Supervisory Social Worker

Supervisory Social Worker

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Portland, Oregon

Salary Range: $107866 - $140232 Per Year

Job Summary: VA Portland Health Care System is a Complexity Level 1a Facility and provides extensive primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary care in outpatient, inpatient, residential, and community settings. VAPORHCS is a multi-site medical system that includes a major medical facility in Portland, Oregon, outpatient and residential facilities in Vancouver, Washington, and 10 Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

Major Duties:

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The duties of this position include but are not limited to the following: The Supervisory Social Worker has personnel management responsibilities for a medium size professional and nonprofessional staff, including support staff and professional staff up to the GS-12 grade level and below. The incumbent is primarily responsible for the professional and administrative management of inpatient social workers assigned to acute medical, surgical, specialty, and critical care areas. The incumbent may also be assigned professional and managerial responsibilities for social workers and support staff who work closely with inpatient care services in associated outpatient specialty clinics or outpatient programs. The incumbent must be licensed at the advanced practice level and be able to provide clinical supervision for subordinate staff to qualify for licensure. The incumbent may also provide direct clinical services to Veterans and caregivers. Services include both primary and secondary care health care services, to include, but not limited to, psychosocial screening and assessment, psychosocial treatment and intervention, specialized case management and care coordination, and health education and advanced health care planning. The Supervisory Social Worker has supervisory and administrative responsibility for the management of assigned staff in the Department of Social Work Service. The incumbent supervises a group of employees performing work at various GS levels up to their own grade and provides administrative, technical, and clinical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit. The incumbent assists in planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures; developing individual and/or group goals and objectives; and monitoring, evaluating, coordinating, and overseeing the professional and administrative staff of the assigned program. The incumbent ensures staff are aware of and adhere to all current VHA directives, Joint Commission standards, state licensure standards, VA-OIG expectations, and related regulatory statutes and professional requirements. The incumbent will conduct ongoing intensive reviews and appraisals to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing and oversight bodies. The incumbent possesses advanced knowledge and skill in supervision, organization, and leadership qualities to lead employees and in accomplishing assigned tasks. The incumbent exercises supervisory and managerial responsibility primarily for social workers assigned to inpatient acute medical, surgical, specialty, critical care, and emergency department areas. The incumbent may also be assigned professional and managerial responsibilities for social workers and support staff who work closely with inpatient care services in associated outpatient specialty clinics or outpatient programs. Staff supervision assignments may change based on the needs of the service. The incumbent supervises employees to accomplish the work of the organizational unit and the department. The incumbent provides guidelines and performance expectations for staff, clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system; completes annual competencies; observes staff performance; provides formal and informal feedback; evaluates employee performance; and completes annual and mid-year performance appraisals. The incumbent works to resolves informal complaints and grievances; develops performance improvement plans and/or recommends personnel actions; provides advice and counsel to workers related to work and administrative matters; effects disciplinary measures; and reviews and approves or disapproves leave requests. The incumbent ensures staff are trained and comply with safety regulations. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 07:30am-4:00pm or 08:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): 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/. (1) 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. (a) For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam, and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam. In states such as California, Washington, and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years, social workers must become licensed at the independent, master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure. (b) A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. (c) Different states have different levels of licensure or certification, making it difficult for VHA staff to determine the independent practice level. Each state, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia completed surveys identifying the level of licensure or certification allowing independent practice. Copies of the surveys are on file in the VHA Office of Care Management and Social Work Services, and a summary spreadsheet of the levels of licensure or certification is available to social work professional standards board members for purposes of determining whether the social worker's level of licensure or certification meets the VHA qualification standards. All states except California use a series of licensure exams administered by the ASWB. Information can be found at https://www.aswb.org/. The ASWB is the association of boards that regulates social work. ASWB develops and maintains the social work licensing examination used across the country and is a central resource for information on the legal regulation of social work. The ASWB offers three examinations. The master's examination is generally used by states for the independent practice level of licensure or certification, while the advanced generalist and the clinical examinations are used for the advanced practice level of licensure or certification. Differences between the master's and the advanced exams demonstrate the expectation that advanced practice social workers will have a more sophisticated knowledge of practice theory and its application. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Supervisory Social Worker, GS-12 (1) Education and Experience. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. 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. (2) Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as Supervisory Social Workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines. (b) Knowledge of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement. (c) Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services. (d) Ability to provide staff training and development. (e) Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees, team leaders, and managers. (4) Assignment. 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. At the GS-12 grade level, supervisory social workers typically have significant personnel management responsibilities for a small to moderate sized professional and non-professional staff, including support staff and professional staff at the GS-12 grade level and below. The supervisory social worker is responsible for the professional and administrative management of an area in a social work service, in a care/product line, or multiple facilities. They provide direct clinical services with or without program coordination responsibilities. Preferred Experience: 2 Years Inpatient Social Worker experience. 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 in the range of GS-12 to GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

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 12/02/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12839298. 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: 2025-12-02