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Social Service Representative

Department of the Interior
Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs

Summary

This position is located with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Superintendent, Northern Pueblos Agency in San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico. In this position you will be the central point of contact for the Social Services program and provide social work services and assistance to individuals and families.


This is a Bargaining Unit position, for more information see USA Jobs What are bargaining units?

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/12/2025 to 12/26/2025
Salary
$40,769 to - $65,657 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 5 - 7
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
San Juan Pueblo, NM
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% 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
7
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
STIMP-26-12851959-CAWZ-DYA
Control number
852367200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (title 25, USC Section 472). Verification form BIA -4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference. No other documents will be accepted as proof of Indian Preference.

Duties

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  • Provide casework services to assist with processing applications, reviewing referrals, service requests, interviewing applicants, assessing client's needs and the needs of the client's family/guardian when appropriate.
  • Assist in the development of Case Plans or Individual Self-Sufficiency Plans (ISP).
  • Interview, review resources, and determine eligibility of clients applying for Financial Assistance and Social Services based on federal regulations, policies and procedures.
  • Conduct preliminary interviews and make home visits to further assess financial assistance eligibility.
  • Assist in maintaining budget, financial statements, and current balance for the Social Service program’s account.
  • Maintains case records, letters, and prepares reports and recommendations as required.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship Required
  • 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 your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated
  • A background security investigation will be required for all new hires. Appointment will be subject to the applicant's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • If you are a male applicant born after 12/31/1959 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.
  • Incumbent may be required as an incidental duty to operate a government-owned or leased motor vehicle. If selected, you will be required to complete an Incidental Motor Vehicle Operator's Certification Form.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: (OPM Operating Manual and Individual Occupational Requirements for GS-0187: Social Services Series).

INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in any field leading to a bachelor's degree, in an accredited college or university, is qualifying for GS-5 level positions.

GRADUATE EDUCATION: Major study -- social sciences. One full academic year of graduate study is qualifying for GS-7.

NOTE: Equivalent combinations of education and experience are also qualifying for grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable.

-OR-

GENERAL EXPERIENCE (for GS-5 positions): Three years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4, is qualifying for GS-5 level positions. General experience is work in a social services activity or other organization that required the ability to conduct interviews; to collect and analyze pertinent facts; to provide needed information, advice, and practical assistance; and to prepare clear concise personal histories and factual reports.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE (for positions above GS-5): One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower level in the normal line of progression is qualifying for positions above the GS-5 level. Specialized experience is experience in a program of direct social welfare services that required the application of program policy and operations knowledge in providing social welfare services and/or assisting social workers.

GS-07: Qualifying is one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-6 grade level in the normal line of progression. Specialized experience is work that involved the provision of direct social welfare services to families and individuals, which includes child welfare services. Assist social workers with investigating, analyzing and reporting on client case files; prepares and manages case files; develops case plans or Individual Self-Sufficiency Plans (ISP); provides training and technical assistance on disposition of records; and conducts preliminary interviews with clients and explains program policy and federal regulations.

GS-06: Qualifying is one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-5 grade level in the normal line of progression. Specialized experience is experience in a program of direct social welfare services that required the application of program policy and operations to provide child welfare services to clients and/or assist social workers; process client applications, review referrals and service requests; perform program automated data processing functions; and provide records management.

GS-05: Qualifying is three years of general experience, 1 year of which was equivalent to at least GS-4 grade level. General Experience is work in a social services activity or other organization that required the ability to conduct interview; to collect and analyze pertinent facts; to provide needed information, advice, and practical assistance; and to prepare clear concise personal histories and factual reports or 4-year course of study in any field leading to a bachelor's degree, in an accredited college or university. (One year of full-time undergraduate study is defined as 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours) or a combination of experience and education which totals 100% of the requirement. To compute, determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determine your education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; then add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal at least 100% to qualify.

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).

The full performance level of this position is GS-7. 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: http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp

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: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/; Vets Info Guide: http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.

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 application package will be evaluated against the minimum qualification requirements specified above. In order to qualify, your resume must specifically describe your work history and the duties you performed in each position.

Please limit your resume to no more than 2 pages. If more than 2 pages are submitted, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

Your resume will be evaluated after the closing date of 12/26/2025 to determine whether you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position.

Please follow all instructions carefully, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, which may include a structured resume review and a structured interview. These assessments measure the critical competencies required to successfully perform the job.


DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/application does not support your Assessment Questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level.

Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (Title 25, USC, Section 472). Verification Form BIA-4432 must be submitted with the application if claiming Indian Preference. Indian Preference eligibles not currently employed in Federal service may be appointed under the Excepted Service Appointment Authority Schedule A, 213.3112(a)(7). Consideration will be given to Non-Indian applicants in the absence of qualified Indian Preference eligibles. For more information, please visit: https://www.bia.gov/jobs.

DUE WEIGHT FOR PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS AND AWARDS. For Current and Former Federal Employees, due weight will be given for performance and awards. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process. If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

REVIEW BEFORE YOU SUBMIT: You may preview the assessment questions here in the https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12851959.

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