Career Center

This Social Worker position is in the Mental Health Service located at the VA Bedford Medical Center, MA. This position is full-time at 40 hours per week. Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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. The following are the basic requirements and qualifications for appointment as a Social Worker in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). English Language Proficiency Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. Education Requirement - You must have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Note: 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. Transcripts Required Licensure: Candidates must possess a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Social Worker at the advanced practice level in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. Copy of Licensure Required. In addition to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following experience to qualify for this GS-12 Social Worker (Program Coordinator) position: Grade Determinations: Experience GS-12 Grade Level: 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: (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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standards, dated 9/10/2019. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Duties may include, but are not limited to: Develops, facilitates, and strengthens Community-Based Interventions for Suicide Prevention at the community, state, and VISN levels; Serves as a subject matter expert (SME) in public health and suicide prevention, supporting partnerships and coalitions by providing new or existing community education and outreach initiatives on behalf of the assigned VA Health Care facility and the surrounding catchment area; Develops VHA-community partnerships - meet with prospective community partners and/or establish formal relationships between the VHA and local partners to facilitate suicide prevention in the community; Provides a variety of suicide prevention trainings including but not limited to a focus on training in Lethal Means Safety, Mental Health Apps (Hope Box, PTSD, etc.), Military Culture, Other Gatekeeper Training (QPR, ASSIST), Postvention, Safety Planning, S.A.V.E., Suicide Risk Evaluation, Whole Health/Wellness; Provides leadership for coalition management -- leads alignment of community coalition goals with VA goals, collaborates with non-VA coalition leaders (remote or in person), attends coalition meetings (general) and coalition subcommittee meetings, manages and attends coalition sponsored events/public meetings, conducts and/or supports coalition evaluation activities (survey distribution, data collection, key informant interviews, etc.); and leads other coalition activities defined in a coalition action plan; Serves as a SME supporting coalitions and partners by developing and leading new or existing education and outreach initiatives on behalf of the assigned VA Health Care facility and the surrounding catchment area; Provides leadership with the suicide prevention team in the development and implementation of suicide prevention educational programs and initiatives; Is responsible for establishing and maintaining strong relationships between the VA suicide prevention team and community-based veteran organizations and leadership; Closely coordinates with Suicide Prevention (SP) team members, and other facility and VISN stakeholders and the National OMHSP office to implement SP communication plans, both internal and external to the VA; Develops materials and training programs, in coordination with the SP team members, other facility and VISN stakeholders, and the National OMHSP office/MIRECC for staff and external stakeholders regarding suicide prevention in VHA and the facility; Utilizes multimedia campaign materials (e.g., printed articles, brochures, videos) to educate and engage target audiences; Effectively participates in organization's interdisciplinary approach for performance improvement strategies; Responsibility for participation in and leadership of work groups and task forces developing national, regional, and local initiatives to integrate suicide prevention telehealth initiatives with other efforts; Provides independent subject matter expertise in community-based suicide prevention strategies; participate in leadership roles in local, state and national professional organizations related to suicide prevention; Represent the facility at professional community group/events and committees, in conferences and meetings with higher ranking managers, supervisors, and staff from other disciplines or work units, and/or with representatives of local public interest groups, congressional district offices and employees of State and local governments. Work Schedule: Full-Time; Mon-Fri; 8:00am-4:30pm\nCompressed/Flexible: Not Available\nTelework: Not Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: F04890\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Available\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required NOTIFICATIONS: This position is in the Excepted Service. Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement. This position is a NAGE Bargaining Unit position. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay. Narrative responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) may be required from the selectee in order to proceed with the appointment. Current and former Federal employees must submit copies of their most recent SF-50, (Notice of Personnel Action). The SF-50 must identify the position title, series, grade, step, tenure and type of service (Competitive or Excepted). In some cases, more than one SF-50 may be required to show a higher grade previously held."]