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
• 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
• GS-12 Social Worker (Program Coordinator) Grade Determination: Experience and/or 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
• Preferred Experience: Two years post LCSW licensure, experience managing a program and performance improvement.