Supervisory Social Worker (Outpatient Subspecialty/Social Work Navigator)

VA Boston Healthcare System; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain campus, seeks a Supervisory Social Worker (Outpatient Subspecialty) to lead clinical social work services and supervision for an outpatient program. This full-time, 40-hour week position requires advanced practice and program oversight within a complex medical setting.

The role emphasizes care planning, case management, staff supervision, and performance improvement, with opportunities to influence clinic capacity and patient access across

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in social work from CSWE-accredited program.
• Licensed or certified to independently practice social work at master’s level.
• U.S. Citizenship or eligibility per VA policy.

Responsibilities

• Organize work, set priorities, meet deadlines.
• Provide clinical supervision and staff development.
• Ensure provision of clinical social work services.
• Develop and supervise social work staff pursuing licensure.
• Collect and report program performance data.

Skills

Care planning

Case management

Staff supervision

Program evaluation

Data analysis

Outreach

Education

MSW degree (CSWE-accredited)

Job description

This Supervisory Social Worker (Outpatient Subspecialty) Social Work Navigator is at the VA Boston Healthcare Systems located at the Jamaica Plain location. This position is a full-time 40 hours per week.

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.
• 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/.
• Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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

GS-12 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 must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement.
• Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services.
• Ability to provide staff training and development.
• Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers.

Preferred Experience:

1. Expertise in care planning, case management, and navigating complex medical and psychosocial systems for diverse patient populations.
2. Proven ability to supervise, mentor, and evaluate social work staff, including those pursuing independent licensure. Experience with performance management and corrective actions.
3. Experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating social work programs, including continuous quality improvement and outcome measurement.
4. Ability to collect, analyze, and report program performance data; track trends; and use technology to improve program functioning.
5. Experience conducting targeted outreach across complex healthcare systems to assess clinic capacity, build referral pathways, and increase patient access to specialty or surgical services, ideally within VA or similar integrated care environments.

References:

VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39

The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements:

Able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Applicants must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the applicant or others.