Physician - Deputy Chief of Staff

Physician - Deputy Chief of Staff

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Battle Creek, Michigan

Salary Range: $230000 - $340000 Per Year

Job Summary: The Deputy Chief of Staff is the primary backup to the Chief of Staff and provides administrative, clinical, and programmatic leadership to help ensure achievement of the Health Care System's clinical, research, and educational goals. The incumbent reports to the Chief of Staff and serves as a key clinical resource for the Health Care System Director and the Chief of Staff. The Deputy Chief of Staff has all authorities of the Chief of Staff and can act in the absence of the Chief of staff.

Major Duties:

• VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. As a member of the senior management team the Deputy Chief of Staff is a key advisor to the Chief of Staff and Director on clinical issues and assists in the administration and oversight of clinical, educational and research programs. The Deputy Chief of Staff's responsibilities include serving as the lead physician over Care in the Community, Ancillary Services (Lab and Radiology), Physician Recruitment, and Academic Affiliations. In addition, the Deputy Chief of Staff will provide support over Quality Improvement initiatives; working with the clinical service chiefs and performance measure champions to improve processes to meet the performance measure goals and improve utilization management; reviewing requests for contracts and determining the best way to obtain the required resources. The duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Clinical Work Provides direct patient care on a rotational basis and clinical oversight in: Urgent Care or Ambulatory Care and Primary Care and/or other specialty areas where qualified to provide clinical patient care. Customer Service Plans the provision of services with a patient-centered vision (in alignment with VHA guidelines and policies) to enhance patient education and shared decision making. Establishes a customer-oriented culture and promotes the hiring of persons who demonstrate the VA's iCARE values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence. Quality Improvement Develops a high-reliability organization through direction of the continuous measurement and improvement of the quality-of-care provided by the service. Plans, coordinates, and ensures high quality care through utilization of multiple quality measurement tools. Improves patient outcomes through the implementation of strategies such as clinical practice guidelines and critical pathways, health risk assessments, provider profiling, use of electronic medical record and clinical reminders, and case management. Ensures the clinical services' ability to meet standards issued by various accrediting and regulatory groups and VA Central Office. Research and Education Works closely with universities and schools in which there are academic affiliation partnerships/agreements. Encourages continuing education for all personnel and ensures compliance with performance standards. Creates a climate where continuous learning and professional development are valued. Budget and Fiscal Management Under the direction of the Battle Creek VA Medical Center governance structure, collaborates with the Executive Leadership Team and service chiefs in the development and execution of the overall Health Care System strategic and business plan. Collaborates with other Medical Center leaders to develop initiatives and programs in order to ensure coordination of service, reduction of redundancies, and enhancement of cost effectiveness, efficiency and overall productivity. Organizational Stewardship Manages relationships with academic affiliates and supporting services to maximize efficiency and drive highly reliable operations. Demonstrates core values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect and excellence. Is guided by accountability and transparency. Actively participates on committees, task forces, and other groups within the Health Care System and affiliates to assist in policy changes, as needed. Team Building Develops an interdisciplinary team of innovative, highly motivated individuals who are continuously striving for excellence in patient care and customer service. Develops a team that is technically competent and understands the interrelationships of all the medical center services in achieving the mission. Human Resources Management Responsible for assuring appropriate action in such matters as promotions, selections, rewards and recognition, training, and problem resolution. Responsible for development and implementation of competencies, providing opportunities for continuing education, peer review, career development and professional enrichment for subordinate employees. Maintains good labor-management relations with the unions to resolve personnel problems, proactively plan for changes to the work environment, and develop a high reliability workforce. Communications Demonstrates leadership in addressing ethical issues that impact clients and staff in/or beyond the organization/local health care community. Maintains privacy, confidentiality, and security of patient and client data. Effectively communicates with employees, patients and their families, stake holders, the executive leadership team, VISN and VACO staff when required. Exhibits clear, honest and open communications in meetings and other interactions. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 08:00am - 4:30pm

Qualifications: To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation. 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. Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Physicians must possess a current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a state, territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. The Physician must maintain current registration in the state of licensure if this is a requirement for continuing active, current licensure. Residency Training. Physicians must have successfully completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in an accredited core specialty training program (NOTE: VA Physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) leading to eligibility for board certification, OR (2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) leading to eligibility for board certification, OR (3) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States, OR (4) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the Physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences. Residents currently enrolled in ACGME or AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed Physicians (that is, not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs. Board Certification: position being filled requires that the incumbent be board certified with advanced clinical experience as well as demonstrated leadership and administrative skills. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Additional Requirement: The incumbent must also have: Knowledge of the VA system and its regulations; Knowledge of patient care processes and systems; Demonstrated commitment to an interdisciplinary approach to care delivery; Documented ability to coordinate a broad continuum of programs; Progressive management experience with strong administrative and interpersonal skills, and; Demonstrated skills in maintaining and enhancing partnerships with academic affiliates and other key stakeholders. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service for requirements. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized. Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) 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 CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

How to Apply: 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. To apply for this position online, complete steps 1 and 2 above by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/21/2026 to receive consideration. Please note, this announcement may close prior to the closing date indicated if the position is filled through other means. If you are unable to apply online before the closing date click here and include the CBSR-12954974-26-AT in the Notes field. 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. 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.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-21