Social Work (Program Coordinator)

• 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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• 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.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

***Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates***

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information refer to Required Documents below.

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until October 28 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be August 17 2026 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. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(9) as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419 enacted November 1 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA all applicants must meet the following:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States.
• 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 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.

Grade Determinations: GS-12 Social Worker (Program Coordinator).

(1) Experience and 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-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.

(2) 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.

(3) Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Knowledge of program coordination and administration which includes consultation negotiation and monitoring.(b) Knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and/or practice guidelines for the program.(c) Ability to supervise multidisciplinary staff assigned to the program.(d) Skill in organizing work setting priorities meeting multiple deadlines and evaluating assigned program area(s).(e) Ability to provide training orientation and guidance within clinical practice.

(4) Assignments. 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. Program coordinators at the GS 12 grade level are administratively responsible for a clinical program providing treatment to Veterans in a major specialty area such as but not limited to: Spinal Cord Injury Homeless Continuum Veteran Program Hospice and Palliative Care Program Suicide Prevention Program Veterans Justice Outreach Caregiver Support Program and Community Nursing Home Program. The program coordinator may be the sole practitioner in this specialty at the facility and typically provide direct patient care services in the program area. The program coordinator oversees the daily operation of the program develop policies and procedures for program operation and prepare reports and statistics for facility VISN and national use. They may be responsible for the programs budget developing and monitoring staff compliance with practice standards and guidelines on documentation workload data entry ethical practice and service delivery. The program coordinator provides analysis and evaluation of clinical program data and computerized programs to identify system-wide trends and needs to enhance the quality of service. They may be responsible for or contribute to the programs resource and fiscal management monitoring control points developing the annual budget operating within that budget and accounting for appropriated funds. The program coordinator is administratively responsible for the clinical programming and prepares reports and statistics for facility VISN and national use. They provide leadership direction orientation coaching in-service training staff development and continuing education programs for assigned staff. They initiate and conduct a variety of program or service audits and complete designated clinical practice audits and reports including productivity assessments. They oversee program operations and evaluations identifying areas for improvement gathering relevant data assessing the data developing and implementing ideas for improvement and evaluating efficacy of improvement efforts.

Preferred Experience: Previous experience in program oversight and leadership. Familiarity with fiscal processing or budget management.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

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. Job entails the ability to have active listening reading observing and evaluating verbal and non verbal behavior; walking speaking writing clinical notes writing and reading policies and procedures using office equipment such as computers telephones fax machines copy machines and cell phones. Must be able to remain current in Basic Life Support (BLS) certifications and able to engage in Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior or have a valid exemption.