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IDEAL CANDIDATE

In addition to meeting the minimum qualifications stated below, the ideal Child Support Specialist I at the Alameda County Department of Child Support Services:

• Has 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.
• Has knowledge of case management and child support regulations and the ability to solve problems and accomplish tasks.
• Values teamwork, are open to change, are resilient, and can shift priorities.
• Has strong mathematical skills, enjoy analyzing information and solving problems.
• Has experience in negotiating, interviewing for information and requesting child support payments.

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 candidates 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:

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION.

We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components.

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 may 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.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency.

• The combined oral examination/hiring interview, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit 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
• 1st 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