Supervisory Chaplain

Supervisory Chaplain

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Leeds, Massachusetts

Salary Range: $99992 - $129996 Per Year

Job Summary: This Supervisory Chaplain position is in Chaplain Service (CS) at the VA Central Western Massachusetts, located at the Leeds campus. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week with rotating weekends as needed to ensure pastoral care to veterans. The position provides pastoral counseling treatment to Veteran patients, patient's families, and staff within various settings.

Major Duties:

• Duties for this position includes but are not limited to: Serves as the Supervisory Chaplain professionally providing comprehensive, religious ministry services to Veteran patients according to their specific needs and desires. Provides thorough guidance and advice to Chaplain and other stakeholders. Performs supervisory and non-supervisory assignments consisting of significant scope, complexity, difficulty, and variety. Supervises the professional practice of facility chaplain and provides chaplaincy services and programming Manages and oversees all religious and spiritual care and provides counsel to facility leadership concerning religious expression. Develops local policy, productivity, and clinical practice standards Serves as the Supervisory Chaplain expert participant with other specialists as a fully recognized member of an interdisciplinary treatment team (IDT). Carries out full program responsibility with professional independence, while subject to only administrative controls from immediate supervisor. Supervises subordinate chaplain and/or visiting assistants Provides pastoral counseling and treatment to Veteran patients, patient's families, and staff in various inpatient and outpatient settings. Provides comprehensive religious, spiritual, and pastoral care to all persons that are commensurate with the needs, desires, and voluntary consent of the Veteran, caregiver, or staff. Addresses the spiritual component of health and wellness in every patient care setting to ensure that pastoral care is fully integrated into all aspects of chaplain services. Work Schedule: Flexible Schedule. Candidates must be willing to work weekends, irregular work hours and extended hours if determined by the needs of the service. Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F1860 Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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. Chaplains must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Education. Applicants must possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational qualifications as evidenced by a graduate-level theological degree from a college, university or theological school accredited by a member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. NOTE: For applicants who do not possess a Master of Divinity degree or equivalent educational degree, an approved educational equivalency review from a nationally recognized board certification body for chaplains (see paragraph f) is acceptable. Foreign Education. To be creditable, theological or related education completed outside the U.S. must be submitted to a current affiliate agency of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) listed at https://www.naces.org/members. Ecclesiastical Endorsement. In accordance with 38 C.F.R. 17.655, ecclesiastical endorsement is a condition of employment as a VA chaplain. An individual must possess and maintain a full and active ecclesiastical endorsement to be employed as a VA chaplain. Applicants must have an ecclesiastical endorsement, dated within the past 12 months. Ecclesiastical endorsements must be from the official national endorsing authority of the applicant's/employee's faith group or denomination. Ecclesiastical endorsement is a written official statement, by the official national endorsing body of the faith group or denomination, certifying that the applicant is in good standing with the applicant's faith group or denomination; and stating that the individual is, in the opinion of the endorsing body, qualified to perform the full range of ministry required in the VA pluralistic setting. Loss of endorsement will result in removal from the GS-0060 Chaplain series and may result in termination of employment. The National Chaplain Service maintains a list of approved endorsing organizations that endorsing organizations that can be found here: https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/Employment_Information_and_Resources.asp Board Certification. Applicants must be a Board Certified Chaplain certified by the Board of Chaplaincy Certification Inc. (BCCI) or nationally recognized certification body that utilizes the BCCI Common Qualifications and Competencies for Professional Chaplaincy or a certifying organization that has a reciprocity agreement with BCCI. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Supervisory Chaplain GS-12 (a) Experience. One year of creditable experience equivalent to the next lower grade (GS-11). (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: i. Knowledge of administrative, personnel, resource management and strategic planning for chaplaincy and chaplain pastoral education programs. ii. Ability to provide the full range of supervisory duties which include responsibility for assignment of work, performance evaluations, selection of staff and recommendation of awards, advancements and disciplinary actions. iii. Skill in interpersonal relationships including conflict resolution and ability to work collaboratively with managers from other departments. iv. Ability to develop local policy, productivity and clinical practice standards. v. Ability to align local chaplaincy services and programming with the strategic goals and objectives of all levels of the agency, department or organization. vi. Ability to ensure compliance with chaplaincy practice, policy and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care. vii. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers and other staff on all religious expression and spiritual care. vii. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers and other staff on all religious expression and spiritual care. Physical Requirements: This position requires the Chaplain to meaningfully engage with Veteran patients and family members by walking and moving within the healthcare setting or with the incumbent using an assistive device. The Chaplain is required to speak, hear (hearing aid permitted) and work closely with others. References: VA Handbook 5005/135, Part II, Appendix G67

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 12/02/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12832972. 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.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-02