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Social Worker (Child Welfare Worker)


Job Location:

Albuquerque, NM - USA

Yearly Salary: USD 75489 - 75489
Posted: 6 October 2026 (22 days ago)
Application Deadline: 8 January 2027
Vacancies: 1 Vacancy

Job Summary

Summary

This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Southwest Region Division of Human Services in Albuquerque New Mexico. You will provide essential social casework services to Native American Indian children individuals elderly and families.


This is a Bargaining Unit position for more information see USA Jobs What are bargaining units

Duties
  • Works in conjunction with the Supervisory Social Worker in program planning developing and monitoring of child protection services.
  • Serves as an Awarding Official Technical Representative for Social Service and Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) contracts and grants.
  • Provides critical protective services to children vulnerable adults and the elderly to include protective service investigations conducting risk and safety assessments and case management services.
  • Arranges for foster care placements institutional placements and out-of-home placements based on the outcome of a protective service investigation.
  • Provides technical assistance in the development of protective service teams.
  • Assists in reviewing researching and responding to incoming ICWA notices within a regulatory timeframe.
  • Enters all received ICWA notices into the Bureaus case management system on a regular basis.
  • Reviews and consolidates received ICWA reports and seeks clarification from tribes as needed.
  • Assists with policy development surrounding all subcomponents of a Human Services program.

Requirements
Conditions of employment
  • U.S. Citizenship Required
  • As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period OR 2-year trial period during which your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated
  • A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicants successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
  • Incumbent may be required as an incidental duty to operate a government-owned or leased motor vehicle. If selected you will be required to complete an Incidental Motor Vehicle Operators Certification Form.
  • The pay flexibilities of a recruitment relocation or student loan repayment incentive may be authorized pending availability of funds and management approval.
  • TRAVEL AND RELOCATION EXPENSES WILL NOT BE AUTHORIZED. ANY RELOCATION EXPENSES ASSOCIATED WITH REPORTING FOR DUTY WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SELECTED EMPLOYEE.
Qualifications

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific Positions and Individual Occupational Requirements for GS-0185: Social Work Series).

BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR ALL GRADES: Masters Degree: Social Work. Must fulfill all of the requirements for the MASTERS DEGREE in social work in a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirement applicants must have the following:

GS-11: Qualifying is one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. This experience includes but is not limited to work involving: 1.) applying professional knowledge of the principles and practices of social work; 2.) providing direct services to individuals and families and groups; 3.) educating or providing instruction training consultation and/or advice on social work related questions and services; 4.) interprets and applies specialized program knowledge and skill of the Social Services Program; 5.) serve as a case manager of assigned cases; 6.) maintains a formalized case management system which documents the workflow of case services with individual case plan. (Your resume must support this experience.) OR 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree.

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate level education and appropriate specialized experience that together meet the qualification requirements of this position.

Graduate Education: Graduate education must be related to the occupation and demonstrate the knowledge skills and abilities necessary to do the work.

Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge skills and abilities (KSAs) to perform successfully the duties of the position and is typically in or related to the position to be filled.

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date.

Additional selections may be made from this announcement if identical vacancies occur in the same location within 90 days from the closing date.

Education

If you are qualifying based on your education you MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims. Unless otherwise stated: (1) official or unofficial transcripts are acceptable or (2) you may submit a list with all of your courses grades semester year and credit for the course. All materials must be submitted by the closing date of the announcement.

If more than 10 percent of your undergraduate course work (credit hours) were taken on a pass/fail basis your claim of superior academic achievement must be based upon class standing or membership in an honor society.

One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study. Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate schools definition of one year of graduate study 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education which shows the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information visit: FOREIGN EDUCATION

Additional information

The probationary or trial period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest meet the organization goals and mission of the agency and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the determining if your employment advances the public interest the agency will 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.

Under applicable law the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies in writing that the individuals employment should continue and that their appointment should be the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period -OR- trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) OR Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) Programs provides placement assistance to permanent Federal employees who are surplus displaced or involuntarily separated. Applicants claiming CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit a copy of their most recent performance appraisal proof of eligibility and most current SF50 noting position grade level duty location with their application. To be considered under CTAP/ICTAP applicants must be qualified (i.e. meet the minimum qualification requirements including any selective placement factors; education and experience requirements) and be able to perform the duties of the position upon entry. For more information visit: APPOINTING AUTHORITY: Certain candidates may be eligible to apply under a special hiring authority including those for disabled individuals Peace Corps employees Foreign Service employees veterans etc. For more information visit the following OPM websites: USAJOBS Information Center: Vets Info Guide: should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.


Required Experience:

IC