Social Science Program Specialist

We're Looking for a skilled Social Science Program Specialist in the Veterans Health Administration based in Spokane, Washington. Read through the job description to see if it matches your current experience.

The Successful Applicant

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement 10/16/2024. TimeInGrade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet timeingrade requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS07 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS05. For a GS09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS07. The grade may have been in any occupation but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF50 that shows your timeingrade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF50 has an effective date within the past year it may not clearly demonstrate you possess oneyear timeingrade as required by the announcement. In this instance you must provide an additional SF50 that clearly demonstrates oneyear timeingrade. Note: TimeInGrade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for the 0101 occupational series: All applicants regardless of grade level must meet minimum education or specialized experience requirements. For this occupation the education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. Basic Requirements: Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR Degree: behavioral or social science or related disciplines appropriate to the position. OR Combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. GS 07 Qualifications: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS05 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Knowledge of and demonstrated ability to use sound judgment in the application of fundamental principles methods and theories of development and personality skilled in writing in a clear and concise manner to communicate documentation of contacts and other reports ability to provide supportive services to homeless Veterans and their families using a variety of modalities ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients professionals and representatives from community agencies. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have successfully completed one full year of graduate level education or superior academic achievement. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination equivalent of two years of undergraduate education and two years of specialized experience at the GS05 level directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. GS 09 Qualifications: You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include but are not limited to: Knowledge of and demonstrated ability to use sound judgment in the application of fundamental principles methods and theories of development and personality basic knowledge of crisisoriented counseling and interventions including triage assessments and interventions with difficult potentially dangerous clients basic knowledge of eligibility requirements for patient services through VAMC other Federal State and community programs to facilitate use of such services for Veteran clients skilled in writing in a clear and concise manner to communicate documentation of contacts and other reports ability to provide supportive services to homeless Veterans and their families using a variety of modalities ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients professionals and representatives from community agencies. OR Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have two years of progressively higherlevel graduate education leading to a masters degree or masters or equivalent graduate degree. Education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. (Transcripts Required). OR Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of some specialized experience equivalent to the GS07 grade level but less than one year and I have more than one year but less than two years of graduate education. I have computed the percentage of these requirements that I meet and the total is at least 100 for the GS09 grade level. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with your application materials. Education cannot be credited without documentation. Experience must be clearly indicated in your resume. (Transcripts Required). You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Customer Service Interpersonal Skills Partnering Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. Peace Corps AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g. professional philanthropic religions spiritual community student social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies knowledge and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 3540 hours of work per week. Parttime experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to travel in the local community to provide services and some overnight travel to remote parts of the designated catchment area may be required. Lifting and carrying of light items is required less than 15 pounds such as binders charts and reports. Driving a vehicle is required and transportation of Veterans may be needed at times. Some outreach to areas such as homeless camps will also be required. For more information on these qualification standards please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at https://www.opm.gov/policydataoversight/classificationqualifications/generalschedulequalificationstandards/.

What’s on Offer

The role offers excellent opportunities for top performers to further develop their competencies as a social worker and improving the lives of people.