This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

The position is located at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MEDVAMC) and the incumbent performs a variety of duties in this 1A medical facility, classified as the highest in complexity within the Veterans Health Administration. The MEDVAMC provides healthcare services to approximately 123,000 Veterans in Southeast Texas; and outpatient clinics located in Beaumont, Conroe, Galveston, Lufkin, and Richmond, Texas. The primary purpose to the incumbent is to coordinate the administrative duties of the Social Work Service with a strong business acumen to guarantee the primary goal of optimally delivering high- quality care to the Veteran. The duties of the incumbent are highly complex and require in-depth Administrative and health systems knowledge and complex managerial skills in the management and administration. The duties include matters related to resource allocation. Serves as the clinical, technical, and administrative authority for the Service Line. The incumbent has wide latitude to exercise independent judgment in performing work of unusual difficulty and responsibility in this highly technical field. Major duties include, but are not limited to: The incumbent works independently and is responsible for keeping the Medical Center Director, Deputy Medical Center Director, Associate Director, Chief of Staff, Associate Director for Patient Care Services and Chief Social Work Service informed of major problems and decisions. Provides supervision of both clinical and non-clinical staff, and administrative operations support for Title 38 and hybrid Title 38 employees. Administrative responsibilities include assignment of work, setting of priorities, tours of duty assignment, leave approval, setting performance standards, writing position descriptions, training, conducting semiannual evaluations and counseling employees is marginal or unsatisfactory. Participates in the resolution of all union and EEO complaints within the service line. Maintains and improves systems of delivering health care by developing better programs and policies, improving utilization of resources, designing and overseeing needed changes and being a catalyst for the many clinical programs in the Medical Center. Assists in the administrative oversight for the programs and services provided in Social Work Service at the MEDVAMC in Houston Texas by planning, developing, evaluating, and directing key administrative activities in the multiple programs in the programs in Social Work Service related to outpatient and inpatient. Develops, analyzes, evaluates, advises on, or improves the effectiveness of work methods and procedures, organizations, manpower utilization, distribution of work assignment, delegation of authority, management controls, information and documentation systems, and similar functions of management. Provides guidance and direction to the many and varied license staff within Social Work Service regarding VHA directives, policy, MCM's and SOP's assure efficiency and customer satisfaction, including scheduling of activities, daily monitoring of the operations of the programs measuring outcome of services provided by reviewing and analyzing data making recommendations for improved efficiency and effectiveness, reviewing patient satisfaction surveys, and performance measures. Conducts periodic administrative review of Clinical Privileges for all and professional staff consistent with VACO and JCAHO criteria. Maintains assignment and attendance records for all; consulting staff, interns, trainees, Title 5, and Title 38 Staff. Provides guidance and assistance to supervisors and staff on all personnel issues. Provides advice and makes recommendations to Chief, Social Work Service regarding distribution of workload. Monitors budget allocation and execution to ensure that operating program objective are met. Perform analysis of budget requests by employing techniques such as cost-benefit analysis or exploring alternative methods of funding. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 01287F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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. Verification of the degree can be made by going to the CSWE website to verify if that social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a master of 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. English Language Proficiency Requirement - Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). GS 13 Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates Experience/Education. The candidate must have one year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. 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 supervisory social workers 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) Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines. (b) Skill in a range of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement. (c) Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services by supervised social workers. (d) Ability to delegate authority, manage priorities, coordinate work, and follow up on pending issues to complete duties in an accurate and timely fashion. (e) Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems, develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations, and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service. (f) Ability to provide staff training and development. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39 Social Worker Qualification Standard. Preferred Experience: Experience serving in and Executive leadership role requiring strong business acumen and clinical experience. Experience with VA systems. The full performance level of this vacancy is a GS-13. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center 2002 Holcombe Boulevard Houston, TX 77030 US
• Name: Timothy Countryman
• Phone: 303-330-7566
• Email: [email protected]