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Associate Chief Nurse- Nursing Service line-Mental Health

Veterans Health Administration · Department of Veterans Affairs

PermanentFull-time
Location
Brockton, MA
Salary
$183,681 – $228,000/yr
Pay grade
GS 4
Openings
1
Posted
Jun 3, 2026
Closes
Closes in 3 days

Summary

This Associate Chief Nurse position is located in the Nursing Service Line, for Mental Health units at the Brockton, MA campus. This position is a full time position at 40 hours per week.

Duties

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package: VA Nurse Total Rewards


Duties include but not limited to:
  • Provides senior leadership and oversight for daily clinical and administrative operations within nursing as directed by the Associate Director for Patient Care Services (ADPCS.)
  • Supports the integration and collaboration of nursing with other professional disciplines and functional areas in the mutual achievement of patient-centered and organizational goals.
  • Champions a High Reliability Organization (HRO) with a lifestyle of safety founded on a systems approach to developing evidence-based health care solutions based on prevention, not punishment, with collective mindfulness.
  • Collaborates with interdisciplinary team members, including other program and service leaders at the facility and network. They work closely to establish and maintain effective relationships with all levels of Veteran Affairs (VA) staff nationwide.
  • Relates effectively with customers, families, and the community as well as program and service leaders at the local and network levels. They assist the ADPCS with healthcare operations and the functions and activities expected of them.
  • Contributes ideas and recommendations for the establishment of standards of care, policies, and objectives for the enhancement of nursing

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: Full Time
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Notifications:
  • Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50 (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held.
  • This position is in the Excepted Service.
  • The salary is based on the grade and step approved for the selected candidate.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:
  • 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.
  • 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); OR Individuals attending a master's level bridge program in nursing who have completed coursework equivalent to a bachelor's level degree in Nursing may have opportunity to become registered as a nurse with a state licensing board prior to completion of the bridge program. Upon achievement of a State license, the individual may be appointed on temporary basis and later converted to a permanent appointment upon successful completion and graduation from the bridge program. (Reference VA Handbook 5005, Appendix G6); OR In cases of graduates of foreign schools of professional nursing, possession of a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration will meet the requirement for graduation from an approved school of professional nursing to warrant an appointment as a Nurse who has completed an associated degree/entry level Nursing education program. Credit for foreign nursing education higher that associate degree/entry level requires a formal degree equivalency validation from a recognized equivalency evaluation accepted by VA such as International Consultants of Delaware (ICD).
  • Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a graduate professional nurse in a State, Territory or Commonwealth (i.e., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Graduate Nurse Technician (GNT) Exception: Candidates who otherwise meet the basic education requirements, but do not possess the required licensure, may be appointed at the entry step of the grade and level applicable to the completed nursing education as a GNT on a 120-day temporary appointment while actively pursuing licensure (may be extended up to two years on a case-by-case-basis.)
Preferred Experience:
  • Minimum of two years of mental health experience with demonstrated excellence in clinical skills required
  • Minimum of two years successful management experience required (does not have to be sequential but has to be within the last 5 years)
  • Demonstrated organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills
  • Demonstrated ability in resource management
  • Demonstrated skills in critical thinking, strategic planning, group process, leadership and performance improvement
  • Ability to communicate in a collegial setting to bring about positive changes in clinical and administrative practices
  • Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with professional and administrative staff
NOTE: Grandfathering Provision - All persons currently employed in VHA in 0610 series and 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 Dimension criteria must be met to qualify for Nurse V:
  • Scope: Practice of an executive nature, comprised of complex leadership and administrative components, associated with critical health care issues and activities that drive meeting the organizational mission, health care and policy.
  • Education: Master's degree in Nursing (MSN) and 5 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V; OR Master's degree in a *related field with a BSN and 5 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V; OR a Doctoral degree in Nursing and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V; OR a Doctoral degree in a *related field with a BSN and 4 years of professional nursing experience, one of which is specialized nursing experience equivalent to Nurse IV and meets all dimension requirements for Nurse V. *Note: Foreign education programs/degrees are not creditable as related degrees.
  • Dimension Requirements:
    • Leadership. Establishes the strategic direction for health care delivery, evidence-based practices, industry-leading research, and innovative care models. Creates a shared vision and successfully leads change to improve performance and attain measurable outcomes at the organization or enterprise level.
    • Business Acumen. Transforms health care through the application of new processes, technology, informatics, data analytics, business principles, systems thinking and resource management at the organization or enterprise level.
    • Inspiring an Industry-Leading Lifestyle. Establishes an industry leading, shared decision-making lifestyle; a workforce that serves Veterans, families, and caregivers of all backgrounds; builds trust and lifestyle competencies and catalyzes dynamic teams at the organization and enterprise level.
    • Communication and Relationship Management. Drives the effective use of relationship management principles to achieve positive customer service experiences that are consistent with professional and organizational values, beliefs, and practices at the organizational or enterprise level.
    • Professional and Social Responsibility. Sets the standard for a lifestyle of holistic care, health advocacy and health equity. Applies ethical principles in decision-making at the organization or enterprise level. Advances nursing knowledge through health science research and the translation and dissemination of evidence into practice to maximize the value to Veterans, the community, and the health care industry.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: All applicants must be physically able to satisfactorily perform the duties of the position. A pre-placement physical examination shall be completed prior to appointment.

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.

The Associate Degree Nursing (ADN), Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN), or Master of Science degree in Nursing (MSN) must be fully accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission On Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Verification of accreditation may be obtained from http://www.acenursing.us/accreditedprograms/programsearch.htm or https://directory.ccnecommunity.org/reports/accprog.asp.-
  • If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.
  • If your school was accredited by ACEN or CCNE at the time of graduation, but is no longer listed on the websites, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Requirements

  • 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.
  • 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.

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