Social Worker

Summary This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Superintendent, Mescalero Agency, Branch of Human Services, in Mescalero, New Mexico. You will plan, develop, implement, and monitor the agency's child protection services within the Mescalero reservation. AMENDMENT NO. 2: This job announcement has been extended to close on 06/02/2026 for the solicitation of applications. Responsibilities Works in conjunction with the Supervisory Social Worker in program planning developing, and monitoring of child protection services. Serves as an Awarding Official Technical Representative for Social Service and Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) contracts and grants. Provides critical protective services to children, vulnerable adults, and the elderly to include protective service investigations, conducting risk and safety assessments, and case management services. Arranges for foster care placements, institutional placements, and out-of-home placements based on the outcome of a protective service investigation. Provides technical assistance in the development of protective service teams. Assists in reviewing, researching and responding to incoming ICWA notices within a regulatory timeframe. Enters all received ICWA notices into the Bureau’s case management system on a regular basis. Reviews and consolidates received ICWA reports and seeks clarification from tribes as needed. Assists with policy development surrounding all subcomponents of a Human Services program. Requirements Conditions of Employment Qualifications EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for Professional and Scientific Positions and Individual Occupational Requirements for GS-0185: Social Work Series). BASIC REQUIREMENT FOR ALL GRADES: Masters Degree: Social Work. Must fulfill all of the requirements for the MASTERS DEGREE in social work in a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED: In addition to meeting the basic qualification requirement, applicants must have the following: GS-09: Qualifying is one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service. This experience includes, but is not limited to, work involving: 1.) applying professional knowledge of the principles and practices of social work; 2.) recommending direct services to individuals, families, and groups; 3.) educating or assisting with instruction, training, and guidance or providing consultation and technical assistance on social work related questions and services. (Your resume must support this experience.) OR 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. GS-11: Qualifying is one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 grade level in the Federal service. This experience includes, but is not limited to, work involving: 1.) applying professional knowledge of the principles and practices of social work; 2.) providing direct services to individuals and families, and groups; 3.) educating or providing instruction, training, consultation and/or advice on social work related questions and services; 4.) interprets and applies specialized program knowledge and skill of the Social Services Program; 5.) serve as a case manager of assigned cases; 6.) maintains a formalized case management system which documents the workflow of case services with individual case plan. (Your resume must support this experience.) OR 3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of graduate level education and appropriate specialized experience that together meet the qualification requirements of this position. Graduate Education: Graduate education must be related to the occupation and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work. Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform successfully the duties of the position, and is typically in or related to the position to be filled. 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 2026 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-11. 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: 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: Vets Info Guide: