Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition)

Summary
This position is located in the Nutrition and Food Services at Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center. The dietitian will be involved in the professional practice of dietetics in accordance with the guidance set forth in Nutrition and Food Services directives, policies and procedures, and VA regulations governing the practice of dietetics.
This job is open to

• Federal employees - Competitive service
  Current or former competitive service federal employees.
• Federal employees - Excepted service
  Current excepted service federal employees.
• Internal to an agency
  Current federal employees of this agency.

Clarification from the agency
1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center employees including satellites;
2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees;
3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees;
4th Area of Consideration -current permanent Federal employees of other Agencies;
Videos
Duties
If you are not a current, permanent VA employee, VHA Health Professional Trainees, and Federal employee from another agency, you should apply CBST-12211217-24-LG.

• Serves as a professional and technical advisor to staff and other health care professionals
• Represents the Clinical Nutrition Section on projects, committees and/or workgroups within the department and facility. - Assumes full responsibility for planning, directing, and assessing the work and competence of subordinate staff.
• Collaborates with other managers in the medical center to negotiate and/or make decisions on NFS related matters affecting clinical operations.
• Provides Clinical Nutrition Section specific leadership and exercises a full range of supervisory and personnel management authorities and responsibilities
• Develops procedures and guidelines for clinical operations and monitors compliance with regulatory standards and policies and procedures.
• Participates in performance improvement efforts within Clinical Nutrition section, acting on quality improvement data and plans.
• Leads the action planning process to attain goals and resolve deficiencies.
• Identifies and prioritized problems, sets long and short-term goals, identifies action plans for the clinical section and nutrition programs
• Builds and implements contingency plans within the section, ensuring continuity of clinical operations in all internal and external emergency situations.
• Executes the training plan for the clinical section and ensures staff remain up to date on advances and changes in medical nutrition therapy. Orients and trains employees related to Clinical Nutrition and appropriate policies and procedures. Assists with new employee onboarding.
• Ensures that materials utilized in Veteran education are evidence-based, using current literature and research.
• Analyses data (i.e., event capture, clinic utilization) to recommend allocation of Clinical Nutrition resources.
• Ensures evidence-based guidelines are integrated into clinical practice.
• Ensures Veteran education materials are written with based on evidence-based guidelines, current literature, practice, and research.
• Collaborates with the food operations staff, bridging the work of the Clinical Nutrition staff to the food services provided to Veterans.
• May perform other related duties as assigned which are appropriate for this grade and assignment.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday; 7:30 am - 4:00 pm;
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 99529-S
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Requirements
Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• must be able to independently operate GOV.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications
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.
• Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) or Registered Dietitian (RD) - Must be registered with the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) the credentialing branch of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics formerly known as the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

Current VHA Dietitians that qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision may not be promoted to a higher grade if they do not meet the current RDN/RD requirements.
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
Supervisory Dietitian (Clinical Nutrition), GS-12
Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
(a) Knowledge of accrediting requirements in Clinical Nutrition to assess staff compliance and implement performance improvements.
(b) Skill as a nutrition expert to provide technical guidance, direction and staff development.
(c) Skill in Evidence-Based Nutrition Practice Guidelines to develop, implement and coordinate best practices.
(d) Skill in establishing goals and objectives to coordinate activities, evaluate accomplishments and solve problems.
(e) Ability to supervise subordinate staff (i.e., plan, organize, delegate, direct, control and review activities and performance).
(f) Ability to analyze data in order to recommend allocation of resources.
Preferred Experience:

• 3 or more years Clinical Nutrition experience.
• Experience providing program, quality or project management related to provision of Clinical Nutrition services.

References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G20
Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required.
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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
ACEND accredited programs are located on the ACEND website or at ACEND Accredited Programs Directory.
Additional information
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
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.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
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.

• Benefits
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  Review our benefits
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
  
  • Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) Registration
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  
  Resume Requirement: * Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.
  SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility):
  
  • Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee
  • An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. 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 provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade
  • Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade.
  • Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:
    
    • Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
    • Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
    • SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.
  
  The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
  
  • Cover Letter
  • Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) Registration
  • VA 10-2850C
  • Resume
  • SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
  • Transcript
  
  Veterans' Preference: When ap...