions in FY27

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-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements

This position requires the Chaplain to meaningfully engage with Veteran patients and family members by walking and moving within the healthcare setting or with the incumbent using an assistive device. The Chaplain is required to speak, hear (hearing aid permitted) and work closely with others