"Alerted.org

Summary This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Superintendent, Mescalero Agency in Mescalero, New Mexico. In this position you will provide social work services to families and individuals, professional child welfare services, and financial assistance to the tribe. This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see USA Jobs What are bargaining units? Responsibilities Conducts preliminary interviews with potential clients to determine eligibility for services and resources. Implements and provides all facets of child welfare services to eligible clients. Conducts home visits and reassessments of clients when needed. Provides testimony for scheduled hearing with tribal court on social services cases. Establishes service plans for clients. Establishes and maintains client case records. Retrieves and logs mail, correspondence and routes to appropriate personnel. Reviews outgoing correspondence. Performs timekeeper functions. Files and records management data necessary to complete required monthly, quarterly, and annual reports. Serves as the Awarding Official’s Technical Representative. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for GS-0187: Social Services Series.) SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE, GS-09: Qualifying is one year of specialized experience or the equivalent to at least the GS-08 grade level in Federal service. Examples of specialized experience includes work that involves direct social services conducting interviews with clients and explaining rules and procedures; assessing client needs; applying social work practices; receiving and responding to assigned service requests/referrals alleging child and/or adult neglect/abuse; conducting home visits; completing and submitting required paperwork seeking court intervention in child welfare matters; conducting risk assessments; developing, reviewing, monitoring, and updating Individual Self-Sufficiency Plans and case plans to address identified needs; serves as Awarding Official's Technical Representative (AOTR) for contracts and assists with program audits, contract compliance and reviewing tribal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) reports. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE, GS-08: Qualifying is one year of specialized experience or the equivalent, comparable to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience includes work that involves the administration and management of all facets of a human services program and works with program recipients from a wide variety of backgrounds and needs; identifies needs and provides tailored assistance across a wide range of cases; formulates recommendations for the use of resources and services; receiving and responding to assigned service requests/referrals alleging child and/or adult neglect/abuse; developing case plans and preparing case closure; updates client data for welfare assistance and case management activities; handles client cases using considerable independence but keeps supervisor informed of issues or problems; proposes appropriate changes to service plans. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE, GS-07: Qualifying is one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-06 grade level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience includes work that involved providing information and referring clients to appropriate agencies for public welfare, medical care, vocational guidance, unemployment benefits and other such programs; assisting social workers with investigating, analyzing, and reporting on client case files; assisting in developing case plans or individual self-sufficiency plans; conducts preliminary interviews with potential clients and explains regulations and procedures. -OR- EDUCATION: Major study -- social sciences (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or equivalent). One full academic year of graduate study is qualifying for GS-07. Graduate education is not creditable for positions above the GS-07 level. An equivalent combination of education and experience is also qualifying for the GS-07 grade level for which both education and experience are acceptable. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. GRADUATE EDUCATION: Graduate education must be related to the occupation and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. COMBINATION OF EDUCATION/ EXPERIENCE: A combination of graduate level education and appropriate specialized experience that together meet the qualification requirements of this position is qualifying. 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 school's 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 All new hires earn the beginning salary of their pay grade (Step 1). See 2025 Salary Tables and select the pay chart for Mescalero, New Mexico. If no specific chart is listed for this geographic location, see the "rest of U.S." chart. The full performance level of this position is GS-9. Promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. A career ladder promotion is at the discretion of management, and in no way guaranteed. 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 service. In 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 individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In 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: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee\_guides/career\_transition.asp SPECIAL 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: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/; Vets Info Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.