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Job Description
Description
THE PROGRAM
Our agency's mission is to "Transform Lives Through the True Power of Child Support." The Ventura County Department of Child Support Services Program (VCDCSS) was established in 1975 to provide children with the financial, medical, and emotional support they need to help ensure a bright future. Child support payments help provide children with food, shelter, clothing, and other necessities. By providing the means for many families to meet their most basic financial needs, the program is a critical part of efforts to fight poverty in California. In addition, public assistance recipients are required to open a child support case, with collections being used to recoup the government's cost of providing that assistance. California's program is administered by 49 local child support agencies (called LCSAs) and operates under the oversight of the California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS). DCSS is committed to cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce in all departments.
THE POSITION
Under general supervision, performs operational, legal and general administrative functions related to the establishment and enforcement of court orders for paternity, child and medical support; location of non-custodial parents; referrals to other county programs/agencies; and pursuing and maintaining consistent, reliable child support payments for families by following applicable policies and procedures in accordance with state and federal laws, regulations and program requirements. The Child Support Services Specialist III may be assigned more complex cases and leadership role.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE WILL:
Possess experience working in a customer-centered environment resolving challenging and complex customer problems through established policies and procedures or laws.
Possess strong interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with internal and external customers.
PAYROLL TITLE/APPROXIMATE SALARY
Child Support Services Specialist III: $28.63 - $36.29 hourly
EDUCATIONAL/BILINGUAL INCENTIVE:
Incumbents may be eligible for educational incentive of 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% based on the completion of an Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree that is not required for the classification. Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill.
Child Support Services Specialist III are represented by the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) local 721 and are eligible for overtime compensation.
TELECOMMUTING OPTION: Some positions may allow for telecommuting following successful demonstration of competency in the position.
AGENCY/DEPARTMENT: Department of Child Support Services
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
Opening Date: Friday, February 21, 2025
Closing Date: Friday, March 7, 2025
Application Review Complete: March 14, 2025
Oral Examination: Week of March 24, 2025
Examples Of Duties- Understands, interprets, and carries out complicated verbal and/or written instructions, directions, laws and operating policies and procedures.
- Provides prompt and professional responses to customer inquiries through various communication channels, ensuring excellent customer service and satisfaction
- Documents customer interactions and progress, utilizing computer systems to maintain case records accurately and confidentially within the child support system.
- Proactively engages with parents and guardians to understand their financial and social needs, fostering empathy and understanding.
- Educates customers and other government agencies on child support services, benefits, and program requirements, prompting cooperation and understanding.
- Conducts in-office/virtual interviews with sensitivity and professionalism to establish and enforce support orders ensuring thoroughness and accuracy while focusing on proactive problem solving
- Evaluates financial and social functions of Child Support clients through interviews, research, record reviews, orientations, and consultations.
- Applies legal actions as directed, using specialized software to calculate support obligations accurately
- Conducts and/or participates in group presentations, discussions, and client/staff development workshops and other meetings related to the coordination of client needs and status monitoring and the effective delivery career and human services tools.
- Performs other related duties as required.
Typical Qualifications
Typical Qualifications
These are entrance requirements to the exam process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.
EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE: Any combination of education/experience involving case management, career guidance/counseling and interpretation/application of State and Federal laws and regulations that would evidence possession of the requisite KSAs.
The required knowledge, skills and abilities can be obtained by one of the following ways:- Three (3) years of considerable experience that includes work involving public contact, interviewing, completion of complex forms, or eliciting information from the public for investigative purposes.
- Possession of a bachelor's degree in human services, sociology, psychology, public or business administration or a related field to the position.
AND - One (1) year experience as a Child Support Services Specialist which is equivalent to one (1) year of considerable experience that includes work involving public contact, interviewing, completion of complex forms or eliciting information from the public for investigative purposes.
- At least one (1) year service as Child Support Services Specialist II
- Two (2) years of experience performing the duties of a Supervisor in the Child Support Services Department.
• Ability to understand, interpret, explain, and carry out complicated verbal and/or written instructions, directions, laws and operating policies and procedures.
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office - (Word, Excel, Teams and Outlook)
• Excellent written communication skills must be demonstrated in the completion of the employment application and supplemental questionnaire.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:- Possess strong interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with internal and external customers.
- Working knowledge of community resources and human services programs available within the State, Community and Career Center partnerships.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Thorough knowledge of: Principles and techniques of interviewing, case management and crisis intervention; community resources and human service programs available within the State, Community, and Career Center agency partnerships; principle of individual and group behavior; the laws, rules and policies governing Child Support and other Human Services program operations.
Working ability to: obtain and recognize relevant facts; establish rapport with clients and their families of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds; analyze occurrences and situations and apply effective remedies and courses of actions; communicate effectively both orally and in writing; conduct group presentations and training; understand, interpret, explain and carry out complicated verbal and/or written instructions, directions, laws, and operating policies and procedures.
Skilled in: Microsoft Office Suite tools such as Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook.
Recruitment Process
FINAL FILING DATE: Applications must be received by the County of Ventura, Human Resources Division, in Ventura California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on March 7, 2025.
To apply on-line, please refer to our website at www.ventura.org/hr. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit your application to County of Ventura, Human Resources Division, 800 S. Victoria Ave., Loc# 1970, Ventura, CA 93009.
Applicants must provide sufficient information under the Education/Work Experience portion of the application and Supplemental Questionnaire, if applicable, in order to determine eligibility. A resume may be attached to supplement your responses in the above-referenced sections, however, it may not be submitted in lieu of the application.
SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE - qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination AT THE TIME OF FILING. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire will result in the application being removed from consideration.
APPLICATION EVALUATION - qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether or not the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the state requirements will be invited to continue through the screening and selection process.
TRAINING & EXPERIENCE EVALUATION
A Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E) is a structured evaluation of the job application materials submitted by a candidate, including the written responses to the supplemental questionnaire. The T&E is NOT a determination of whether the candidate meets the stated requirements; rather, the T&E is one method for determining who are the better qualified among those who have shown that they meet the stated requirements. In a T&E, applications are either scored or rank ordered according to criteria that most closely meet the business needs of the department. Candidates are typically scored/ranked in relation to one another; consequently, when the pool of candidates is exceptionally strong, many qualified candidates may receive a score or rank which is moderate or even low resulting in them not being advanced in the process.
NOTE: The selection process will likely consist of an Oral Exam, which may be preceded or replaced with the score from a Training and Experience Evaluation (T&E), contingent upon the size and quality of the candidate pool. In a typical T&E, your training and experience are evaluated in relation to the background, experience and factors identified for successful job performance during a job analysis. For this reason, it is recommended that your application materials clearly show your relevant background and specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is also highly recommended that the supplemental questions within the application are completed with care and diligence.
ORAL EXAMINATION - 100%: A job-related Oral Examination may be conducted to evaluate and compare participating candidates' knowledge, skills and abilities in relation to those factors which job analysis has determined to be essential for successful performance of the job. Candidates must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.
If there are three (3) or fewer qualified applicants, an Oral Examination will not be conducted. Instead, a score will be assigned to each application based on established criteria. Such score will be considered the final score for placement on the eligible list.
Candidates successfully completing the examination process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.
The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular, Temporary, Fixed-term, and Extra Help vacancies for this classification within the Department of Child Support Services. There are currently three (3) regular Full-time vacancies.
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: Applicants may be subjected to a thorough background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, credit, criminal background information, and driving record. For those classifications that are subject to Department of Transportation drug and alcohol testing regulations, incumbents will be tested prior to driving a commercial vehicle and may be randomly tested thereafter.
For further information about this recruitment, please contact Armand Paez by e-mail at Armand.Paez@ventura.org or by telephone at (805) 437-8104.
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
The County of Ventura is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious, creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.
YOUR BENEFITS AS A COUNTY OF VENTURA EMPLOYEE
Service Employees International Union (LOCAL 721)
(SEIU)
To learn more about Benefits, Retirement, and the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), see links below.- Benefits website or you may call (805) 654-2570.
- Retirement FAQ's
- Memorandum of Agreement
Union Codes: UPA, UPC, UPE, UPH, UPI, UPJ,UPT, UWS
Closing Date/Time: 3/7/2025 5:00 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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County of Ventura
Show moreBeautiful Ventura County is one of 58 counties in the State of California. Geographically, the county offers a stunning 42 miles of coastline and the Los Padres National Forest, which accounts for 46% of the county’s land mass in the northern portion of the county. Fertile valleys in the southern half of the county make Ventura County a leading agricultural producer. Together, farming and the Los Padres National Forest occupy half of the county’s 1.2 million acres.
A mild year-round climate, along with scenic geography makes the area attractive to the 850,000 culturally and ethnically diverse people who call Ventura County home. The unincorporated areas, along with the ten incorporated cities of Camarillo, Fillmore, Moorpark, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, and San Buenaventura (Ventura) ranks Ventura as the 11th most populous county in the State.
Ventura County has a strong economic base that includes major industries such as biotechnology, agriculture, advanced technologies, oil production, military testing and development, and tourism.
The United States military, which includes two naval bases and the Air National Guard base, is the largest employer in the county with more than 16,000 employees. The County of Ventura (government) is the next largest employer with nearly 8,000 employees located throughout the county. Port Hueneme is California’s smallest but only deep water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco and plays a major role in the local economy.
Home to two universities (California State University Channel Islands and California Lutheran University), and three Community Colleges (Oxnard, Ventura, and Moorpark), multiple university extensions, institutes, and adult schools, the county enjoys a strong structure for workforce development.
The County of Ventura was formed January 1, 1873, when it separated from Santa Barbara County. It is a general law county, governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors, elected at-large for a staggered four year term in their respective districts, and the chairmanship rotates annually. The Board of Supervisors is responsible for providing policy direction, approving the County budget, and representing the County in a number of areas including special districts. The Board actions can apply countywide or only in unincorporated areas.
Other County elected officials include the Auditor-Controller, Assessor, Clerk/Recorder, District Attorney, Treasurer-Tax Collector, and Sheriff. The County Executive Officer advises, assists, and acts as an agent for the Board of Supervisors in all matters under the Board’s jurisdiction.
Under the guidance of the Board of Supervisors, the approved County annual budget of $1.8 billion serves to assist vulnerable adults and children, enforce the law, ensure justice, protect public health, and improve our quality of life. In alignment with key focus areas established in the County Strategic Plan, services are provided to residents by nearly 8,000 dedicated public servants working in 23 different agencies, departments and special districts.
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