Career Center

Summary

The Chief of the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Service (ASPS) in VA Northern California Health Care System (NCHCS) has broad and overall responsibility for the service-level department. The incumbent of this position is a fully licensed speech language pathologist - or fully licensed audiologist.

Qualifications

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
• English Language Proficiency: Speech Language Pathologist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f)
• Education and Experience: A master's degree - or its equivalent - in speech-language pathology - communication disorders or a directly related field from an accredited college or university and one year of creditable experience (see below)
• or Foreign Education: To be creditable - education completed outside the U.S. must be deemed at least equivalent to that gained in a conventional U.S. program by a private organization specializing in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials
• A doctoral degree in speech-language pathology - communication disorders and sciences or a related field - from an accredited college or university
• Licensure: Individuals must hold a full - current - and unrestricted license in a United States state - territory - commonwealth - 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: Supervisory Speech-Language Pathologist - GS-14 Experience: In addition to the basic requirements at the GS-13 level - completion of one year of professional experience comparable to the next lower level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience requirements - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill to translate management goals and objectives into efficient service operations
• Skill in providing clinical and administrative oversight of service operations within complex facilities and/or multiple sites
• Skill in conflict resolution to facilitate positive working relationships between employees - team leaders and management
• Ability to effectively collaborate with local - VISN and national leadership
• Assignment: For all assignments above the full performance level - the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope - complexity and range of variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time
• Service chiefs at this level are responsible for managing a unified audiology and speech-language pathology service or equivalent organizational unit in a large - complex or multi-site medical center
• They ensure that services provided are of high quality and are consistent with contemporary and evidence-based clinical practice
• In providing direction for a specialized and complex service-level department - Service chiefs formulate objectives and priorities and implement plans consistent with the organization's long-term interest - capitalizing on opportunities and managing risks
• Service chiefs must demonstrate active problem and conflict resolution skills and maintain effective interdepartmental relationships to accomplish the medical facility's mission and goals
• Service chiefs manage budgets - determine resource needs - allocate resources and ensure appropriate service productivity - 15 efficiency and cost-effectiveness
• They perform supervisory duties such as preparing personnel actions - performance management
• planning - scheduling and assigning work
• managing leave
• assessing competencies
• appraising performance
• and recommending clinical privileges or scope of practice
• Service chiefs ensure orientation and training programs are established for staff development and oversee academic affiliations - internship and fellowship programs
• 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-14
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range is a GS-14
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Service.

Duties

• The incumbent of this position is position is responsible for (a) strategic planning - supervision - and delegation of administrative - clinical - educational and research activities of audiology and speech-language pathology personnel and operations - (b) providing independent clinical practice services to the full range of complex patient populations presenting with speech - language - voice - cognitive-communication - swallowing - hearing - tinnitus or vestibular disorders - consistent with licensed - professional qualifications - and (c) oversight of the educational program of the service
• Duties for the position may include but are not limited to: Administrative responsibilities Develops - organizes - directs - manages - supervises - controls - and implements ASP and VA policies and procedures
• Exercises supervision and administrative management - and plans short term goals - long terms goals - and the strategic direction of ASPS
• Organizes work
• sets priorities
• delegates tasks and responsibilities to subordinate personnel
• accepts - amends or rejects completed work
• approves performance standards and ratings
• prepares functional statements and position descriptions
• approves leave
• completes staff performance reviews
• and recommends disciplinary measures as appropriate
• Establishes - monitors and evaluates ASPS productivity - access and quality metric standards - and applies budgetary - regulatory - productivity and quality standards to effectively guide provision of clinical services
• Plans - assesses - and evaluates ASPS programs to ensure proper coordination between care delivered by ASPS audiologists - speech-language pathologists - health technicians (hearing) and health technicians (speech-language pathology) - with the overall delivery of health care within NCHCS
• Monitors and ensures ASPS compliance with all safety - information management - computer security - reusable medical equipment - environmental - and EEO regulations and policies - and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and The Joint Commission policies and requirements
• Develops the ASPS budget - assures adherence to the approved budget - and provides oversight for purchases or contracts for goods and services initiated by ASPS
• assures the service has sufficient personnel - space and equipment resources to complete assigned work
• Provides oversight for all ASPS quality improvement and research activities while assuring that the methods and findings of these activities achieve the highest standards of ethical conduct - scientific rigor - and patient or participant safety
• Clinical Practice Consistent with professional licensure requirements and qualifications - incorporates advanced knowledge of scientific principles of contemporary audiology or speech-language pathology clinical practice - and demonstrates mature professional judgement in the differential diagnosis and treatment of the full range of complex patient populations presenting with hearing - tinnitus or vestibular disorders
• Guides professional development of colleagues through mentorship and teaching
• demonstrates leadership in defining and attending to professional practice issues
• and has the ability to expand the conceptual knowledge of audiology and speech-language pathology professional practice
• Provides consultation to colleagues - and renders professional opinions based on experience - expertise and clinical qualifications
• Education and Training Develops - directs and delegates activities of the ASPS educational and training programs
• negotiates affiliation agreements with academic partners
• and establishes training objectives
• Participates in the training and supervision of students or trainees in ASPS and provides feedback on progress toward established educational goals
• Other related duties as assigned
• This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and may be posted up to September 30 - 2026
• The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be November 10 - 2025
• Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled
• Work Schedule: Full-time
• Monday - Friday
• 8:00 a.m
• 4:30 p.m.
• Subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency Telework: Available
• Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 06918F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Permanent Change of Station (PCS): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized