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Summary The position is in the Veteran Benefits Administration Central Office (VBACO), Office of Mission Support (OMS). The incumbent serves as Psychologist Program Specialist and advisor providing guidance and consultation addressing and managing reports of disruptive behaviors across VBA and its out-based offices. The incumbent is responsible for the administrative and clinical aspects of the Workplace Violence Prevention Program at VBA. Responsibilities Specific duties include: The incumbent is responsible for creating, coordinating, and leading diverse, inter and multidisciplinary Threat Assessment Team(s). Serves as the Chair of the BTAT(s), and thus is responsible for maintaining proficiency in evidence-based behavioral threat assessments and management practices. The incumbent oversees the functions of BTAT, including obtaining incident reports and delegating cases to team members; assembles all available information regarding any alleged disruptive or threatening Employee, Visitors, and Volunteer behavior; determines whether the reported disruptive behavior poses a safety threat to individuals and the workplace. Make risk mitigation recommendations to the Supervisory Safety and Occupational Health Manager and the Director of Operations, Safety, Security, and Preparedness to manage the safety threat posed by the reported behaviors. The incumbent conducts behavioral threat assessments to provide recommendations for individualized risk mitigation strategies. Consults with the threat assessment team members and other appropriate experts, informing and providing risk-relevant clinical interventions in cases of disruptive or violent behavior history. Provides timely and accurate responses to action items and recommendations made by the threat assessment team(s); and ensures ongoing training of team members in evidence-based threat assessment and threat management practice. Provides updates and submits WVP-related work products to Leadership when requested. The incumbent serves as a Facility Administrator for Disruptive Behavior Reporting and Recording. Is responsible for collecting, quickly communicating, and managing disruptive incident information at VBA facilities and out-based offices. The incumbent will also submit an annual Workplace Behavioral Risk Assessment (WBRA) which provides data for each fiscal year to Leadership. The Psychologist Program Specialist is responsible for aligning local program implementation with national best practice guidelines. The incumbent seeks national guidance regarding disruptive individuals in the workplace, behavior risk and threat management recommendations, and strategies to promote a culture of safety in VBA. The incumbent maintains a primary responsibility for the development and implementation of all Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's) for Workplace Violence Prevention. Works effectively with several different services and programs (i.e., Safety Office, Central Office Leadership, Regional Office Leadership, and others) to develop specific procedures designed to promote the safety of VBA. Oversees staff training as for VBA personnel on workplace violence prevention training (PMDB Training, and/or WVP). Works closely with leadership to develop strategic plans for the growth and development of WVP and ensures that VBA is in full compliance with all VA directives and regulations. The Psychologist Program Specialist is responsible for reporting required data to VBA and other monitoring entities as well as submitting internal and external surveys and reviews. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday through Friday, 8 am - 4:30 pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available. Telework: Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Personnel Psychologist; GS-0180-13 PD# 39699-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement:05/20/2024. TIME-IN-GRADE REQUIREMENT: Applicants who are current Federal employees, former Federal employees applying for reinstatement, or a current federal employee applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment must meet time in grade requirements. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. NOTE: This does not apply to Non-Federal Applicants, or applicants applying for consideration under Non-Competitive Authority (i.e.... "30% or more Disability", VRA, and/or Schedule A). To verify your eligibility, you must submit a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action, Standard Form 50 (SF-50). You must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 that indicates proof of status, and shows Time in Grade (for example, you were a career or career-conditional employee) and identifies your position title, series, grade, step, salary, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must also submit your most recent promotion or within-grade increase in addition to your recent SF-50. If you previously held a higher grade, you must also submit any SF-50 showing that grade. DO NOT submit Award SF-50's and/or General Adjustment SF-50's as they cannot be used to prove time-in-grade. For a GS-13 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 level. MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENT: You may qualify based on your experience and education as described below: Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): There is an Individual Occupational Requirement that must be met to be found minimally qualified for this series, please read the requirement description carefully. Degree: major or equivalent in psychology for all specializations except clinical psychology and counseling psychology. These two specializations have additional educational requirements, as stated below: Clinical psychology: For positions at grades GS-11 and above, satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology is required. Counseling psychology: For positions at grades GS-9 and above, satisfactory completion of 2 full academic years of graduate study directly related to professional work in counseling psychology, or satisfactory completion in an accredited educational institution of all the requirements for a master's degree directly related to counseling psychology is required. GS-13 Grade Level: Specialized Experience: Experience facilitating communication of concepts, programs, projects, and systems to senior leadership and VBA employees. Experience and skill to formulate new concepts, principles, and methods, to advise senior leadership and management officials on the development and implementation of policy and procedures related to departmental mission and goals. Experience in coordinating and responding appropriately to the needs, feelings, and capabilities of others; adjusts approaches to suit different people and situations. Supports a professional working environment that is professionally courteous, and effective in team building and promoting organizational stewardship and cohesiveness. Experience in Industrial and Organizational psychology, with an in-depth knowledge of measurement theory, psychometric methodology, and statistics to conduct scientific analyses that address areas of critical importance to major agency programs or issues. Knowledge and skill in data management software and other software sufficient to conduct the above analyses. Examples may include: Being recognized as a technical authority, interpreting laws, rules, regulations, and/or guidelines; developing research plans and hypotheses, and implementing them to completion; designing potential solutions and developing action plans in accordance with generally accepted psychological theories, methods, techniques, and practices; conducting research and develop projects that require the application of the latest findings and methodologies in personnel psychology; and/or leading or managing projects with service-wide and/or nationwide impacts. Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Full vs. Part-Time Employment: Full-time employment is considered to be at least 35 hours per week. Part-time experience will be credited on a pro-rated basis; when including part-time employment in your resume you must specify the average hours worked per week. Physical Requirements: Position is sedentary. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at http://://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to be credited towards qualifications. Provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. All education claimed by applicants will be verified upon appointment. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript to receive credit. Additional Information VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Click here for more information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility. Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employee's credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.