Child Support Specialist I

THIS IS A NEW ASSEMBLED EXAMINATION. The eligible list resulting from this examination will cancel any existing list and may last approximately one year, but can be extended. Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing.

Qualified bilingual persons who speak English and are also fluent in: Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, Korean, Mien, Tagalog, Amharic, Farsi, Dari, Tigrigna, Russian, Romanian or Sign Languages are especially encouraged to apply. There is an additional bi-weekly compensation for persons in positions designated bilingual. Qualified candidates may be tested to demonstrate language proficiency.

 Applications will only be accepted on-line.

THE DEPARTMENT

The Alameda County Department of Child Support Services provides quality child support services to parents for the care and well-being of their children. We establish parentage, locate absent parents, establish and enforce orders for child and medical support, and collect payments. When parents can rely on monthly child support payments, positive outcomes for children increase. We believe the best way to achieve this is to establish partnerships with parents and communities to encourage responsible parenting, family self-sufficiency and child well-being. We value and promote integrity, service excellence, open communication, growth and development, collaboration and innovation. We are seeking employees who want to part of a dynamic organization, who are committed to our organizational purpose, values and carrying out our mission.

THE POSITION 

Under close supervision at the lower level and general supervision at the higher level, Child Support Specialists perform a wide variety of child support duties; manage an assigned caseload; locate and interview parents and others to elicit factual information for the purpose of establishing child support obligations and enforcing child support laws; negotiate, collect and arrange for support payments of court ordered child support, prepare cases for court hearings, attend hearings as necessary; and perform related work as required. 

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the ideal candidate will have demonstrated a track record of success in the following areas:

• A strong ability to tactfully and courteously serve people from diverse backgrounds; establish and maintain good working relationships with internal and external customers and deliver the highest level of performance.
• Knowledge of case management and child support regulations and the ability to solve problems and accomplish tasks.
• Value teamwork, are open to change, are resilient, and can shift priorities.
• Have strong mathematical skills, enjoy analyzing information and solving problems.
• Experience in negotiating, interviewing for information and requesting child support payments.

Click here to view the recruitment flyer.

Click here to view the full Job Description for Child Support Specialist I.

Education:  

Graduation from high school or possession of a Certificate of Proficiency issued by the California State Board of Education, or possession of a G.E.D. certificate.

AND

EITHER I

Experience:

The equivalent of one year of full-time experience in the class of Child Support Assistant II, or in an equivalent or higher level class in the Alameda County classified service.    

OR II

Experience:

The equivalent of two years of full-time experience in the class of Customer Service Representative, or in an equivalent or higher level class in the Alameda County classified service.  

OR III  

Experience:  

The equivalent of two years of full-time experience in a public contact position with responsibility for performing any combination of the following as the primary element of work performed: interviewing applicants or case participants, exchanging detailed verbal information with customers, communicating with employers/customers to elicit information, and interpreting and applying policies, laws or regulations.  

OR IV

Education:

Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in sociology, public administration, liberal arts, or closely related field.  

Substitution:  

Possession of an associate degree from an accredited college or university in sociology, public administration, liberal arts, or closely related field may be substituted for six months of the required experience is pattern I, II, or III.

Special Requirements:    

1.  Must possess a valid California State Motor Vehicle Operator’s license.  

2.  A thorough background investigation, including fingerprinting will be conducted of all candidates who have accepted a conditional offer of employment to ensure suitability for Child Support related work.  A felony conviction may be disqualifying.  

NOTE:  The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

The most suitably qualified candidate will possess the following competencies: 

Knowledge of:  

• General case management principles, child support establishment, enforcement and collection methods and techniques.
• Federal, State and local laws pertaining to the establishment, collection and enforcement of child support.
• Sources and methods to effectively locate absent participants and related financial information.
• Interviewing principles and research techniques.
• Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Basic arithmetic to perform calculations and understand financial records.
• Principles and practices of customer service.
• Modern office methods, procedures, tools and equipment.
• Proper English usage, spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Terminology and processes related to child support laws and regulations.
• Legal forms and documents used to enforce support orders.
• Child support case management computer systems, or similar programs and applications.

Ability to:  

• Learn and utilize a variety of collection methods, techniques and procedures in child support collection work.
• Research and extract personal and financial information from a variety of sources.
• Communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing.
• Interview participants in person and over the telephone to obtain specific information.
• Organize assigned work effectively and manage multiple  priorities.
• Adapt to changes in policies and regulations which require learning and applying new information.
• Use sound judgement to analyze factual information in order to solve problems, accomplish tasks, and make recommendations within guidelines
• Maintain systematic, detailed and accurate case files/records and notes of activities.
• Deal tactfully and courteously with people from diverse backgrounds; establish and maintain good working relationships with internal and external customers.
• Read, understand, apply and explain Federal and State laws and county policies relative to the collection and enforcement of child support.
• Maintain integrity and confidentiality of sensitive and personal information.
• Draft and compose standard business correspondence using proper English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Follow oral and written instructions.
• Comply with Federal, State and court mandates.
• Work independently with initiative and sound judgement in absence of direct supervision.

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

1). A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2). A written test (pass/fail). The highest scoring candidates will move on to the next step in the examination process.

Only candidates who pass the written examination will be invited to the oral interview process.

3). An oral interview which will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final examination score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

Candidates must attain a qualifying rating on each portion of the examination
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED EXAMINATION STEPS.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the "What You Need to Know" section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Well-Being

• Medical – HMO & PPO Plans
• Dental – HMO & PPO Plans
• Vision or Vision Reimbursement
• Share the Savings
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage for eligible employees) 
• County Allowance Credit
• Flexible Spending Accounts - Health FSA, Dependent Care and Adoption Assistance
• Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Voluntary Benefits - Accident Insurance, Critical Illness, Hospital Indemnity and Legal Services
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Retirement Plan - (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan or Roth Plan)

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Floating Holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Catastrophic Sick Leave
• Group Auto/Home Insurance
• Pet Insurance
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the bulletin for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Tracy Gonzalez, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services Division, County of Alameda
510-272-5085; Email: Tracy.Gonzalez@acgov.org
www.acgov.org/hrs

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve, and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.