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3 Social Worker Job Description Samples for 2023

Stephen Greet, Co-founder

January 3, 2023

You want to help others and see lives changed. You’re ready to hire a social worker, someone who helps their clients handle their everyday problems.

The tasks of a social worker are quite broad, but essentially, they help children, adults, families, or even communities better their lives using tools like therapy, counseling, crisis intervention, and more.

Social workers are found in many fields, such as public and private health care, schools, community centers, and the government. It’s no easy feat, and it requires an immense amount of emotional energy, but it can be one of the most rewarding careers out there.

A good social worker employs active listening and critical thinking skills to provide appropriate help for their clients. A truly stellar social worker uses empathetic verbal communication to truly connect with their clients, regardless of their background or culture, empowering them to feel seen and heard.

If you feel like finding the perfect social worker is a nigh-impossible task, fret no more. BeamJobs is here to help! In this guide, we'll provide practical examples to create a stellar social worker job description, so you’ll be reading amazing social worker resumes before you know it.

Social Worker Job Description Example

Job details: FocysGroup is a nonprofit multi-service organization running 15 programs across Chicago, serving over 8,000 children, teenagers, and families annually. Through on-site and home-based after-school and family support programs and crisis intervention, we set at-risk individuals and families up for success, no matter their background.

As the new school year begins, we’re looking for three school social workers to alternate between four schools on the South Side. You’ll help provide plans of care and action for students that require social work intervention, along with providing assistance to their families as needed. Keep reading to learn more!

Responsibilities:

Conduct evaluations, intakes, and assessments for an average of 90 students per year
Provide counseling, general assistance, and clinical counseling to students
Liaise and facilitate communication with service providers involved with students and families as necessary
Provide families with assistance for services such as food stamps, Medicaid, housing placement, etc.
Attend and participate in team meetings, parent-teacher meetings, and annual reviews to set or follow up on IFSPs and IEPs
Refer students and families to community/city/state/national resources and other agencies as needed
Coordinate and/or host workshops, groups, outreaches, presentations, and other activities as requested

Qualifications:

MSW degree, LCSW degree preferred
Professional Educator License
2-4 years experience in the social work field, in schools or with at-risk youth (family experience a plus)
Exceptional interpersonal communication skills, both verbal and written (bilingual skills in Spanish are a plus)
Organizational and multitasking skills
Strong attention to detail
Computer proficiency required (Microsoft Office/Google Work suite)
Excellent crisis intervention skills
Willingness to support students and families of all religious, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds

Benefits:

$62–70K, paid weekly
Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and life insurance plans
403(b) retirement plan, with a 3% employee contribution after 6 months
All supervised hours can count towards the hours needed for your LCSW
Paid time off and public holidays
Paid public transit costs
Tuition assistance program
$50 monthly credit towards physical/mental health courses
Free internal & external professional training & seminars

Who we are: FocysGroup believes in a city where every Chicagoan has the opportunity to grow in a thriving neighborhood and discover their true potential to be their most authentic selves. While a world without injustice is unlikely, FocysGroup works with families, youth, and communities to minimize the role of trauma and focus on building long-lasting resilience. Summer camps, college prep courses, domestic violence support groups, and community network groups are just some of the many programs we offer across Chicago to make a tangible difference in the community’s journey to success.

Since 1930, we’ve been working in Chicago communities with the fewest resources, even when we were just eight college students passionate about helping those most in need. Today, we’re a team of over 100 based in downtown Chicago, offering our comprehensive support services to thousands of students and families across Chicago, in the steadfast hope of creating a brighter city for everyone.

See yourself playing a role in fostering the next generation of thriving communities in Chicago? Send your application to FocysGroup today, or pay us a visit in person!

Social Worker Manager Job Description Example

Job details: Changing the world, one patient at a time.

We’re LoveCare, one of the country’s leading health centers with over 150 locations across the nation. Our team of dedicated social workers provides support for the entire gamut of the human experience, from psychiatric care, behavioral therapy, daily physical support, and everything in between. Using a skilled combination of social services and community resources, we help our LoveCare patients approach their problems head-on.

We’re based in Nampa, Idaho, and will soon be opening our second community health center in Boise. We’re looking for a social worker manager to hire and onboard up to a dozen staff, provide strategic leadership, and oversee the workflow of our social work department. If you’re passionate about taking ownership in the social work and caregiving field, keep reading to see if we could be a good fit!

Responsibilities:

Recruit and onboard 10-12 social workers
Hire, evaluate, and supervise relevant staff
Plan, coordinate, and implement programs that comply with all city, state, and federal rules/regulations
Liaise with third parties (including agencies and service providers) to help execute our long-term strategic vision
Represent the social work department in front of press, committees, the general public, etc.
Provide the team with assignments in line with their current workflow and patient care plans
Offer one-on-one guidance and support to social workers
Assist with more challenging cases and provide final assessments on patients' psychiatric/social/physical needs
Develop policies and procedures together with the social work director, based on committee, task force, and department meetings, as well as the latest research

Skills required:

Master’s degree in social work
Must be licensed to perform social work in Idaho
3–4 years of social work case management experience
Data entry and report writing experience
Experience using Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, and database software
Experience in staff supervision (preferably either in a mental healthcare facility or social work capacity)
Bilingual experience a plus (Spanish)
Strong time management, organization, and multitasking skills
Ability to work under pressure, either independently and cross-departmentally
Valid driver’s license
Experience in governmental policies and procedures a plus

Benefits:

$87–98K with yearly performance-based increases
Comprehensive insurance plans (medical, dental, and life)
Tuition reimbursement
2.5% match on your 401(k)
Paid time off
4 weeks parental leave
Free fitness center
Leased company vehicle
Quarterly company-sponsored events
Professional development education sponsorship opportunities

About LoveCare: The LoveCare Community spans 29 states and employs hundreds of care members whom we call family. We’re united by our passion to dramatically improve our communities, using the array of programs, resources, and service providers available to us.

We’ve never once wavered in our mission to help the less fortunate since the day we started in 1962, back when we were a group of seven friends from Nampa, Idaho. Although we didn't have much, we set out to hear, help, and respect those who needed care the most, no matter their background. Sixty years later, we’re still providing world-class health and social services and setting best practices for others in the field.

We owe our success to our LoveCare family, who embody love and compassion. Furthermore, they use their dedication to their community to fuel their research to develop personalized methods of care for every patient, .

Want to make a difference in your city? Stop by your nearest LoveCare community center, or send us an email today. We look forward to hearing from you!

Director of Social Worker Job Description Example

Job details: Future Healthcare Group, or FHG, is America’s leading impact-driven healthcare organization. Headquartered in Boston and operating across the entire continental U.S.A., our focus is to provide a streamlined, life-changing experience for patients in the healthcare system. For 120 years, our tried-and-true legacy of innovative social work and individualized care has inspired and improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients.

We’re on the lookout for a highly-seasoned social worker with a strong background in leadership to replace our current director of social work in Miami. If the prospect of leading, managing, and overseeing the strategic direction of a community-driven organization excites you, consider sending in your application.

The role:

Oversee and direct all of FHG Miami’s social work department’s operational, strategic, and fiscal direction
Direct and manage 4 social work departments: clinical, medical, social work, and psychiatric
Initiate and oversee QA action plans to improve the department
Collaborate with community engagement officer to proactively seek out, develop, and maintain relationships with vendors, providers, state agencies, and other external parties
Support/mentor the department and identify potential career progression opportunities
Provide guidance and oversight for high-risk patients or family members
Develop, implement, and improve on policies and procedures in line with all state/federal regulatory requirements, together with all relevant departments
Attend and provide guidance as needed for relevant initiatives, committees, task forces, etc. in line with our directorial strategy

Qualifications:

MSW and LCSW
10+ years of relevant social work experience, with minimum of 5 years in a managerial/supervisory role, in both an office and home-based setting
Outgoing and personable with self-directed leadership skills
Outstanding multitasking abilities and capable of working in high-pressure situations
Experience in recruiting, mentoring, and supporting staff
Critical thinking, data analysis, and strong organizational skills
Proven expertise in creating, executing, and revising programs, policies, and processes
Stakeholder experience with local government preferred
Managed care/Medicare/MediCal experience strongly preferred
Demonstrated knowledge in executing high-level strategies (some experience in finance/business development needed)

Benefits:

$110–165K base pay plus bonuses
Comprehensive insurance policy (health, dental, vision, life)
401(k) with 4% matching
Paid time off
Paid parental leave
Flexible working schedule (2 days remote, dependent on workload)
Leased company vehicle and expense account
Free training and development programs
Annual week-long retreat with FHG staff

Who we are: Welcome to Future Healthcare Group, where we bring the future of patient care to the present. Our patient-centric approach is the core foundation and framework of all our interactions.

Since 1902, when we were just a small church operating in the Boston suburbs, we’ve been committed to doing whatever it takes to know and show our patients the way to best help themselves and help others. Over a century later, the FHG family is an incredibly diverse team spanning the entire healthcare field, all dedicated to ensuring the best clinical care for our patients.

If you believe the future of healthcare is now, we invite you to apply to join our team of like-minded professionals. Send us an email or stop by one of our corporate locations today to start making a lasting impact in the healthcare field!

Write an Outstanding Social Worker Job Description

Writing the perfect job description isn’t easy, nor is it to be taken lightly. Remember, for many candidates, this might be the first time they come into contact with your company, so if you don’t impress them, you could lose them before they make it to the end of your social worker job description.

In fact, during our research, we've unfortunately stumbled upon quite a few job descriptions that definitely did not make a great impression! Some have been copy-and-pasted from Google search results, while others only read “Social Work Director for globally recognized college health and academic network.” Either way, there are several faux pas companies make when writing job descriptions, alienating a lot of stellar talent from submitting a resume.

Fret not: with a little bit of guidance from BeamJobs, you’ll be able to write the best social worker job description in a jiffy!

Decide who you need on your team and why

There’s a very important one-word question you need to ask yourself and your team when drafting your job description. And that question is: Why?

To elaborate a bit more, why are you looking for a new social worker? Does your team have an unmanageable caseload? Is your organization moving in a different strategic direction?

Help your potential candidates quickly understand the reason they’re needed, so they’ll already have an overview of what you’ll be expecting so they’ll know if they’ll be a fit from the start.

When you’re looking for a social worker, you want someone who is compassionate, hard-working, and prudent. Does your job description reflect that?

For example, does your job description demonstrate that you care about your community? The staff on the front lines? Do you highlight your mission and vision throughout the text?
Social work can be extremely intensive, physically and emotionally. Do you mention the hard and soft skills necessary for success, like working under pressure or great multitasking skills?
Do you provide an overview of your long-term strategic vision? Do you make it clear that they’ll need to make proactive decisions towards this vision?

By spending a few minutes answering these questions, you’ll make it so much easier to ensure your job description truly resonates.

Proofread and perfect for a well-developed job description

“Time is money,” goes the saying, but we’re a bigger fan of a spin-off of that quote: “Time is precious!” Avoid writing a job description text that’s as long as the notes from that 3-hour meeting you were just in. Instead, keep it sweet and concise!

Critically analyze each paragraph, and make sure it’s just boiled down to the essentials so your candidates know what to expect when they land an interview for the social worker position.

Then, make sure you edit and revise, checking your spelling and grammar.

It’s also important to have a second (and maybe third) pair of eyes take a look at your job description from a content perspective. Have at least one other person from the social work department have a look at it, and maybe ask someone from another team to catch anything you might have missed.

After you’re done proofreading, all that’s left to do is post it and share it with the world. Let the social worker resumes roll in!

Start off Right by Outlining Your Social Worker Job Description

Are you procrastinating on creating a job description and wishing you could just skip to interviewing candidates? With our trusty outline, it’s easier than you think to write an amazing job description if you follow it step-by-step!

Job details: Start by quickly introducing your company and the vacant role. Keep it short, but give candidates the most important info so they’ll realize why they should apply for your social work position. Why is the position open? Who will they be working with? And to further entice them to keep reading, briefly mention why they should work for you.

What you’ll be doing/Roles/Responsibilities/Requirements: Applicants will likely skim through this section to get a quick sense of what they might be doing day-to-day. Mention what’s unique to the role, as opposed to saying something trite or generic like “Help change the lives of others.” To make it easier to read at a glance, use bullet points for this section.

Examples:

Provide counseling, general assistance, and clinical counseling to students
Attend and participate in team meetings, parent-teacher meetings, and annual reviews to set or follow up on IFSPs and IEPs
Hire, evaluate, and supervise relevant staff

Qualifications: This section helps potential candidates see if they have a chance at getting the job. However, you should avoid listing every possible hard or soft skill necessary. Only include what’s truly needed on day one, as opposed to what can be learned on the job. Otherwise, you might discourage people from applying.

Examples:

3–4 years of social work case management experience
Demonstrated knowledge in executing high-level strategies (some experience in finance/business development needed)
10+ years of relevant social work experience, with minimum of 5 years in a managerial/supervisory role, in both an office and home-based setting

Benefits: If there’s one thing you should always remember, it’s to never make promises you can’t keep. Make sure you only mention perks that actually exist, and instead of saying “competitive compensation,” offer a salary range.

Finally, include any other benefits that could make your organization stand out, and make it as specific as possible. which will make it easier to attract and retain talent.

About the company: This section should go at the end after readers have had the chance to find out more about the role. Tell them a little about who you are, but don’t wax poetic on the history. Give them a sneak peek into your values, culture, and vision. That way, social workers can see if you’ll be a good match.

Roles and responsibilities inside the social worker industry

Being a social worker requires juggling many responsibilities. After all, it’s a pretty tall order to have to improve the physical and/or mental health of your clients and help them better manage their problems.

That’s why we’ve compiled a list of different potential roles you can include in your social work job description. While it’s unlikely that someone will be doing all of them at once, there’s a fair chance they’ll need to handle them all at one point or another during their career.

Communicator

Social workers often have to deal with challenging clients, including those who may be at risk of physical endangerment, self-harm, or increased mental health problems. There may often be communication barriers (gender, language, age, etc.), so it’s critical that they’re excellent communicators, both verbal and written.

Support at-risk, underprivileged youth and their families by liaising with their service providers, and facilitating communication as needed
Assist with more challenging cases and provide final assessments on patients' psychiatric/social/physical needs
The role requires culturally sensitive communication skills, both verbal and written, as well as high emotional intelligence and active listening skills. Bilingual experience a plus.

Counselor

One of the key responsibilities that social workers undertake to help their clients is counseling. While some social workers may refer clients to counselors, most stellar candidates will need to help their clients personally, to some extent, to overcome their challenges.

Provide counseling, general assistance, and clinical counseling to students
The role requires Illinois social work licensure, high emotional intelligence, open-mindedness, and active listening skills.

Third-party Management

Many social work organizations work closely together with government bodies and other third parties. An adept social worker will be great at building and fostering relationships with these parties to allocate much-needed resources to ensure the long-term success of the company.

Liaise with third parties (including agencies and service providers) to help execute our long-term strategic vision
Represent the social work department in front of press, committees, the general public, etc.
This role requires strong interpersonal skills as well as excellent people management and verbal communication skills. (Knowledge of local laws and regulations preferred.)

Planner

From the short- to long-term, there’s often a lot going on at the same time. To ensure tasks actually get completed and your organization stays on track, it’s important to have a candidate who is adept at handling multiple responsibilities and envisioning the bigger picture.

Attend and participate in team meetings, parent-teacher meetings, and annual reviews to set or follow up on IFSPs and IEPs
The role requires strong time management, organization, critical thinking, and written communication skills. A driven personality is a plus.

Reporting & Analysis

It’s common for social workers to need to take down a lot of qualitative information from their clients or team and synthesize it for later analysis. When you find someone who excels in this, they’ll be able to quickly grasp what’s relevant, report on it, and drive actionable change.
- Develop policies and procedures together with the social work director, based on committee, task force, and department meetings, as well as the latest research
- The role requires strong written communication skills, a problem-solving attitude, critical thinking skills, and excellent time management abilities.