Senior Social Worker (Program Manager)

Veterans Health Administration; North Carolina; On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Health Administration seeks a Senior Social Worker (GS-12) to provide advanced social work services in reproductive health care for Veterans. The role involves leadership, clinical treatment, and program oversight within the Reproductive Health program.

Applicants must hold an MSW from a CSWE-accredited program and be licensed at the advanced level; waivers exist for GS-9 as noted. Strong clinical and leadership skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program is required.
• Licensure or certification at the master's level is required for GS-11 and above; waivers may apply for GS-9.
• Two years of post-advanced practice experience is needed, with one year at GS-11, plus advanced practice expertise.

Responsibilities

• Provide psychosocial interventions, individual/group/family counseling.
• Incorporate complex causation in differential diagnosis within clinical privileges.
• Develop and implement methods to measure effectiveness of social work services.
• Provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on psychosocial treatment.
• Write policies, procedures, and practice guidelines.

Skills

Specialized interventions

Differential diagnosis

Outcome measurement

Clinical consultation

Policy development

Education

MSW from CSWE-accredited school

State social work license at advanced level

Job description

The Reproductive Health Program Manager (RHPM) is an advocate for Veterans, providing clinical, administrative, and leadership support to enhance reproductive health care services for women across the lifespan, including but not limited to contraception, fertility, perinatal care, pregnancy loss, menopause, and other reproductive health concerns. 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.
• 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.
  • Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline.

Grandfather Provision

A Social Worker employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (9/10/2019) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard may not be promoted beyond the full performance level (GS-0185-11) or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions until meeting the full qualification requirements.

Senior Social Worker, GS-12 (1) Experience/Education.

The candidate must have at least two years of experience 9 post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty.

(2) Licensure/Certification.

Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

(3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

(a) Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management.

(b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.

(c) Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes.

(d) Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.

(e) Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.

Reference:

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

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-12.

Physical Requirements:

The work requires the ability use a computer and ability to navigate throughout an office building environment. As a mobile worker, the work may require engaging Veterans in their environment. This may include emergency shelters, community agencies, veteran's residences and places not meant for habitation. Some encounters may be outdoors during all times of the year. There will be some walking; standing; bending; carrying of light items such as papers, book, small parts; or driving an automobile, etc. The incumbent is required to transport veterans using a government assigned vehicle, therefore, would need to pass a driver's physical sufficient to meet the standards outlined in policies.