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: Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- English Language Proficiency: You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
- Education: You must possess 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 the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
GS-12 Social Worker (Program Coordinator)
- Experience and Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. Candidate 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 social worker program coordinator 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:
GS-12 Social Worker (Program Coordinator) KSAs:
- Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.
- Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program.
- Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.
- Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s).
- Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice.
Preferred Experience: Case management experience and working with the homeless population.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit
https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
This position is being filled above the full performance level at GS-12.
Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary in climate controlled clinical and administrative settings. The incumbent will be expected to successfully negotiate various functional requirements: lifting (15-44 pounds), carrying (15-44 pounds), walking (1-3 hours), reaching above their shoulder(s), the use of hands or fingers, sitting (4-6 hours), standing (1-2 hours), repeated bending, using stairs or elevators, functional vision, clear speech, hearing, and emotional stability. There may be occasional requirements to relocate boxed materials from one area to another, equipment and room set-up, and physical inspections of the facilities.