Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

The Social Worker (Program Coordinator) serves as The Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator (CEPC). The incumbent is a member of a diverse, multi-professional team who works independently and has extensive experience developing and leading groups, partnerships, or coalitions addressing suicide prevention.

To qualify for this position, all applicants must meet the basic requirements within 15 calendar days following the closing date of this announcement. 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. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met: Social Worker (Program Coordinator), 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 program coordinator must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following 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. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Much of the work occurs within a typical office setting, either individually or in meeting with others, or in meeting rooms. Requires time to be spent walking to the mental health buildings with time spent on psychiatric units involved with nursing or other staff in activities typical of a health care center. There may be occasional risk of physical harm, which requires special precautions and training which will include PMDB (Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior). The incumbent may be exposed to infectious diseases and medical/psychiatric emergencies. Tele-mental health services are conducted with patient or clinician at remote site via video-conference equipment.