Social Worker- Program Manager Chief of Mental Health

VA Careers - Social Work: Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

• Provides broad program management responsibilities for several programs including leadership in the development implementation evaluation and oversight of complex programs responsible for comprehensive clinical care of Veterans.
• Leads several multidisciplinary teams.
• Responsible for development implementation and oversight of operational policies and procedures for the programs.
• Conducts ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects.
• Organizes and leads leadership team meetings to facilitate case disposition care management effective delivery of clinical interventions and adherence to administrative demands.
• Monitors and distributes provider-specific workload reports to team leaders and ensures provider adherence to workload standards.
• Plans work to be accomplished by team leaders and Program Managers.
• Ensures timely access to care of patients assigned to each team in accordance with local and national policies.
• Monitors compliance of team leaders and members with VA performance measures and effectively shapes provider practice patterns to improve standing on performance measures.
• Provides clinical supervision regarding adherence to WCHCS clinical and legal standards and policies.
• Provides leadership in hiring new staff for each program.
• Resolves conflicts among staff and adjudicates complaints and problems of employees in a timely and effective manner.
• Ensures appropriate coverage and approves leave for employees directly under their supervision.
• Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs to effectively coordinate services.
• Serves as voting member of Clinical Executive Board Medical Executive Committee Peer Review and Medical Records Committee.
• Allocates resources within Programs based on a data-driven decision-making process with consideration given to the overall needs.
• Responsible for timely completion of all program evaluations.
• Functions as the supervisor of record for management area team leaders/program managers.
• Coordinates with the assigned administrative partner to ensure section administrative support human resource strategic planning space and budget needs are met.
• Psychological Assessment and Diagnosis: The practice of psychological assessment and diagnosis.
• Psychotherapy treatment delivered to individuals groups and couples/families using education supportive therapy behavioral interventions and evidence-based psychotherapies.
• Assess stabilize & determine disposition of patients with emergent mental health conditions consistent with medical staff policy.
• Conduct & document suicide & homicide risk evaluations & assessments & implement safety planning.
• Administer & interpret standardized measures to assess patient outcomes & progress.
• Provide counseling & education to patients families & caregivers on mental health.
• Provide ongoing consultation & education to staff nurses medical team & student trainees.
• Admit patients to the Mental Health Inpatient Unit & residential unit including evaluation for admission & initiation of inpatient orders.
• Manage behavioral treatment of patients on the Mental Health inpatient & residential units.
• Serve as on-call clinician for Mental Health Service providing mental health consultation to the Emergency Department & medicine wards.

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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

***This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until June 30th 2026 The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be January 19th 20205 with subsequent cut-off dates on the 1st of each month. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.***

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.

English Language Proficiency - You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f)

Education.
You must possess 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. Note: A doctoral degree in Social Work may NOT be substituted for the masters degree in Social Work.

Licensure or Certification - You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the masters degree level.

Grade Determinations: Social Worker- Program Manager Chief of Mental Health 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:

1. 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.
2. Skill in applying legal ethical and professional standards to social work practice.
3. Skill in developing maintaining and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections.
4. Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice policy and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care.
5. Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership managers and other staff on 25 social work qualification standards practice competency productivity and continuing education requirements
6. Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure requirements.