Duties

- The incumbent is responsible for the strategic planning and operation of Social Work Service. The employee is responsible for ensuring the administrative and clinical supervision of social work staff in their professional role. The incumbent ensures the provision of social work services and/or case management services in a variety of inpatient and outpatient program areas and clinics.- The incumbent oversees all professional social work activities within the Medical Center, ensuring that educational and quality of care functions related to the psychosocial needs of Veterans are met. To accomplish the functions of this position, close cooperation with leadership, including all other Service Line Chiefs and program, clinic and ward administrators, staff and union faimess is required.- The incumbent is responsible for making decisions regarding work problems presented by subordinate social work supervisors. The incumbent collaborates with others in negotiating, deciding upon and/or· coordinating social work related changes affecting other programs. The employee advises Service Line Chiefs on problem involving the relationship of social work activities to the various units and programs.- The incumbent makes selections for supervisory and non-supervisory positions, hears group grevances and serious employee complaints, reviews serious disciplinary cases (i.e., those proposing suspensions and removals) and disciplinary problems involving key employees. The incumbent consults with specialists regarding training needs and decides types of training problems related to the identified problems of the supervised programs and units.- The incumbent participates in making major decisions affecting the basic content and character of the operations of programs. These decisions involve matters such as determining which program elements should be initiated, dropped, curtailed or emphasized; how many resources should be deployed; the time of curtiailing, initiating, and changing program elements; basic program planning and evaluation activities; evaluation of program goals and objectives; decisions on organizational structure and delegated responsibility; measures for improving coordination among subordinate units and control measures to provide data for executive leadership; decisions which have an impact on relationships with other programs and units and which may have the potential for negative media coverage; and decisions regarding ways to substantially reduce operating costs without impairing overall operations, such as reduction of average length of stay on impatient programs,- The incumbent is responsible for ensuring technical program development, management and evaluation that includes assessing the mission, goals, programs and problems of the medical facility in terms of psychosocial needs of patients, and establishes social work objectives to meet those needs which are consistent with medical center goals.- The incumbent reviews information pertaining to social work programs from a variety of sources (e.g., federal, state and local, including Veterans Health Administration, Joint Commission, National Association of Social Workers, Social Workers, Society of Social Work Administrators in Health Care of the American Hospital Association, etc.) and identifies requirements which must be expressed in medical facility written policies and procedures, drafts such statements or assigned tasks to subordinates to ensure their completion.- The incumbent develops procedures for, and ensures the implementation and achievement of the provision of social work services to medical facility patients on inpatient and outpatient programs. The incumbent provides, or ensures that professional staff provides advice, assistance and consultation to community health and welfare agencies and councils and other community groups to enhance the provision of social services to Veteran patients in the community.- The incumbent justifies resource needs and develops appropriate requests in line with local policies and procedures. The incumbent establishes a system and procedures to monitor and control the financial resources assigned to Social Work Service, The incumbent identifies resources available in local community related to patient and family needs for social work service, and participates with community groups in the development of such resources. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00am-4:00pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU

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. The chief social worker must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure. GS-14 Grade Requirements: - Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 grade level. The chief social work service 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. 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. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:(a) Skill in providing the full range of supervisory duties across multiple service divisions/sections, which would include responsibility for assignment of work to be performed, performance evaluation, selection of staff, and recommendations of awards, advancements, and when appropriate, disciplinary actions.(b) Skill in applying legal, ethical, and professional standards to social work practice.(c) Skill in developing, maintaining, and managing social work services in multiple divisions/sections.(d) Ability to ensure compliance with social work practice, policy, and accreditation standards across the continuum of health care.(e) Skill in providing consultation to facility leadership, managers, and other staff on social work qualification standards, practice, competency, productivity, and continuing education requirements(f) Skill in administrative oversight to ensure compliance with social work licensure requirements. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Jesse Brown Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 820 South Damen Avenue Chicago, IL 60612 US
• Name: Brandon Schnathorst
• Email: [email protected]