Operational Psychologist Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

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LAUKOA is seeking an experienced Clinical Psychologist to support the Defense Health Agency's Psychological Health Center of Excellence (PHCoE), located in Silver Spring, MD. The candidate will be providing subject matter expertise in the development, evaluation, and continuous improvement of evidence-based clinical support tools. This position supports initiatives that enhance the delivery of psychological health services across the Military Health System by translating clinical evidence into practical resources, guidance, and decision-support products for healthcare providers and military leadership.

The successful candidate will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to develop clinical recommendations, evaluate behavioral health interventions, assess emerging scientific evidence, and support initiatives that improve psychological health outcomes and military readiness.

Essential Job Functions:

• Provide subject matter expertise in clinical psychology supporting DHA Psychological Health Center of Excellence initiatives.
• Support the development, evaluation, and maintenance of evidence-based clinical support tools used by healthcare providers across the Military Health System.
• Review, evaluate, and interpret current scientific literature to support development of clinical guidance and best practices.
• Collaborate with Government personnel, researchers, clinicians, and multidisciplinary teams to develop evidence-informed behavioral health products.
• Assist in translating complex psychological research into practical clinical tools and provider resources.
• Evaluate clinical practices and recommend improvements based on emerging evidence and established standards of care.
• Participate in technical working groups, stakeholder meetings, and subject matter expert panels.
• Prepare technical reports, white papers, presentations, and briefing materials for Government leadership.
• Support quality assurance activities related to clinical products and recommendations.
• Contribute to projects focused on psychological health, resilience, suicide prevention, traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other behavioral health priorities.
• Ensure all work products meet scientific, ethical, and professional standards.
• Provide technical consultation on behavioral health policies, clinical practice recommendations, and program initiatives.
• Support implementation of new clinical tools and guidance across supported programs.
• Collaborate effectively with researchers, clinicians, analysts, and Government stakeholders to achieve project objectives.

Necessary Skills and Knowledge:

• Capability to translate complex clinical recommendations released by medical professional bodies or military/veterans governmental agencies into actionable information products designed to promote uptake and raise awareness of evidence-based care for mental health conditions.
• Capability to manage the full cycle of product development for deliverables targeting healthcare providers, patients, family members and other Military Health System (MHS) stakeholders.
• Capability to support the development of brief clinical recommendations based on the findings from focused evidence synthesis inquiries regarding the effective treatment of mental health conditions.
• Capability to produce technical artifacts (e.g., reports, tools, briefings, presentations, and manuscripts) consistent with the KSAs described here and with the broader PHCoE mission set.
• Ability to diagnose and treat psychological problems of all complexities.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree required. Doctorate (PhD or PsyD) in Clinical Psychology.
• At least 13 years of full-time post-doctoral work experience directly related to the practice of clinical psychology.
• At least 3 years of full-time post-doctoral work developing tools or trainings to facilitate the delivery of
  evidence-based mental health care and promote knowledge of clinical recommendations and guidelines to multiple stakeholder groups.
• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust background investigation and Common Access Card (CAC).
• Occasional travel may be required in support of contract performance.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Preference may be given to candidates with experience supporting:
  • Defense Health Agency (DHA)
  • Psychological Health Center of Excellence (PHCoE)
  • Military Health System (MHS)
  • Department of Defense (DoD)
  • Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
• Experience developing clinical practice guidelines or provider decision-support tools.
• Experience supporting military behavioral health or operational psychology programs.
• Experience supporting psychological health initiatives related to PTSD, TBI, suicide prevention, resilience, or traumatic stress.
• Experience participating in multidisciplinary clinical or scientific working groups.
• Experience authoring or contributing to peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, or clinical guidance documents.
• Board certification or specialty training in a relevant area of clinical psychology.
• Experience supporting federal healthcare or defense-related research and clinical programs.

Salary Range: $165,000 - $185,000

*This Position is Contingent Upon Award.

LAUKOA is an Equal Opportunity/VEVRAA federal contractor. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

LAUKOA offers a best-in-class benefits program including medical, dental, and vision insurance; a 401(k) program with employer match; paid vacation and sick leave; employer-paid basic life and AD&D insurance; an Employee Assistance Program; and a flexible work environment. Additionally, employees can choose from several voluntary benefits including critical illness coverage; accident insurance; identity theft coverage; pet insurance, and more.

LAUKOA gives preference to internal candidates. If no internal candidate meets our qualifications, external candidates will be given consideration.