Social Worker Jobs in Columbus, OH
Social Worker jobs in Columbus are in strong demand, concentrated in neighborhoods like the Short North, Franklinton, and the Near East Side across healthcare systems, county human services agencies, and nonprofit social services organizations. Employers actively hiring include Nationwide Children's Hospital, OhioHealth, and Mount Carmel Health. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Summary
As the Division Director of Recovery Services, the incumbent has clinical, technical, professional, supervisory, and administrative responsibility for all aspects of the SUD division in the Behavioral Health Service. Recovery Services is made up of programs which include 1) Intensive Outpatient Treatment, 2) Low intensity Rehabilitation/Aftercare, 3) Ambulatory Detoxification, 4) On-site Suboxone (buprenorphine) services, 5) Tobacco Cessation 6) Dual Diagnosis Treatment (SUD/PTSD and SUD/SMD)
Learn more about this agency
This job is open to
The public
Internal to an agency
Clarification from the agency
NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.
Duties
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU
Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional
- The incumbent interprets policies, procedures, directives, information letters, etc., from VA Central Office, the VISN, and local facility leadership in order to assure adherence by Recovery Services staff. The incumbent develops and maintains policies and procedures concerning patient care, specifying program and service operation, and evaluating such programs and services as necessary.
- Provides public relations and community education regarding the VA, and responsible programs and services, to various social, medical, mental health, legal and housing and welfare organizations. These include Federal, State, County, and City government offices, as well as private non-profit service agencies and organizations. The incumbent represents the VA at meetings with stakeholders, community partners and other agencies, and collaborates to form partnerships and develop alternatives and improvements to the current system of program and service delivery.
- The incumbent manages and coordinates day to day operations, administrative tasks, clinical staff, and quality improvement meetings and activities. The incumbent oversees the practice, qualifications, competencies and ethical standards and concerns that may arise from the staff and the treatment provided. The incumbent oversees the provision of services to all Recovery Services programs. Incumbent reviews workload, productivity, utilization, and cost data for staff, programs and services, and such data is communicated to the staff for program and service assessment, implementation and evaluation. The incumbent carries full administrative responsibility and consults closely with local discipline leadership regarding clinical issues.
- The incumbent must know and understand a wide range of clinical concepts, administrative principles, and management practices, and must possess skill in applying this knowledge to difficult and complex situations.
- The incumbent must have knowledge of VA administrative procedures related to personnel actions, control point and fiscal management, veteran eligibility and benefits, and community resources. The incumbent serves as Control Point Official for funds related to Recovery Services.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Available (Ad hoc)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 93040-O
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
- 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.
- Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
- Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
- 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.
Qualifications
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
Basic Requirements:
Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part).
English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
Education. Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the School of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work.
Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.
- May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).
Grade Determinations:
Supervisory Social Worker , GS-13
Experience/Education. One year of experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment. Candidate may have certification or other post-master's degree training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship, or equivalent supervised professional experience.
Licensure/Certification. Individuals assigned as supervisory social workers must be licensed or certified at the advanced practice level, and must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
- Ability to independently organize work, set priorities, and meet multiple deadlines.
- Skill in a range of supervisory duties which includes clinical supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments and quality improvement.
- Ability to ensure provision of clinical social work services by supervised social workers.
- Ability to delegate authority, manage priorities, coordinate work, and follow up on pending issues to complete duties in an accurate and timely fashion.
- Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems, develop and implement solutions that result in efficient operations, and use data effectively to manage workload, quality, performance, and productivity within the service.
- Ability to provide staff training and development.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.
Physical Requirements: Physical qualifications require the ability to sit frequently and for long periods of time. Must be able to spend long periods of time on a computer. Must have good hearing and eyesight. Must be clean and neat in appearance. This position may require travel. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, viewing a computer terminal, extensive reading, and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
Education
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
Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
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.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
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.
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.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
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.
The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.
Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
- License
- Resume
- Transcript
Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.
Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.
The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.
- Cover Letter
- DD-214/ Statement of Service
- Disability Letter (Schedule A)
- Disability Letter (VA)
- License
- Other (1)
- Other (2)
- Other (3)
- Performance Appraisal
- Professional Certification
- Resume
- Separation Notice (RIF)
- SF-15
- SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
- Transcript
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/02/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13032762.
- To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
- Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
Agency contact information
420 North James Road
Columbus, OH 43219
US
Next steps
Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.
NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.
Overview
- 0185 Social Work
- Credentialing
- Suitability/Fitness
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Find Social Worker JobsSocial Worker Job Market in Columbus
Who's Hiring
- Nationwide Children's Hospital35

- OhioHealth14

- Mount Carmel Health14

- National Youth Advocate Program14

- The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center14

Top Industries Hiring
- Healthcare & Medical Services
Social Worker Jobs in Columbus: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a social worker job in Columbus?
Focus your search on Franklin County's public human services offices, Columbus-area hospital systems, community mental health centers, and the city's dense nonprofit sector in Franklinton and the Near East Side. Candidates with experience in child welfare, substance use treatment, or housing case management are especially competitive here. Bilingual Spanish skills open additional doors given Columbus's growing Latino community on the west side.
Which companies hire social workers in Columbus?
Employers hiring social workers in Columbus right now include Nationwide Children's Hospital, OhioHealth, and Mount Carmel Health, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Columbus draws a mix of large hospital networks, county government agencies, and mission-driven nonprofits, all of which maintain consistent social worker hiring across clinical, community, and administrative roles.
Are there remote social worker jobs in Columbus?
Yes, though remote availability is limited by nature since most social worker roles require direct client contact, home visits, or court appearances. About 44% of social worker openings tied to Columbus are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, and those positions tend to concentrate in care coordination, utilization review, and telehealth counseling rather than frontline case management.
How can I get a social worker job in Columbus with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in Columbus is through Franklin County Children Services or a local nonprofit like Community Shelter Board as a case aide or social services assistant, roles that don't require licensure and build direct client experience. AmeriCorps placements at Columbus-area community organizations are another strong on-ramp. Volunteering with Columbus Public Health or completing a field placement at a Franklin County agency also helps candidates move into paid positions quickly.
Which industries hire the most social workers in Columbus?
The sectors hiring the most social workers in Columbus are Healthcare & Medical Services, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Columbus's role as the state capital and home to a large county government, combined with major hospital systems and a well-funded nonprofit infrastructure, keeps demand for social workers consistently high across all of those sectors.
See All 166+ Social Worker Jobs in Columbus
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