Child Support Specialist I

Position Information


The Department of Child Support Services is seeking energetic professionals who are solutions-oriented, energetic, and passionate about making a meaningful impact in the community, to join their innovative team as a Child Support Specialist Is.

Starting salary up to $36.53/hour ($76,242/year) plus a competitive total compensation package*, and an additional $1.50/hour for fluent bilingual assignments!

The Department of Child Support Services is currently recruiting to fill: One full-time monolingual (English) and O ne full-time fluent bilingual (English/Spanish) position.

Child Support Specialists

Child Support Specialist Is (CSS Is) work in a team environment, managing tasks and making independent decisions. CSS I's are responsible for establishing, reviewing, enforcing, researching, preparing, and monitoring child support payments and collections. Additional responsibilities include:

• Interviewing the person receiving support and the parent paying support
• Compiling information from documents, financial statements, and other sources related to child support cases
• Preparing legal documents for child support cases
• Prioritizing and managing large caseloads while meeting mandated time frames and compliance standards
• Serving the community at community outreach events with a mobile van

The ideal candidates will possess many of the following:

• One or more years of reviewing or preparing legal-type documents or documentation in child support operations
• Experience handling and interpreting a variety of court orders and legal documents
• Exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively by phone, in person, and in writing
• The ability to remain calm and composed while effectively assisting individuals who may be uncooperative, confused, or experiencing frustration with the system
• Extraordinary organizational and prioritization abilities as well as the capacity to manage complex tasks and projects with accuracy and efficiency
• The ability to work both independently and collaboratively

Department of Child Support Services

The Sonoma County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) works directly with parents and legal guardians to establish paternity and to ensure children and families receive court-ordered financial and medical support. Child Support Specialist I is a great opportunity to begin a rewarding career with the County of Sonoma where you can enjoy the satisfaction of making a difference in your community.

What We Offer

Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Career Advancement - With time and good performance, the opportunity for advancement to Child Support Specialist II ($35.39-$43.02/hour)
• Bilingual Premium Pay* - An additional $1.50/hour on top of the hourly pay rate for fluent bilingual positions
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits: Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory .
This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified County employees who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment. The Civil Service title for this position is Child Support Officer I.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Education and/or experience which would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, completion of academic coursework in the social sciences, law, and other related fields and one year of experience involving contact with the public and reviewing or preparing legal-type documents or documentation in child support operations, collections, credit investigation, law enforcement or eligibility determination work, would provide such opportunity.

Education: Academic course work which relates to knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, this would include courses in investigation, interviewing, paralegal or legal assistant and social and behavioral science.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level, including necessary endorsements as required by the State of California to perform the essential job functions of the position.

The positions advertised on this announcement require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Special Qualifications: The ability to speak, read and write Spanish fluently may be required for certain job assignments.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Working knowledge of : interviewing principles and techniques used for obtaining factual information; financial record keeping procedures; modern office practices and procedures, including use of various data processing systems and equipment.

Knowledge of: methods and techniques used in collections; common legal terminology, documents, and procedures used to enforce payment of funds.

Ability to: learn and apply federal, state or local laws, ordinances, codes, procedures and rules in order to secure current and delinquent child support payments and establish paternity; learn to process, organize, and prioritize a large caseload while maintaining legal time lines and due process standards; effectively interview individuals in order to secure information required for the collection of child support payments; recognize the needs, attitudes and problems of people from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds; effectively locate individuals and research information on the whereabouts of non-custodial parents; make logical determinations from financial statements on the amount of child support payments; learn to monitor child support payment records to insure compliance with court orders; learn when and how to prepare and process appropriate legal documents; prepare correspondence and convey facts and information; serve legal documents; establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, co-workers, and public and private agency personnel; extract pertinent information from records; exercise independent judgment within general guidelines; prepare clear and concise written reports and memoranda; deal with stressful situations and hostile people; perform basic arithmetic calculations; effectively use data processing equipment and systems; analyze and interpret electronic information systems data.

Important Note: Benefits described herein do not apply to Extra Help positions.

County of Sonoma Benefits: General*

These are some of the excellent benefits the County offers:

Paid Time Off: Competitive vacation accrual and sick leave accruals; additional management leave annually; 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year; and may be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment.

Health Plan: Choose from nine health plans (three HMOs, three deductible HMOs, and three HSA-qualifying plans) with a generous County contribution to the premium (the contribution amount varies by bargaining unit). For more information, please see the appropriate MOU.

Retirement: Fully integrated with Social Security. For more information regarding eligibility, retirement contributions, and reciprocity with prior public service, please visit https://scretire.org/active-/-deferred/when-you-are-hired .

IRS 457 Plan: Pre-tax employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical: County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits.

Student Loan Debt Relief: County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education.

Plus, excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, professional development, and more.

For answers to specific questions regarding the employment process and more details about benefits or retirement, please contact Human Resources at (707) 565-2331. Additional details about benefit and compensation packages can be found in the MOUs located at Labor Agreements & Salary Resolution . For specific information about health and welfare benefits, including plan options, coverage, and premium amounts, go to Human Resources or contact the Human Resources' Risk Management-Benefits Office at benefits@sonomacounty.gov or (707) 565-2900.

*Important Notes: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 3/25/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

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• County of Sonoma

• 707-565-8059

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