SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISOR 3, PSYCHIATRIC
Psychiatric
Career Family: SOCIAL WORK SUPERVISOR
To land Social Work Supervisor 3, Psychiatric in New Jersey you go through the competitive route: you sit an announced exam and the score puts you on the eligible list agencies hire from.
To be eligible you bring a master's degree and 2 years of relevant experience. The FY2026 range lands between $70,431 and $103,187, and state payroll currently lists about 12 people in the title, most of them at Health and Senior Services.
How to apply
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Exam
This is an application to sit an exam and be placed on an eligible list for this title, not an application for a specific job. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. There may be no current vacancy behind it, and the list it produces may not be certified for months or years.
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Exam
Open to permanent employees in the competitive division who hold a qualifying lower title in the same unit. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. Like the open competitive exam, this places you on a list; it is not itself a job offer.
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Agency posting
Department of Health posts its own vacancies directly, often before (or instead of) any civil service exam announcement. Provisional appointment against a posted vacancy is how most people are actually hired into this kind of title.
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Agency posting
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs's employment page may require a click-through to see specific openings. Provisional appointment against a posted vacancy is how most people are actually hired into this kind of title.
Pay ladder: Social Work Supervisor series
- Social Work Supervisor 3 Geriatrics — $70,431 – $103,187
- Social Work Supervisor 2 Medical — $77,144 – $113,264
- Social Work Supervisor 1, Psychiatric — $84,548 – $124,366
Its top salary lands around the 48th percentile of all NJ civil service titles that publish a range.
Rungs are ordered by FY2026 pay. NJ level numbers are not always sequential, so ordering follows salary rather than the title number.
Who employs this title
State payroll records show 12 people working under this title. The median actual salary is $99,911. The agencies employing the most are:
- Health and Senior Services (9)
- Juvenile Justice Commission (2)
- Military and Veterans Affairs (1)
Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.
Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator.
Definition
Under the direction of a Social Work Supervisor 2 (Psychiatric) or other supervisory official in the Department of Health, is assigned a specific aspect of the psychiatric social service program or section of a State hospital, institution, clinic or other unit under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health; supervises staff and work activities; prepares and signs official performance evaluations for subordinate staff; does other related duties.
Examples of work
- Supervises Social Workers 1, Psychiatric and Social Workers 2, Psychiatric in their work with patients and their families.
- Supervises the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for employee evaluations and for effectively recommending the firing, hiring, promoting, demoting and/or disciplining of employees.
- Assists in the development of work programs.
- Assists in planning and development of professional social work standards.
- Coordinates in the organization and in-service training of the social work staff in the psychiatric unit of the facility.
- Plans on on-going in-service training program for the social services staff.
- Prepares service ratings for staff members.
- Assists in preparing the budget for social services in the specialized unit, outlining and validating needs of the unit.
- Speaks with community groups about mental health; establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with lay and professional groups.
- Writes articles for publication.
- Keeps current with developments in the field of psychiatric social work.
- Prepares correspondence in the course of official duties.
- Prepares and supervises the preparation of clear, sound, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions and recommendations.
- Supervises the maintenance of records and files.
- Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
- <b>REQUIRMENTS</b>
Education
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree in social work.
Experience
Two (2) years of experience in social casework and in the administration of a psychiatric social service program.
License
Appointee will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
- Knowledge of the methods used for the mental and emotional rehabilitation, physical welfare, social adjustment, and possible employment of mentally ill, emotionally and/or socially maladjusted clients.
- Knowledge of mental health theories, methods and practices.
- Knowledge of the methods used to collect social and psychological data on clients.
- Knowledge of the problems encountered in applying the concepts, methods and procedures of modern social work to mentally ill clients.
- Knowledge of the emotional, social, economic and other problems encountered by the client population served.
- Knowledge of the nature and symptoms of mental diseases and the more common neuroses and methods of treatment.
- Ability to supervise assigned staff and plan, organize, and implement projects within the unit.
- Ability to interpret laws, rules, and regulations and apply them to specific situations.
- Ability to assist in the organization and supervision of a social work program concerned with the mental and emotional rehabilitation, physical welfare, social adjustment, and possible employment of mental, emotional and/or socially maladjusted clients.
- Ability to apply the concepts, methods and procedures of modern social work, psychology and mental health to mentally and emotionally maladjusted clients.
- Ability to gather and compile data.
- Ability to keep current with developments in psychiatric social work.
- Ability to prepare correspondence, case histories and reports.
- Ability to assist in the development of work programs and professional social work standards.
- Ability to maintain records and files.
- Ability to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
- Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
- Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.