Social Worker

Summary This position serves as a Clinical Social Worker for the IHS Santa Clara Indian Health Center located in Espanola, NM. The purpose of the position is to provide autonomous clinical social work services, including assessment, diagnosis, treatment, crisis intervention, and case management for individuals, families, and groups.This position reports to the Clinical Director of the Santa Fe Service Unit. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021). Responsibilities Total Compensation Package - Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job: Social Worker Total Compensation | Pay (ihs.gov) Conduct independent clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and psychotherapy for individuals, families, and groups. Provide crisis intervention, risk assessment, safety planning, and interdisciplinary behavioral health consultation. Provide clinical case management, care coordination, and referrals to support continuity of patient care. Develop, implement, and modify individualized treatment plans based on clinical assessment, patient response, and evolving psychosocial conditions. Collaborate with medical providers, behavioral health clinicians, tribal programs, and community resources to ensure integrated, culturally responsive, and continuous patient care. Requirements Conditions of Employment Selectee may be subject to a probationary period ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes. Selectees must comply with the IHS Employee Immunization Policy. Exemptions may be available in accordance with agency policy. The selected individual must obtain and maintain medical staff clinical privileges and required licensure. Failure to do so may result in adverse action, up to and including removal from Federal service. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you. Background Investigation Requirement: Successful completion of a federal background investigation is required as a condition of employment. Applicants must complete all required forms within five (5) calendar days of receiving instructions. Failure to do so may delay processing or result in a determination of unsuitability. Applicants should maintain communication with their assigned Personnel Security Specialist throughout the process. Financial Suitability Requirement: This position requires a review of the applicant's financial history as part of the personnel security and suitability determination. Applicants must demonstrate financial responsibility, maintain good standing with creditors, and satisfy all legal financial obligations. Individuals with substantial delinquent or unresolved financial obligations-including, but not limited to, delinquent federal or state tax liabilities, defaulted federal student loans, court-ordered fines or fees, or child support arrears-may be deemed unsuitable for employment with the Indian Health Service (IHS). Prior to appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one document is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant. Qualifications To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. 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; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part-time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): Education: Master's degree, or higher doctoral degree, in social work from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work education. To verify your education, please list your education on your resume or submit unofficial transcripts. In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: GS-11: Applicant(s) must meet one of the following minimum qualification requirements: Experience: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-09 grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Conducting comprehensive psychosocial or behavioral health assessments; Developing and implementing individualized treatment plans; Providing therapeutic counseling or psychotherapy to individuals, families, or groups; Conducting crisis intervention, suicide or violence risk assessments, and safety planning; Collaborating with interdisciplinary healthcare teams to coordinate patient care. OR Education: Successfully completed three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree. OR Combination of Education and Experience: Combination of education and experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position. Only graduate level education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be combined with experience. Selective Placement Factor: Must possess a current, active, unrestricted independent clinical social work license (e.g., Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW), or equivalent) issued by a State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a U.S. territory that authorizes diagnosis and treatment without supervision. Time In Grade Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP). You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement. Education This position has an education requirement. If you are substituting education for experience; You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: 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 Additional Information Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. ( This position is covered by a Bargaining Unit. Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized. At least a 1-Year service agreement will be required. This position meets the criteria specified in pillar number one of the five pillars of the PHS Commissioned Corps. PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps MUST apply online under the merit promotion announcement indicated above in order to receive consideration. For more information on PHS Commissioned Corps, visit the website at: The Indian Health Service (IHS) and National Health Service Corps (NHSC) have student loan repayment programs for qualifying health disciplines. This is a competitive process separate from the hiring process. Opportunities for LRP are based on agency hiring priorities and availability of funds. For additional information please visit: For IHS - For NHSC - You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Your responses are optional and will not be scored. However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process. You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).