Career Opportunity

8159-Child Support Officer III

Recruitment: RTF0145931-01057210X

Published: April 05, 2024

Accepting applications until: April 16, 2024

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

This is a Position-Based Test conducted in accordance with CSC Rule 111A.

San Francisco Child Support Services (CSS) empowers parents to provide economic support for their children by furnishing child support services in the form of location of parents, establishment of paternity and support obligations, and enforcement of support obligations for the well-being of families and children. Our vision is to ensure that children receive the financial and medical support they need from their parents to be healthy and successful. CSS stands unique among other City departments not only due to our mission and vision, but also because of our size.

With a total staff of 61, and within a highly skilled team environment, our people must autonomously perform a broader range of challenging duties than in many larger departments where responsibilities may be more compartmentalized.

Role description

Under direction, may supervise the work of a unit engaged in child support enforcement program activities, and/or may perform technical or specialized child support enforcement duties involving the department, the public and other government and non-governmental entities; trains staff based on department needs; advises and assists staff with difficult and complex technical problems; acts as a liaison or technical resource for the department; advises on appropriate steps to establish parentage and/or child support obligations and collect support arrearages; approves final release of professional or other licenses held through the state license match program; conducts audits of case records to ensure adherence to Title IV-D and applicable child support laws and regulations; designs, formats and implements new forms and creates complex reports; appears at fair hearings or in court as a witness; makes recommendations on the interpretation and publication of policies and procedures; meets with staff, subcontractors, vendors or other counties for information sharing; and performs related duties as required.

Major, Important and Essential Duties
According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. May supervise the work of a unit or team assigned to activities in connection with the operation and administration of child support programs.

2. May perform technical or specialized duties involving the department, the public and other government and non-governmental entities in connection with the operation and administration of child support programs.

3. Trains child support staff, both on a one-on-one basis and through the development of specified training plans in accordance with state directives; advises and assists staff with difficult and complex technical problems.

4. Acts as a liaison or resource between the department and other legal or social agencies; may make public presentations regarding child support programs, and complaint resolution; appears at fair hearings or in court as a witness; attends conferences, seminars and training as assigned.

5. Advises on appropriate steps to establish parentage and/or support obligations and collect on arrearages; approves final release of professional or other licenses held to require compliance with child support obligations; recommends case closure following specific guidelines.

6. Conducts audits and performance reviews of case records to ensure adherence to Title IV-D and applicable laws, regulations and directives.

7. Designs, formats and implements automated child support procedures and new forms and creates complex reports to streamline the collection and enforcement of child support.

8. May assist in interviews by phone or in person with custodial and non-custodial parents, relatives, attorneys and other interested individuals to gather necessary information to verify facts, explain procedures for child support processing, and keep accurate information.

9. Makes recommendations and proposes updates on policy and procedures to ensure compliance with Title IV-D and applicable laws, regulations and directives.

10. Meets with staff, subcontractors, vendors or other counties to complete projects and initiate service requests. Researches requests for information to ascertain best method of compiling information.

11. Provides technical assistance related to basic child support operations and assists staff in their understanding of automated procedures.

12. Assists in the research, planning, implementation and testing of automated systems.

13. Performs specialized customer service functions including designing, maintaining and conducting complaint resolution, acting as an ombudsperson and performing outreach functions.

14. Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

How to qualify

These minimum qualifications are to be used as a guide for establishing the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license which may be required for employment in the class. Although these minimum qualifications are typical of the class, additional minimum qualifications and special conditions may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the job announcement.

Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; OR

Substitution: Professional administrative experience in the functional areas of financial underwriting, insurance adjusting, credit research, collections, eligibility determination for welfare; or other related operations area involving substantial contact with clients in a legal environment may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis (30 semester units/45 quarter units equals one (1) year of experience); AND

Experience: Three years of verified experience in establishing and enforcing child support obligations in any CASES/comparable child support system, including two years performing child support duties equivalent to those performed by an 8158 Child Support Officer II in the City and County of San Francisco.

Conditions of Employment
Incumbent must meet the following conditions of employment:

Federal Tax Information Background Clearance
All CSS employees are required to possess and retain FTI Background Clearance as a condition of employment. (Upon any selection as a finalist, the employer provides the process for any FTI Clearance.)

Jail Background Clearance
Clearance to work in jails. (Upon any selection as a finalist, the employer provides the process for any Jail Background Clearance.)

Jail Environment Clearance
Able to work in a jail environment. (Upon any selection as a finalist, the employer provides the process for any Jail Environment Clearance.)

California Driver License
Possession and maintenance of a valid California driver license.

Important Note
Please make sure it is absolutely clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. Please be aware that any misrepresentation of this information may disqualify you from this recruitment or future job opportunities.

What else should I know?

Selection Procedures
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following.

Supplemental Questionnaire [SQ] Evaluation (WEIGHT = 100%)
The SQ will be emailed to the address listed on the candidate’s online application. Qualified candidates will be required to respond to the SQ in the time frame indicated and must submit the completed questionnaire as directed in order to have it evaluated. Responses cannot be changed once submitted. Candidates will be evaluated based on their SQ responses to questions related to: Knowledge of: child support case processing; principles of organization and management; case management techniques; application of computer science; basic legal processing; basic knowledge of training needs assessment; principles of human motivation and behavior; interviewing techniques; and legal research methods and techniques. Ability to: apply techniques and information related to child support processing; operate a personal computer and automated casework systems; train staff and assess departmental training needs; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with a wide variety of individuals; proofread records and documents; plan, supervise, and review the work of subordinates; and interact effectively and courteously with staff and the public.

Candidates must achieve a passing score on the SQ to continue in the selection process and will be placed on the confidential eligible list in rank order according to their final score. Candidate test responses will be vetted as appropriate using AI use detection software. Evidence of use of AI in responding to test stimulus will be considered and addressed in accordance with Civil Service Rules related to fraud and cheating.

Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

What Else Should I know?

Certification
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be the Rule of 3 Scores.

Eligible List/Score Report
Once you pass the exam, you will be placed onto an eligible list and given a score and a rank. For more information, visit Careers.SF

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be six (6) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

To find Departments which use this classification, please see Position Counts by Department.

How to apply
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit careers.sf.gov and begin the application process.

Our e-mail communications may come from more than one department so please make sure your email is set to accept messages from all of us at this link.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment therefore, it is their responsibility to contact the Analyst if they update their email address.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/. The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 111A.35.1. The standard for the review of such appeals is ‘abuse of discretion’ or ‘no rational basis’ for establishing the position description, the minimum qualifications and/or the certification rule. Appeals must include a written statement of the item(s) being contested and the specific reason(s) why the cited item(s) constitute(s) abuse of discretion by the Human Resources Director. Appeals must be submitted directly to the Executive Officer of the Civil Service Commission within five business days of the announcement issuance date.

Additional information regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information about the Hiring Process 
• Conviction History 
• Employee Benefits Overview 
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Workers
• Reasonable Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement
• Veterans Preference 
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact Harry Bullock [harry.bullock@sfgov.org] or Bianca Nelson [bianca.hubbart@sfgov.org].

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.