Social Worker (Service Chief)

Summary The Chief of Social Work Service for the San Francisco VA Health Care System (SFVAHCS) oversees all aspects of the Social Work Services at this VA facility. The incumbent has full responsibility for provision of complex social work services requiring advanced practice skills. The incumbent is a full-time administrator for more than 200 social work staff including 16 subordinate supervisory social workers at eight Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs). Responsibilities Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm Telework: Available – Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be Authorized for Highly qualified candidates Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized The incumbent has full responsibility for clinical practice, program management, education, human resource management and supervision, and organizational stewardship for all social work programs. Responsible for the following programs to include but not limited to: Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (HUDVASH), Homeless Services, Home Based Primary Care (HBPC), Inpatient Services, Specialty Clinics/Medical/Surgical/Emergency Department (ED)/Renal Dialysis/Discharge, Geriatrics, Palliative & Extended Care (GPEC), Caregiver Support Program, Community Based Community Clinics (CBOCs), Substance Use Disorder (SUD), Grant Per Diem (GPD), Home Health Aid (HHA), and Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). Duties of the position include, but are not limited to: Responsible for the strategic planning and operation of Social Work Service. Responsible for ensuring the administrative and clinical supervision of social work staff in their professional role. Ensures the provision of social work services and/or case management services in a variety of inpatient and outpatient program areas and clinics. Oversees all professional social work activities within the health care system ensuring that educational and quality of care functions related to the psychosocial needs of veterans are met. Responsible for making decisions regarding work problems presented by subordinate social work supervisors. Collaborates with others in negotiating, deciding upon and/or coordinating social work-related changes affecting other programs. Advise Care Line Chiefs on problems involving the relationship of social work activities to the various units and programs. Make selections for supervisory and non-supervisory positions, hear group grievances and serious employee complaints, review serious disciplinary cases (i.e., those proposing suspensions and removals), and disciplinary problems involving key employees. Consults with specialists regarding training needs and decides types of training problems related to the identified problems of the supervised wards/units. Participates in making major decisions affecting the basic content and character of the operations of programs. Responsible for ensuring social work productivity standards are established and monitored and participates in making decisions for re-deploying social work staffing resources based on patient need, productivity, and workload. Responsible for validating and consulting on Managerial Cost Accounting Program (MCAP) labor mapping and Cost Distribution Reports (CDR) for social workers. Establishes and maintains functional statements or ensures the establishment for each position in Social Work Service to ensure the existence of accurate, detailed descriptions of all duties performed by staff. Establishes and maintains performance requirements or reviews performance requirements and standards developed by subordinate supervisors, for positions in Social Work Service and communicates such standards to employees. Establishes and maintains functional statements or ensures the establishment for each position in Social Work Service to ensure the existence of accurate, detailed descriptions of all duties performed by staff. Establishes and maintains performance requirements or reviews performance requirements and standards developed by subordinate supervisors, for positions in Social Work Service and communicates such standards to employees. Responsible for ensuring technical program development, management and evaluation that includes assessing the mission, goals, programs, and problems of the health care facility in terms of psychosocial needs of patients and establishes social work objectives to meet those needs which are consistent with medical center goals. Reviews information pertaining to the social work programs from a variety of sources and identifies requirements which must be expressed in health care facility written policies and procedures, drafts such statements or assigns tasks to subordinates to insure their completion. Makes recommendations to the ADPCS/NE for naming discipline members and others to serve as Social Work site managers and other support positions necessary to ensure the smooth running of professional social work activities. Briefs executive leadership orally and in writing on a regular basis concerning matters related to Social Work Service, to provide information required to make effective decision making for program planning. Actively participates in all social work/clinician candidate selections, participates in the development, review, and approval of functional statements. Other duties as assigned by management. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. 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 masters 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 masters 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 masters degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. 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: Social Worker (Service Chief), GS-14 Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. The chief social work service must evidence possession of supervisory and management skills. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. May have certification or other post-masters 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. The chief 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. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in providing the full range of supervisory duties across multiple service divisions/sections, which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendations of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions. Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice. Skill in developing, maintaining, and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections. Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements. Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure requirements. 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-14. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.