Child Support Specialist, Senior

POSTING TYPE: Open
DEPARTMENT: Employment & Economic Assistance
HOURS: Full-Time
HIRING RANGE: $62,963 - $78,704 annually (Salary grade 107)
SALARY RANGE: $62,963 - $98,380 annually
LOCATION: West St. Paul
UNION: AFSCME 306
CLOSE DATE: 4:30 p.m. on 6/16/2025

This position helps safeguard family financial stability by performing complex child support para-professional work to establish and modify child support and respond to enforcement and other related legal actions in Minnesota's child support Expedited Process.

What You'll Do:
The Senior Child Support Specialist gathers and analyzes parent financial statements, employment and public assistance records, tax records, assets, and other sources of information relevant to the determination of child support in legal proceedings. They prepare legal paperwork for court actions, negotiate settlements and testify in court hearings. They exercise strong judgment to carry out assignments that can involve complex variables and circumstances based on the unique facts of each case. Their work can have significant impact on families and the quality of services delivered. The Senior Child Support Specialist works closely with, and under the legal direction of Assistant County Attorneys for their legal work, and under the direct supervision of a Child Support Supervisor.

This position is a career ladder opportunity in the child support position job series. It is ideal for someone who enjoys multifaceted tasks with statutory, programmatic and court rule requirements, analyzing complex data and information to propose what parents should pay based on multiple factors and detail-oriented work within established program timeframes for legal actions. Compared to Child Support Specialists, this senior role manages smaller but very active caseloads and completes specialized legal functions on cases assigned to Child Support Specialists. This position requires testifying in court as well as contact with parents, private attorneys, and others in person, virtually by phone and in writing. Senior Child Support Specialists work with individuals that may be experiencing crisis, trauma, poverty, homelessness, unemployment, domestic violence, incarceration, mental illness, chemical dependency and other challenging circumstances. This position requires interpersonal skills to work with families holistically, using person-centered approaches to reduce barriers, solve problems and meet outcomes.

Who We Are
Dakota County is Minnesota's third largest county and home to more than 400,000 residents. Our motto is "Be More" and we strive every day to achieve excellence in public service, with a focus on four values: Service, Integrity, People, and Innovation.

Dakota County aims to create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of diverse people, backgrounds, and experiences. Our goal is to have a workforce that is reflective of the communities and individuals we serve. We promote an equitable and culturally aware work environment where everyone can be their authentic selves.

Need to Have Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in human services, business administration or finance, and one year of experience as a child support worker or family law paralegal/legal assistant; OR
  

• Associate's degree and three years of experience as a child support worker or family law paralegal/legal assistant; OR

• High School graduate or equivalent (G.E.D.) and five years of experience as a child support worker or family law paralegal/legal assistant.

AND

• Must be proficient at keyboard skills, including typing at least 35 WPM.

Nice to Have Qualifications:

• Completed degree in human services, humanities, social sciences or paralegal/legal assistant.

• Direct child support experience that has occurred within the past five years in Minnesota.

• Direct work experience preparing family court legal documents including summonses and complaints, motions, affidavits, and handling evidence pursuant to the Rules of Civil Procedure and Court rules.

These examples do not include all possible tasks in this work and do not limit the assignment of related tasks in any position of this classification. Regular attendance according to the position's management approved work schedule is required for all positions.

1. Conducts investigative interviews to locate individuals, income, public assistance benefits and assets; compiles, analyzes and verifies accuracy of income and expense information and other evidence; and resolves evidentiary and case discrepancies prior to commencement of legal actions.
2. Prepares necessary legal paperwork and documentation and assists in managing legal actions to establish or modify court orders and to respond to other specialized legal actions in the expedited legal process.
3. Facilitates and manages pre-hearing conferences with parents, private attorneys, and representatives of other jurisdictions in interstate child support cases. Negotiates legal settlements to negate the need for a court hearing.
4. Appears at court hearings to present case facts and recommendations, explains how child support calculations and other case findings were determined and answers questions posed by attorneys and Magistrates/Judges.
5. Analyzes and explains court orders, and complex program and legal processes as required by statute, federal/state policy, and court rules.
6. Resolves case disputes, conflicts and complaints.
7. Works with third parties (private attorneys, financial institutions, other jurisdictions, etc.) to facilitate secure child support.
8. Oversees the progress and workflow of legal and non-legal proceedings to ensure federal/state timelines, data accuracy and other requirements are met.
9. Manages and updates case files using state child support computer system and county electronic document management system, reviews and ensures data accuracy of case information and retention of records requirements, and performs ongoing case management activities.
10. Educates parents and others about child support, including participating in child support community outreach activities.
11. Attends regular and periodic meetings and training consistent with the role and participates in workgroups and committees as requested.
12. Participates in a variety of internal and external teams/groups/committees to advance program and technical solutions.
13. Provides technical assistance and mentoring to less experienced staff.
14. Actively supports Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) initiatives, including efforts to address racial disparities in child support program outcomes and to address the needs of diverse and underserved populations.
15. Performs other duties as assigned.

• Knowledge of child support program functions, rules and requirements.
• Knowledge of federal regulations, state statutes, state policy, Minnesota Rules of Civil Procedure, court rules and county policy/procedures, and the ability to apply them accurately to assigned work.
• Knowledge of parent engagement principles and ability to apply them to work effectively with families.
• Ability to employ effective research, interviewing, negotiating and investigative principles, methods, and techniques.
• Ability to work cross-culturally and collaboratively, and to engage the strengths and perspectives of diverse team members.
• Ability to organize, prioritize and process a high volume of work in an efficient and accurate manner and according to the needs of the organization and families.
• Ability to explain complex program and legal concepts to parents, including Minnesota's shared income guidelines for child support.
• Ability to think analytically and critically.
• Ability to work independently and in a self-directed manner, and to work successfully and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Effective business writing and verbal communication skills, sometimes under conditions where relations may be confrontational or strained.
• Conflict management and problem-solving skills.
• Skill in MS Office software and data entry for the performance of essential duties.
• Skill in record keeping and documentation principles and practices.
• Skill in basic math/accounting principles applied to calculating parental income and applied to Minnesota's child support guidelines.
• Emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills to work effectively with diverse individuals from various socioeconomic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, and with those experiencing challenges such as mental illness, substance use disorder, disability, family violence, etc.