Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

Social Worker (Program Coordinator)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Houston, Texas

Salary Range: $113165 - $147118 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Major Duties:

• The Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC) facilitates the implementation of suicide prevention strategies at a local level through education, monitoring, and coordination activities. The SPC functions as a coordinator for care of Veterans at suicide risk and an advisor to the Mental Health Care Line (MHCL) Executive, facility leadership, program managers, and staff concerning suicide prevention strategies for individual patients, for the facility and Veteran community as a whole. The SPC is responsible for continued contact and monitoring with Veterans that have been identified as high-risk for suicide to assure continued care and treatment. The SPC is responsible for delivering community outreach activities every month. Outreach activities often include driving to and from events in the facility catchment area, transporting outreach materials and facilitating the events. Duties include, but are not limited to: Tracks and reports all suicide attempts and deaths at the facility, including the submission of a monthly report to the Office of Suicide Prevention. Responsible for following up on consults (within 24 business hours) received from the VA Crisis Line to assure timely access to care and follow-up for patients in crisis. Responsible for continued contact and monitoring with Veterans identified as high-risk for suicide to assure continued care and treatment. Ensures patients identified as being at high risk for suicide receive followup for any missed mental health and substance abuse appointments in conjunction with the clinical treatment team, and that this follow-up is documented in the electronic medical record. Responsible for maintaining a facility "high-risk" list, per their consultation with clinicians. Monitors and ensures personal contact with Veterans who have been identified as surviving an attempt or who are identified as being high risk. Participates in individual Root Cause Analyses (RCAs) concerning patients who have attempted or died by suicide. Involved in the Environment of Care (EOC) Safety Survey. Responsible for the delivery of Operation S.A.V.E. training to all non-clinical staff. Also responsible for the delivery of other training programs at the site by request of the facility. Responsible for the delivery of the community version of VA S.A.V.E. training to community organizations that have contact with Veterans. Responsible for building relationships with local and state suicide prevention organizations, local crisis line organizations, and local Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs). Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Subject to change based on the needs of the facility. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA. Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Avaiable. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 580-02312-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Qualifications: 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. 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/. 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: Social Worker (Program Coordinator), GS-12 Experience/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: (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. Preferred Experience: Experience with crisis intervention. Experience in presenting formal and informal trainings. Experience in community outreach activities. This position requires driving to community outreach events with occasional night and weekend events. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation; see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 03/30/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12906394. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-30