Summary The incumbent has full responsibility for clinical practice, program management, educations, human resource management and supervision, and organizational stewardship for the mental health social workers within the service. The incumbent is responsible for developing, planning, clarifying, administering and managing Social worker services within the service line. Make independent professional decisions and recommendations. Responsibilities Major Duties: The incumbent serves as the Mental Health Social Work Lead(Supervisory) for NAVAHCS representing the professional interests of over 60 Mental Health Social Workers at NAVAHCS. Responsible for vetting and hiring all Mental Health Social Workers at NAVAHCS. Serve as a resource to the Chief of Mental Health Service Line on all matters related to Social Work within the service and collaborates with the facility Chief of Social Work. Recommends to senior Mental Health management the appropriate utilization and distribution of Mental Health Social Work resources within the organization. Provide consultation to Mental Health managers and other staff on Social Work qualification standards, Social Work Practice, Social Work competency and Social Work continuing education. Directs the Mental Health Social Work Peer Review, in collaboration with the facility Chief of Social Work. Provide advice and counsel to Managers and Social Worker related to work and administrative matters. Effects disciplinary measures as appropriate to authority delegated in this area. Reviews the professional credentials of all applicants for Mental Health Social Work positions and assesses their potential fit within the organization. Organizes and directs recruitments, assessments, interviews, and selection of all Social Work Candidates. Assigns mentors to new hires. Coordinates hiring activities with Human Resources or other offices responsible for credentialing, tracks required licensure and certification for all Mental Health Social Workers. Provides consultation to Mental Health Managers on issues pertaining to Social Work ethics, ethical dilemmas in the delivery of care and ethical issues within the larger organization. Has direct input and/or completes performance appraisals on all Mental Health Social Worker who are directly supervised by a non-Social Worker. Provide intensive clinical services in complex cases and carries full professional responsibility for cases presenting with a wide range of psychosocial and environmental problems. Diagnostic assessment of a patient's present mental and social functioning based on developmental and vocational history that can be used by others for treatment planning or disability rating purposes. Makes clinical assessments and develop psychotherapeutic modalities including referral to a Psychiatrists/Psychiatric Prescribers for prescription of appropriate medications or clarification of diagnosis. Treatment for mental illness, maladaptive behaviors, and other problems of an emotional nature including establishing a professional relationship with the patient for the purpose of removing, modifying, or retarding existing problems. Utilization of group dynamics and family interactions to diagnose the dysfunctional aspects of the familial relationship and provide treatment in an effort to improve or resolve the identified problems. Recording of information in the patient's medical record related to the patient's database, psychosocial diagnosis, treatment plan, and progress in therapy. Use of diagnostic knowledge of the patient's needs to make referrals to a variety of VA and non-VA resources in support of the treatment objectives of the patient. Participation in interdisciplinary collaboration with clinic personnel and with community resources. Serve on NAVAHCE, VISN, and National VA committees, as assigned. Perform other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday: 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: An incentive may be authorized for highly qualified candidates. 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. Must pass pre-employment medical evaluation. 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 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. Loss of Licensure or Certification: Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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 for this position. Supervisory Social Worker, GS-13 Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 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. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines. Skill in a range of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement. Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services by supervised social workers. Ability to delegate authority, manage priorities, coordinate work, and follow up on pending issues to complete duties in an accurate and timely fashion. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems, develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations, and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service. Ability to provide staff training and development Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts that require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, training rooms, and libraries. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The incumbent must also work outdoors in all types of weather. There may be occasional exposure to moderate risks or discomforts in storage areas or hazardous waste sites. The work is primarily sedentary, although some physical effort may be required ,e.g, walking, standing, climbing ladders, stooping, kneeling, and carrying light items such as manuals or briefcases, or driving or traveling by motor vehicle. 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 Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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 applicant's 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.