School Social Worker

Empowerment Academy is hiring a full time Social Worker to work at our Middle School beginning with the 2025-2026 School Year and beyond. Social Workers need to hold School Social Worker certification from the NJ Department of Education.

Salary: $67,000 - 87,000

OUR SCHOOL

Empowerment Academy is a dynamic and successful charter school that truly supports its teachers and staff. Empowerment has 3 of its own campuses, and BelovED is our “sister school.” We serve a mix of students that are among the most diverse in America while enjoying the cultural vibrance of Jersey City, Hoboken and New York City. Our staff is a dedicated group of individuals passionate about closing the achievement gap and providing a quality educational program. 

WE VALUE OUR FACULTY

At Empowerment Academy, we emphasize teamwork and community and truly value our faculty:

• Evidencing this, compared to those with similar experience, OUR FACULTY MEMBERS ARE AMONG THE HIGHEST PAID IN NEW JERSEY;
• Moreover, we seek to achieve academic success without burning out teachers by meshing an effective education program with effective teacher support and professional development.

Position Overview

Social Workers are responsible for helping students come to school ready to learn by providing counseling and by connecting students and their families with appropriate resources in the community.

Social Workers are also a resource to school leadership and the staff on matters relevant to the social and emotional health of students.

Social Worker Responsibilities

• Provide direct individual and family counseling to address barriers impacting attendance and readiness to learn;

• Provide case management services focused on addressing social, emotional, behavioral, and environmental factors that impact student success;
• Collaborate with families, school staff, and community agencies to coordinate support services that remove barriers to student learning, including housing instability, mental health needs, family crises, and basic needs assistance;
• Serve as a member of attendance and truancy intervention teams to develop family-centered plans that support improved attendance and engagement;
• Lead crisis response efforts, providing immediate emotional support to students and staff and connecting families with critical resources;
• While the Special Education Coordinator manages IEP processes, School Social Workers support the emotional and environmental needs of students receiving special education services;
• Serve as a key resource for the I&RS team by providing expertise on family dynamics, community resources, and social-emotional challenges affecting student success;
• Lead or co-lead intervention planning for students whose barriers to learning are rooted in social-emotional, mental health, or family-related issues;
• Support the development of multi-disciplinary intervention strategies, including coordination with outside agencies when appropriate;
• Assist in monitoring the effectiveness of interventions;
• Collaborating with staff in grade-level and department planning meetings, and in professional development activities; 
• Helping with school-wide activities and providing supervision of students during class, breaks, and meals when needed; 
• Assisting with tasks necessary for the successful and orderly functioning of the school (such as hallway supervision, arrival/departure transitions, field trips, and other such duties as the school leadership may request from staff); and
• Participating in events outside of normal school hours such as family nights, student performances, field trips, and teacher–parent conferences.ly nights, student performances, field trips, and teacher-parent conferences.
• Coordinator of the Intervention & Referral Services (I&RS) team

Social Workers will need to hold School Social Worker certification from the NJ Department of Education. We are unable to consider anyone without a NJ DOE School Social Worker Certification. We are looking for Social Workers with at least 2 years of experience working in a school as a certificated School Social Worker.

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development

As an equal opportunity employer, BelovED Community Charter School hires without consideration for race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or disability.

INDSUPPORT