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Summary The assistant service chief must possess supervisory and management skills. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment. Candidates 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, internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience. Responsibilities The assistant service chief 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. Major Duties include but are not limited to: Demonstrate knowledge of: administrative and supervisory duties, which includes personnel actions, clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments, and quality improvement; knowledge of legal, ethical, and professional standards applicable to social work practice -Ability to develop, maintain, and oversee social work programs in all settings including identification of needs for social work assessment, evaluation, and treatment Determining priority needs for social work services Recommending adjustments to staffing levels accordingly Demonstrated global knowledge of social work practice in health care and mental health settings including resources, and the policies and procedures pertaining to home and community-based care, acute care, ambulatory care, long term care, performance measures, and clinical guidelines Provide consultation to care line managers and other staff on social work qualification standards, social work practice, social work competency, social work productivity, and social work continuing education Provide supervision for social work licensure and practice supervision for facility social workers functions Take the lead role for all accreditation site visits for the Social Work/Behavioral Health department. (CARF, OIG, Joint Commission, VISN, etc.) Responsible for supporting these functions per the direction of the Chief In the absence of the social work chief, the assistant chief has full management and supervisory responsibility for the social work program The incumbent assumes the supervisory and administrative responsibility for the management of the assigned social workers who function within various programs in the VA Healthcare System Assists in planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures Developing individual or group goals and objectives, as well as monitoring, operating, evaluating, coordinating, and overseeing the Social Work staff of the assigned program Assure the Social Workers whom they supervise are aware of, adhere to all current directives of VHA, and meet current JCAHO standards, State licensure standards, and VA-OIG expectations. Conduct ongoing intensive reviews and appraisals with subordinate staff to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing bodies Performs administrative and personnel management functions related to staff supervision Observes workers' performance and demonstrates and conducts work performance critiques Provides informal feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance Works to resolve informal complaints and grievances Develops work improvement plans, recommending personnel actions as necessary. Provides advice and counsel to workers related to work and administrative matters Enforce disciplinary measures as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area and all directives as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area Reviews and approves or disapproves leave requests Incumbent assures that subordinates are trained and fully comply with the provisions of the safety regulations Supervises employees to accomplish the work of the organization unit Exercises supervisory authorities and responsibilities involving work assignment and review, as well as the administrative and personnel management functions relative to the staff supervised Performs work related to the review, monitoring, analysis, planning, and assessment of various programs Actively participates in service planning and development, advising the service chief of shifting trends with caseloads and identifying the need for making recommendations on program procedure or policy changes based upon workflow and program requirements Participates in the oversight of the service's trainee program and the orientation of graduate social work students, students of other disciplines and health system personnel on the psychosocial aspects of healthcare Responsibility for improving staff's professional skills, participating in planning and executing specific staff development projects, attending seminars and institutes, and participating in training programs of other disciplines as requested Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: This is not a telework position Virtual: This is not a virtual position Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In 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. Note: Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. Qualifications 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. 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. Exception. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be licensed or certified. At the time of appointment, the supervisor, chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification, including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline. For appointments at the GS-9 grade level, VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent, master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker. A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker (Assistant Chief), GS-12 Experience/Education: Individuals assigned as assistant service chiefs must have the equivalent of at least one year of creditable experience comparable to the GS-11 grade level. The assistant service chief 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. Candidates 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: Individual 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 administrative and supervisory duties, which includes personnel actions, clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments, and quality improvement. Knowledge of legal, ethical, and professional standards applicable to social work practice. Ability to develop, maintain, and oversee social work programs in all settings. This includes identifying needs for social work assessment, evaluation, and treatment; determining priority needs for social work services; and recommending adjustments to staffing levels accordingly. Demonstrated global knowledge of social work practice in health care and mental health settings including resources, and the policies and procedures pertaining to home and community-based care, acute care, ambulatory care, long term care, performance measures, and clinical guidelines. Ability to provide consultation to care line managers and other staff on social work qualification standards, social work practice, social work competency, social work productivity, and social work continuing education. Ability to provide supervision for social work licensure and practice supervision for facility social workers. Preferred Experience: Certification and utilization of brief evidence based practices Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. This position is above the full performance level. Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019 Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.