Supervisory Audiologist (Chief of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Service)

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 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
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• 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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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: Audiologist candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Education:
  • Doctor of Audiology (AUD) from an audiology program recognized by the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE) or Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). HR office staff and management officials may verify a programs accreditation from ACAE at and CAA at . OR
  • Other doctoral degree in hearing science or a directly related field from an institution accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. NOTE: Effective January 1 2007 the CAA in Audiology and 3 Speech- Language Pathology of ASHA accredits only doctoral degree or AUD programs in audiology.
• Licensure: Individuals must hold a full current and unrestricted license to practice audiology at the doctoral level 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 Audiologist GS-14

• Experience: At least three years of experience as a professional audiologist with at least one year comparable to the next lower grade level must fully meet the KSAs at that level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Skill in promoting collaboration to accomplish goals.
  • Skill in translating management goals and objectives into efficient service operations.
  • Skill in balancing operational resources to ensure appropriate delivery of service operations.
  • Ability to supervise staff.
  • Ability to effectively interact and collaborate with local VISN and/or national leadership.
  • Ability to establish and monitor productivity standards production and performance priorities to achieve management goals and objectives.

Assignment: Supervisory audiologists spend 25% or more of their time providing technical and administrative supervision. Supervisory 14 audiologists in this assignment serve as service chiefs. Audiologist service chiefs at this level typically manage programs in Complexity Level 1 (high complexity) facilities. The service or organizational entity is a major component of the medical center and the services or programs supervised are highly professional technical and complex. They are responsible for all professional management and administrative aspects of the service or organizational entity. They have broad and overall responsibility for a service-level organizational unit and have full responsibility for clinical practice program management education human resources management and supervision for the service. They autonomously manage substantive parts of specialized complex professional services that significantly impact Veterans care. They provide leadership with objective independent assessments and recommendations for policy operational and administrative issues and initiatives requiring decision and action. They monitor work performance to ensure that requirements are satisfied; interpret and process a wide variety of data related to program planning and specialized needs of the Veterans the service and the medical center; and ensure policies or issues have been fully coordinated vetted and staffed. Audiologist service chiefs advise executive leadership on implications key issues and relationships to interest groups (both internal and external) and recommend courses of action. They coordinate and negotiate resolutions to complex problems. They assure compliance with accrediting agencies and regulatory requirements and corrective action is initiated as needed. They are responsible for professional and administrative management of an assigned area including budget execution. They maintain interdepartmental relationships with other services to accomplish medical center goals. They may prepare special reports and responses Congressional responses briefing papers issue briefs and decision papers for the medical center leadership which may be highly sensitive confidential and of a complex nature. They develop policies and procedures and may develop performance standards position descriptions and functional statements. They monitor the clinical performance of staff conduct performance appraisals perform other clinical and administrative responsibilities to ensure that the mission of the service and the medical center has been satisfied. They may set training objectives for staff and delegate responsibilities to subordinate sections.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-14.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Employee Occupational Health Service.