Employee Occupational Health Section Chief- Physician

Summary

Employee Occupational Health (EOH) Section Chief serves as the Agency Medical Officer (AMO) and is responsible for uniformly and consistently applying medical decisions and polices policies for the EOH Program at the facility and ensures EOH professionals have adequate resources such as equipment, staffing, and supplies to operate an efficient and effective program to help ensure and promote a safe and healthy workforce.

Duties

The Section Chief provides clinical services with a focus on pre-placement medical exams, agency administrative exams, restoration of health and workability assessments following work-related injuries, prevention of illness and injury, and protection from work-related and environmental hazards. RESPONSIBILITIES/ DUTIES or as assigned -Supervise other providers in the EOH section. -Complete applicant onboarding exams as assigned to determine the physical, cognitive, and emotional fitness of applicants for appointment. -Complete periodic exams for employees including boiler plant workers, police officers, and drivers. -Provide evidence-based clinical evaluation and initial treatment of injuries and illnesses. that are occupationally related; provide ongoing medical care and rehabilitation of the occupationally injured and ill when selected as the provider of choice. -Serve as a liaison for Workman's Compensation Occupational Safety Departments for workplace injuries and illness. -Determine whether the employee is medically able to return to work or resume regular duties without impairing his/her own health or the health of others after a period of injury or illness. -Manage bloodborne pathogen exposures as part of the Employee Occupational Health Team. -Assess the safety of an employee to work when a supervisor requests a voluntary assessment for impairment. -Assess the safety of employees who are expressing thoughts of self-harm. -Perform fitness-for-duty exams at the request of Human Resources. -Recognize potential chemical, physical, and biological environmental causes of health concern to Individuals. -Promptly refer employees to their personal health care providers when abnormal exam findings or test results are identified for nonoccupational illness or injury requires additional evaluation and/or treatment. -Review and administer established medical surveillance program requirements for employees who are exposed to specific workplace hazards. -Assist employees in health promotion and disease prevention. -Provide Medical Review Officer result verification for all pre-placement, random, or other HR requested drug screens. -Remain current on local, regional, and national Policies/Handbooks/Directives related to Occupational Health/Employee Health standards and safety of staff and patients. -Triage and apply a collaborative team approach in identifying, analyzing, and resolving patient care problems, including facilitating referral to higher level of care if indicated. -Work collaboratively with all levels of health care professionals, numerous departments, management, and support staff to facilitate positive patient care outcomes. -Comply with various infection control guidelines. -Maintain skills in prevention & management of disruptive behavior, can be trained upon hire. -Participates in High Reliability Organization (HRO) & professional governance initiatives. -Occasional ad-hoc teleworking may be an option to help maintain continuity of operations. -Infrequent travel to other Minneapolis VA Healthcare System locations, such as community-based outpatient clinics VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): NA 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 Work Schedule: 8am- 430 pm

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. 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 (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 evaluation/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.

Qualifications and evaluation

Your application, resume, C.V., and/or other supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment. NOTE: A formal pay-setting process will be used to determine your salary. The 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. 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.

Education

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. Approved schools are: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated. NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.

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 11/02/2026 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 CBSY-13092857-27-AE 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.

Required documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a C.V. and/or resume. Other documents may be requested later in the process if needed.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. 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.