Nurse Practitioner (Deputy Chief) Huntsville
About This Position
The Birmingham VA Health Care System is recruiting for a Nurse Practitioner - Deputy Chief Mental Health Service Line (MHSL) located at the Huntsville Clinic with supervisory responsibility of staff at multiple locations. The incumbent reports to the Associate Chief of Staff (ACOS) Mental Health the MHSL for all clinical, administrative, and quality performance matters. The incumbent provides direct supervision to a group of staff who provide support to the MHSL.
Qualifications
Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Practitioner) Basic Requirements Citizenship: Citizen of the United States [in accordance with section 7402(c) of title 38, United States Code (U.S.C.). Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). English Language Proficiency: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
Education: A post-master's certificate or master's or doctoral degree as a Nurse Practitioner. (Applicants pending the completion of educational requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until the education requirements are met.) Must be a graduate of a school of professional nursing approved by the appropriate accrediting agency and accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies at the time the program was completed by the applicant: The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
NOTE: Foreign Education. Graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing programs, the nurse practitioner degree equivalency must be validated through an Agency recognized degree equivalency evaluation agency, such as the International Consultants of Delaware (ICD). Candidates with equivalent nurse practitioner masters or doctorate level degrees who possess current, full, active, and unrestricted registration and certification will meet the requirement of graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant appointment.
License and Certification: License. All APN (NPs) must possess and maintain an active, current, full, and unrestricted APN license to practice as an NP in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Basic Certification.
All APN (NPs) must maintain full and current board certification in an area of clinical specialty from one of the following: the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB), or other nationally recognized certifying body in the area in which the Nurse Practitioner is academically prepared.
NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and an APN (NP) assignment that are also performing the duties as described in the qualification standard on the effective date of the standard (1/29/2024) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held including positive education and licensure/certification. The following Scope, Education and Experience, and Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Advanced Practice Nurse (Nurse Practitioner) IV: Scope: Executes leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups or integrated programs that cross service and/or discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care. Education and Experience Requirement: Meets basic education requirement for an APN (NP) AND Four years of APN (NP) experience, one of which is specialized experience equivalent to Nurse Ill AND Meets all Nurse IV dimension requirements.
Dimension Requirement: APNs (NPs) at Level IV must meet ALL the following dimension requirements: Practice. Practices at an associate executive level, utilizing clinical, leadership and administrative skills, demonstrating continuing responsibility that influences the organizational mission, health care delivery and policy at the local and/or regional level. Outcome Focus.
Leads the application of clinical/business models, incorporating research/evidence-based practices, designed to achieve and sustain excellence in the delivery of health care at the service and organization levels. Leadership. Creates and implements a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve organizational performance and attain measurable performance outcomes.
Professional Development. Establishes innovative, current and future healthcare delivery models, policy/regulation and governance to cultivate a healthy lifestyle, improving health outcomes. Professionalism/Collegiality.
Facilitates effective relationship management, communication, customer service experiences and negotiation across lifestyles using a broad range of technology platforms to influence, inspire and motivate others within their program/service or beyond. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.
Major Duties
The Nurse Practitioner - Deputy Chief Mental Health has programmatic responsibilities for the delivery of mental health services at the Huntsville Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) and additional outpatient sites of care and for supporting and executing the mission and vision of the Chief (ACOS) of Mental Health for the Birmingham VA Health Care System (VAHCS). Duties include, but are not limited to: Provides support to the ACOS, MHSL in all areas of management, leadership and oversight of mental health clinical, educational, and research activities at the Birmingham VAHCS. Ensures observance of federal, national, and local regulatory policy and accreditation requirements governing the medical center.
Supports strategic planning, budget oversight, staff recruitment and management, and quality assurance. Functions as a liaison to the ACOS, MHSL for Education and affiliated health professional schools for undergraduate and graduate education issues. Ensures that mental health practitioners demonstrate effectiveness in teaching and comply with necessary trainee supervision requirements.
Maintains all necessary credentials in his/her respective discipline to provide clinical care approximately ten percent (10%) of the time. Assists the ACOS in planning, organizing, developing, implementing, coordinating, and refining a comprehensive patient management/clinical support/administrative program which provides services and technical counsel necessary to meet clinical, procedural, legal and administrative requirements relating to the care and treatment of inpatients and outpatients. Provides a climate in which clinicians can care for patients with an awareness of administrative implications of his/her actions, without feeling he/she is working under unnecessary constraints.
Contributes in implementing VA Headquarters policies and regulations governing broad administrative aspects of the medical center. Serves on a variety of medical center planning committees, advisory groups and chartered action teams. Oversees clinical and administrative performance measures.
Assists with service line strategic planning and resource management. Assists with developing formal, systematic improvement plans for quality measures, access and medical services delivery. Supports liaison with affiliated schools regarding medical teaching issues and provider appointments.
Oversees the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements using programs using data-driven quality assurance processes. Assures all Mental Health programs are compliant with applicable Federal and State laws. Oversees the management of Veteran complaints and issues.
Contributes to the development of program goals and objectives to meet VHA Mental Health requirements. Participates in performance appraisals of staff and addresses disciplinary issues. Participates in clinical teaching as assigned.
Assists in overseeing appropriate training related to MH issues is completed for all Birmingham VAHCS staff involved in patient care activities. Contributes to the development of Mental Health Service policies and procedures consistent with VA Directives, VA required accreditation by the Joint Commission, CARF and other MH accrediting organizations. Supervises the hiring of professional mental health staff.
Directly supervises both clinical and administrative personnel. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards Pay: Competitive salary, regular salary increases, potential for performance awards Paid Time Off: 50 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) 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) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (subject to change based on agency needs) Telework: Available; Ad-hoc only. Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Conditions of Employment
U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(f), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
You may be required to serve a probationary period.
Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
How You Will Be Evaluated
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.
NOTE: Candidate's education, scope, and length of nursing practice (experience) will be considered in determining the grade and salary of the applicant selected. The recommended salary may be at any point in the range listed for this vacancy. 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.
Additional Information
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
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.
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. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 06/29/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12989290. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account.
Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Resume Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.
Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field. The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please 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 DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) License Other (1) PCS Orders Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume Separation Notice (RIF) SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript Veterans' Preference
Note: Preference eligible candidates and other Veterans will be given preference when qualification of candidates are approximately equal for Title 38 positions in VHA. When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire.
You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form.
Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.