Child Support Specialist

POSTING TYPE:
Open Competitive

DEPARTMENT:
Employment & Economic Assistance

HOURS:

Full-time

PREFERRED HIRING RANGE: $58,606 - $73,257 /year

FULL SALARY RANGE: $58,606 - $91,571/year (106 salary grade)

LOCATION:

West St. Paul

UNION: AFSCME 306

CLOSE DATE: 9/28/2026 at 4:30 p.m.

This position helps safeguard family financial stability by ensuring that parents who live apart receive assistance in obtaining child support. Services available to families include locating parents, establishing paternity, establishing and modifying support obligations, and monitoring and enforcing court-ordered child support obligations. Depending on the work function assigned, a Child Support Specialist might perform some or all the duties as assigned.

The Child Support Specialist works with parents to ensure the financial stability of families receiving or paying court-ordered child support. They provide services to families by enforcing court orders for basic support, medical support, and childcare support through a variety of case management tasks and tools, include monitoring cases for court order compliance, reconciling financial accounts, utilizing administrative and legal remedies to induce payments and working with parents when their financial circumstances change.

The Child Support Specialist works closely with the Dakota County Attorney’s Office in initiating appropriate legal actions and preparing legal documents to support paternity and enforcement actions.

This career is ideal for someone who enjoys performing a mix of administrative, program and legal tasks, using multiple computer programs and software, synthesizing and analyzing complex information, applying discretion in approaches to case management, and having a high degree of public contact (in person, virtually, by phone and in writing). 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 attention to detail, strong conflict resolution abilities, and interpersonal skills to work with parents holistically, using person-centered approaches to reduce barriers, solve problems and meet outcomes.

Dakota County is Minnesota’s third largest county and home to more than 400,000 residents. 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.

• Bachelor's degree

• Associate's degree and two years full-time experience working in an office setting providing services to the public

• High School graduate or equivalent (G.E.D.) and four years full-time experience working in an office setting providing services to the public

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

• Completed degree in human services, humanities, social sciences or paralegal/legal assistant.
• Direct work experience as a child support worker, collections specialist, public assistance worker, human services case manager or similar position.
• Direct work experience with accounting, accounts payable/receivable or bookkeeping.

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…