Senior Social Worker

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Cathedral City (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Social Work Coordinator within the HUD-VASH program, focusing on SUD specialist responsibilities. The role advances intensive case management to move veterans and families out of chronic homelessness, through collaboration with HUD housing vouchers and VA services.

The incumbent will supervise multidisciplinary staff, write program policies, and monitor performance, reporting to leadership with program outcomes and budgets. Residency in CA preferred.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program.
• Licensure at the advanced practice level is required and licensure can be supervised for supervision eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the daily operation of the HUD-VASH social work program.
• Develop policies and procedures for program operation.
• Prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use.
• Provide leadership, orientation, and training to staff within clinical practice.

Skills

Program coordination

Policy writing

Supervision

Training & orientation

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Education

MSW from CSWE-accredited school

Advanced practice licensure

Job description

This position functions as a Social Work Coordinator in the HUD-VASH program as a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Specialist. HUD-VASH is a collaborative effort, supported through HUD Section 8 rental assistance vouchers and VA's provision of intensive case management services. The primary goal of HUD-VASH is to move veterans and their families out of chronic homelessness.

Actual Location:

Veterans Village of Cathedral City, 30600 Landau Blvd, Cathedral City, CA 92234

Resume Requirement

Your resume must be detailedinclude the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES:

Current Federal Employees are mandated to submit your recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) dated 2026 for eligibility that displays your actual and current grade, step, salary, and tenure. Award SF-50s are not considered eligible.

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.
• 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. [Transcripts must be submitted at time of application. Conferral of degree(s) must be stated on transcript(s). Unofficial transcripts(s) are acceptable]
• Licensure. 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. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. [Copies of licensure/certification must be submitted with application packet]

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

Senior Social Worker GS-12

Experience and Education:

Applicants must have at least one (1) 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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• (a) Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.
• (b) Knowledge and ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the program.
• (c) Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.
• (d) Skill in organizing work, setting priorities, meeting multiple deadlines, and evaluating assigned program area(s).
• (e) Ability to provide training, orientation, and guidance within clinical practice.

Assignments:

For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Program coordinators at the GS-12 grade level are administratively responsible for a clinical program providing treatment to Veterans in a major specialty area, such as but not limited to: Spinal Cord Injury, Homeless Continuum Veteran Program, Hospice and Palliative Care Program, Suicide Prevention Program, Veterans Justice Outreach, Caregiver Support Program and Community Nursing Home Program. The program coordinator may be the sole practitioner in this specialty at the facility and typically provide direct patient care services in the program area. The program coordinator oversees the daily operation of the program, develop policies and procedures for program operation, and prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. They may be responsible for the program's budget, developing and monitoring staff compliance with practice, standards and guidelines on documentation, workload, data entry, ethical practice and service delivery. The program coordinator provides analysis and evaluation of clinical program data and computerized programs to identify system-wide trends and needs to enhance the quality of service. They may be responsible for, or contribute to, the program's resource and fiscal management, monitoring control points developing the annual budget, operating within that budget, and accounting for appropriated funds. The program coordinator is administratively responsible for the clinical programming and prepares reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. They provide leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned staff. They initiate and conduct a variety of program or service audits and complete designated clinical practice audits and reports, including productivity assessments. They oversee program operations and evaluations, identifying areas for improvement, gathering relevant data, assessing the data, developing and implementing ideas for improvement and evaluating efficacy of improvement efforts.

Preferred:

Experience with the homeless population preferred.

References:

VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II Appendix G39 Social Worker Qualification Standard GS-0185 Veterans Health Administration.

Physical Requirements:

Traveling throughout the medical center and the community is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, and prolonged standing, bending and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the Veterans, their families, representatives of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies. The incumbent must possess current driver's license and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary.