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Supervisory Social Services Assistant

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration

Summary

The employee will serve as the Supervisory Social Services Assistant, located in the Quality, Training, and Risk Management Department Veterans Crisis Line (VCL), Veterans Affair (VA). The VCL is a 24-hour, 7-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year service aimed at connecting callers worldwide to a caring, qualified Veterans Administration employee. The VCL's mission is to provide 24/7, world-class suicide prevention and crisis intervention services to Veterans, Service Members and their family members.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
04/21/2026 to 04/26/2026
Salary
$61,722 - $100,315 per year

Salary will be adjusted upon selection, based on location.

Pay scale & grade
GS 9
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Anywhere in the U.S. (remote job)
Remote job
Yes
Telework eligible
Not applicable, this is a remote position.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
CBZY-12931167-26-JH
Control number
865852500

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current, permanent employees of the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) including Title 38 and Hybrid Title 38 employees covered by VA/OPM Interchange Agreements and those eligible under CTAP. This does not include temporary, term, or intermittent appointments. CTAP eligibles are current Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employees that are surplus or displaced from the VA. All others will be disqualified and not receive consideration.

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Duties

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Major duties include but are not limited to:

  • Meets regularly with direct reports and program staff to understand and meet changing customer requirements and to establish priorities.
  • Serves as an advocate for the silent monitoring team with the supervisor and other VCL leadership.
  • Identifies team requirements and initiates requests for additional resources including personnel, overtime, equipment, supplies, and space to ensure success in meeting team goals and objectives.
  • Plans and assigns work in a manner that promotes a smooth flow and even distribution of workload with subordinates.
  • Sets and adjusts short-term priorities and prepares work schedules.
  • Assigns work to subordinate employees based on organizational priorities and consideration of difficulty and requirements of assignments such that the experience, training, and abilities of staff are utilized effectively to meet organization and customer needs.
  • Balances workload and provides advice, guidance, and direction on a range of silent monitoring, training, and administrative issues.
  • Sets priorities and deadlines for work assignments and special projects assigned to team.
  • Recommends or approves personnel actions.
  • Effects minor disciplinary measures, such as warnings and reprimands, recommending action in more serious cases.
  • Determines and implements methods to improve quality and quantity of work efforts.
  • Plans, organizes, and directs the activities of the silent monitoring office, ensuring that monitoring and training provided by subordinates complies with legal and regulatory requirements and meets customer needs.
  • Provides staff training and directions/guidance on the monitoring processes. Serves as a coach and mentor to staff supervised as well as to other SSAs in the organization.
  • May perform silent monitoring to SSAs or observe staff providing those services.
  • Serves as the SME in the creation, evaluation, modification, and oversight of SSA training.
  • Develops and revises classes, briefings, lesson plans, methods of instruction, training-aid materials and multimedia instructional materials using Microsoft Power Point, Word, and Excel.
  • Reviews and analyzes new information and incorporates into existing training material.
  • Maintains complete knowledge of all service tasks and programs, as well as system and telecommunications capabilities.
  • Develops, organizes, and conducts training needs assessments for SSAs obtaining information from staff supervised, and direct or indirect feedback from SSAs and VCL supervisors and managers.
  • Analyzes results of needs assessments, information provided by subordinate staff and conducted monitoring sessions, performance evaluations and other feedback mechanisms, as well as information provided by supervisors and other VCL trainers to document SSA performance concerns, deficiencies, and other challenges.
  • Develops goals and objectives that integrate VCL and silent monitoring objectives.
  • Establishes or recommends new or changes to policies and procedures for accomplishment of silent monitoring objectives.
  • Coordinates plans and schedules with other organization managers and customers as appropriate.
  • Establishes metrics and analysis systems to ensure actions are timely and reviewed at critical points.
  • Follows-up to ensure complete and quality resolution of discrepancies.
  • Assesses and revises policies and procedures as needed to find ways to improve quality, timeliness, and efficiency of work. Serves as a point of contact for operational technical concerns.
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Tour of Duty is typically Administrative Hours.
Compressed/Flexible Work Schedule: May be authorized upon supervisor approval after training per Agency policy.
Remote: This is remote position.
Position Description/PD# Supervisory Social Services Assistant/PD985290
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not required
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
This is not a bargaining unit position

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
  • To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
  • Subject to background/security investigation
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may 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.
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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 04/26/2026.

Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade 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): The IOR is a basic requirement that must be met by every applicant in order to qualify for entry into this occupational series and is something that cannot be waived. Your education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. To qualify for this occupational series, you must possess one of the following: Group leader in community or residential recreation or training programs; Counselor in a youth summer camp; Instructor in a training program for the development of job skills; Work that demonstrated the ability to be responsible for and to lead and train members of a job crew; Group activities leader in the Armed Services; Unit leader-monitor-proctor for a dormitory group in a boarding school or other residential facility; Aid or assistant to professional or specialist staff in such fields as personnel (private or government), employment guidance in a vocational or academic institution, social service, or manpower development; Aid or assistant to professional or associate staff engaged in work of a social services nature in private, public welfare, government program, or community organizations, or in voluntary activities; Aid or assistant to professional or specialist staff working with individuals who are addicted to or abuse alcohol and/or drugs.

GS-09 Supervisory Social Services Assistant: For this position, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education described below:

Specialized Experience: For this position, you may qualify based on your experience and/or education described below: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade (GS-08) in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. In order to meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet at least 4 of the 7 following specialized experience requirements:

  • Skill in applying regulations and procedures as it relates to mental health and suicide prevention.
  • Ability to develop, review, implement, evaluate and modify training using various modes of delivery. Methods include silent monitoring of staff for consistency, accuracy, reliability, 6 feedback, and performance; classroom instruction; online learning resources; briefings, presentations, training aids, documents, and other related training materials.
  • Ability to design, evaluate, and modify training plans and objectives that meet the technical needs of staff, supervisors, and the organization.
  • Knowledge of CAPRI, Outlook, PKI, Excel, and other computer software programs to develop and provide SSA training;
  • Knowledge of procedural assignments to include familiarity with clinical settings, skill with computers, data entry, internet searches, written communication, and skill in organizing and maintaining records and record summaries to extract and analyze data to prepare management reports.
  • Provides staff training and directions/guidance on the monitoring processes.
  • Assigns work to subordinate employees based on organizational priorities and consideration of difficulty and requirements of assignments such that the experience, training, and abilities of staff are utilized effectively to meet organization and customer needs; OR
Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. Applicants must possess a Master's Degree or have successfully completed two years of graduate-level education leading to a Master's Degree or equivalent graduate degree that is directly related to the work of this position that demonstrates my ability to perform the duties of this position. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university. One year of graduate study is usually considered to be 18 semester hours unless otherwise indicated by the school attended. OR

Combination: Applicants may possess an equivalent combination of specialized experience and graduate education with courses directly related to the work of this position that demonstrates your ability to perform the duties of this position. (e.g., 6 months of specialized experience and 27 semester hours of graduate education)..

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:
  • Leadership
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Technical Competence
  • Administration and Management

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 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time 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 work is sedentary. There may be some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

Transcript Reminder: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Transcripts must depict the name of the college to determine accreditation, and your name must also be displayed on the transcripts. If qualifying based on a degree, or for positions requiring a degree, the transcript must show the date the degree was conferred. If selected, you must provide official transcripts. Transcripts should state degree conferred and have a date. Copies of official transcripts are accepted and are the best way to ensure your education is interpreted correctly in accordance with OPM qualification standards. Unofficial transcripts are accepted if they contain all the required information.

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/.

Additional information

Order of Referral: This job announcement will remain open until 04/26/2026 . Applications received up to 11:59pm EST on the date in which 50 applications is reached will received first consideration (initial cutoff). Applications received after 11:59pm EST on the date in which 50 applications are received may not receive consideration unless otherwise requested by management. Additional applications will be reviewed in one-day increments at management request.

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 job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

TheCareer Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following Competencies for this position:


USA Hire Assessments include a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and must include job title, duties, month and year start/end dates AND hours worked per week. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time 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. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

Veterans Health Administration

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for those who have served in our nation's military and for their families, caregivers, and survivors" - by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate whole health care to Veterans?

Agency contact information

VHA National Recruitment Center
Phone
(844)456-5208
Email
VHANationalRecruitmentCenter@va.gov
Address
Office of Suicide Prevention, Veterans Crisis Line
810 Vermont Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20420
US

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http://www.va.gov/jobs

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