Uw Health

Manager, Social Work - Inpatient Services

Uw Health$80K — $95K *
Hospitals & Medical Centers
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Master's Degree in Social Work required
  • 5+ years post-Master's social work experience with 2+ years in healthcare
  • Progressive leadership experience preferred
  • Proven ability to lead change in healthcare
  • Experience with process and quality improvement principles

Responsibilities

  • Provide operational and clinical leadership for inpatient social work services
  • Lead, mentor, develop, and support a team of 50-60 direct reports
  • Drive quality and process improvement initiatives
  • Partner with multidisciplinary teams for coordinated care
  • Support recruitment, retention, and professional development initiatives
  • Establish clinical standards and ensure regulatory compliance
  • Influence system-wide social work strategies

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and dental insurance
  • Paid time off and retirement plans
  • Two-week paid parental leave and adoption assistance
  • Flexible work schedules for work-life balance
  • Access to UW Health Employee Wellbeing resources
  • Tuition benefits for professional growth
Full Job Description
Job Description

Work Schedule:
This leadership role offers a hybrid work environment, with a primary office location at University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. The position supports inpatient services across UW Health and requires regular travel to all UW Health hospital locations throughout the state. To foster strong team engagement, operational oversight, and collaboration, the successful candidate is expected to maintain an on-site presence three to four days per week. Additional travel may be required based on organizational needs. As a leader supporting 24/7 inpatient operations, occasional off-hours availability may be necessary to provide leadership support when needed.

We're seeking an exceptional Manager, Social Work - Inpatient Services to lead a team of dedicated social workers who make a meaningful difference every day for patients and families navigating complex healthcare journeys.

What you'll do
  • Provide operational and clinical leadership for inpatient social work services
  • Lead, mentor, develop, and support a team of approximately 50-60 direct reports
  • Drive quality improvement, process improvement, and patient-centered care initiatives
  • Partner with providers, nursing, case management, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure coordinated, high-quality care
  • Support staff recruitment, retention, engagement, and professional development
  • Establish and maintain clinical standards, regulatory compliance, and best practices
  • Influence system-wide social work strategies and foster collaborative relationships across UW Health


About the team:

This leader will oversee social work services focused on inpatient and emergency department populations. The team plays a critical role in addressing psychosocial needs, supporting patients and families through health crises, conducting suicide risk assessments, and enhancing transitions across the continuum of care. Exciting work is underway to strengthen systems that support patients moving from pediatric to adult care settings.

At UW Health, you will have:
  • An excellent benefits package, including health and dental insurance, paid time off, retirement plans, two-week paid parental leave and adoption assistance.
  • Options for a variety of schedules and shifts that offer flexibility and allow for work-life balance
  • Access to great resources through the UW Health Employee Wellbeing Department that supports your emotional, financial, and physical well-being
  • Tuition benefits eligibility - UW Health invests in your professional growth by helping pay for coursework associated with career advancement


Qualifications
  • Master's Degree in Social Work. Required

Work Experience
  • Post-Master's degree, five (5) years social work experience, including two (2) years of health care social work experience. Required
  • Progressive leadership experience in leadership and management. Preferred
  • Experience leading change in healthcare. Required
  • Experience in process improvement and quality improvement principles. Required


Licenses & Certifications
  • Licensed in the state of Wisconsin as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Required


Job Description

UW Hospital and Clinics Benefits

About Uw Health

UW Health University Hospital is a 515-bed academic regional referral center with 127 outpatient clinics, located on the western edge of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's campus in Madison, Wisconsin. It is an American College of Surgeons designated Level I adult and pediatric trauma center, one of only two in Wisconsin. UW Health University Hospital has seven intensive care units, pediatric, neonatal, cardiac, cardiothoracic, burn, neurosurgery). UW Health University Hospital was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the 16th best hospital in the United States and the #1 hospital in Wisconsin in the publication's 2021-2022 Best Hospitals Honor Roll, earning national rankings in 10 adult and 6 pediatric specialties. Additionally, UW Health University Hospital was ranked as the 22nd best hospital in the United States and #84th Best Hospitals in the world by Newsweek in 2022. UW Health describes itself as "the integrated health system of the University of Wisconsin–Madison." It is the primary teaching affiliate of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. It is also the primary teaching affiliate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison's School of Nursing and School of Pharmacy, and is a teaching affiliate of Edgewood College's Henry Predolin School of Nursing. UW Health University Hospital is home to the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, one of 40 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. UW Health also operates the American Family Children's Hospital, a 110-bed pediatric hospital located adjacent to University Hospital, as well as UW Health at the American Center, a 59-bed hospital and emergency room located on the Northeast Side of Madison. Additionally, UW Health operates a network of outpatient clinics at over 80 sites throughout southern and central Wisconsin and northern Illinois, and has partnerships with UnityPoint Meriter Hospital in Madison, Beloit Hospital in Beloit, Wisconsin, and Swedish American Hospital in Rockford, Illinois. UW Health also has an affiliated insurance company, Quartz Health Solutions, Inc., operated in partnership with UnityPoint Health and Gundersen Health System.
Learn more about Uw Health

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