Service Chief Social Worker

The Social Work Chief, at the GS-14 level, is typically assigned to a Level 1 tertiary VA facility. They have full responsibility for provision of complex social work services requiring advanced practice skills. Is a full-time administrator for more than 250 clinical social workers, vocational rehabilitation specialists, social work associates, peer support specialists, and administrative support staff, including 18 subordinate supervisory social workers and one subordinate supervisory vocational rehabilitation specialist. Has full responsibility for clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management and supervision, and organizational stewardship for a social work program. The VA facility has a variety of clinical programs with a wide range of acute activities providing inpatient and outpatient services and treatment for patients in general medicine and surgery, medical specialty programs, geriatric and extended care, psychiatry, substance abuse, palliative care, hospice care, home-based primary care, community care, and various other ambulatory care programs with related research, educational and program evaluation functions. The position requires that the employee travels to the various sites and to other VA facilities, Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN), or VACO as necessary.

The Chief is responsible for defining the mission and vision of the Service, developing the scope of practice for all social workers, designing a Social Work Service Plan of Care, and assuring implementation of quality improvement measures. They are responsible for developing, planning, clarifying, administering and managing Social Work Services for all areas of the Medical Center. They designates service priorities and objectives, ensures the supervision and evaluation of all social work staff, and is responsible for supervising and evaluating the performance of the assistant or associate chiefs and supervisors. The Chief makes independent professional decisions and recommendations. Serves as the liaison to other Services or care-lines, other facilities, VISN offices and VHA Central Office. This position also serves as liaison with Veterans Benefits Administration Offices, other government agencies, and the community. They are responsible for advising management of specific clinical or administrative issues within Social Work Service and within the medical Center. The position serves as a consultant, mentor, and advisor to subordinates, peers and administration.

Chief, Social Worker duties include but not limited to:

• Standards of Practice;
• Professional Recruitment and Retention;
• Education and Career Development;
• Competency and Performance;
• Risk Management;
• Resource Management;
• Technical Program Development and General Management.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, with rotating tours of duty as needed
Compressed/Flexible:As needed by department
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May Be Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May Be Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
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)
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 70390F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): May Be Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• A valid drivers license
• 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 examination.
• 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 interest. In 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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education: Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may NOT be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/.

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 meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates.

GS-14 Service Chief Social Worker candidates must have the following:

Education and Experience: One (1) year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. May have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Licensure/Certification: Individuals assigned as Supervisory Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. These are the KSA's for this subject position:

1. Skill in providing the full range of supervisory duties across multiple service divisions/sections, which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendations of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions.
2. Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice.
3. Skill in developing, maintaining, and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections.
4. Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care.
5. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements
6. Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure require

Preferred Experience:

• Masters Degree Social Work
• 3-5 years Social Work current experiences
• Leadership experiences

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 14.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work requires able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including walking, sitting, bending, standing, and carrying supplies. Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, without endangering the health and safety of the Social Worker or others. Employee will need to have a valid state-issued driver's license and may be required to travel in the community across the James A. Haley VAMC catchment area. A drivers physical will be required to utilize a government vehicle. This supervisory position requires employee to be able to sit at a work site, utilize a computer, mobile phone, fax machine, and printer. Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in on eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; hearing aid permitted; clear speech; emotional stability; moderate duty. Ability to drive a government vehicle.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume

Resume - To determine your eligibility, please ensure resume includes the below:

• Job title
• Grade Level (for Federal positions)
• Duties (be as detailed as possible and ensure they demonstrate how you meet the specialized experience and/or Knowledge, Skills and Abilities required for the position
• Month & year start/end dates (e.g. June 2007 to April 2008)
• Full-time or part-time status
• Include hours worked per week

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• License (License and Registry Certificate - if applicable)
• Transcript - with Degree Conferred and GPA
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action - If you are a current or former VA or Federal Employee, you must submit a copy of a current and/or highest grade held SF-50 - Notification of Personnel Action (Not an award SF50)

Next steps