About the Department
Full-time position - 40 hours per week
2026 wage range is $27.09 - $35.65 per hour, plus benefits.
(Hiring range: $27.09 - 30.02 per hour)
**INTERESTED CANDIDATES MUST ALSO APPLY TO THE MINNESOTA MERIT SYSTEM**
Please see the application instructions at the bottom of this announcement.
Application deadline: 4:30 p.m., Friday, May 22, 2026
Position Purpose
Under the general supervision of the Financial Services Supervisor, and working closely with the County Attorney's Office, a Child Support Officer is responsible for paralegal functions related to the establishment and enforcement of child support orders, locating absent parents and establishing paternity.
Distinguishing Characteristics
A Child Support Officer performs a majority of the work independently and exercises individual judgment in accordance with established standard procedures. The CSO works closely with the County Attorney’s Office, income maintenance staff, social services staff, and others; testifies in court proceedings; and maintains all requisite relevant legal documentation. Drafts legal documents of significance within established formats and guidelines for submission to the County Attorney and ultimately the district court. This position assists in locating absent parents; interviews mothers and alleged fathers to establish paternity; and explains to parents their rights and obligations and negotiates out of court child support settlements.
Position Duties
1. Case Management - Manage all aspects of a caseload including: intake; data entry; locating absent parents; processing system-generated tasks; monitoring compliance with court orders; responding to new case information; generating correspondence; and processing case closures
- Communicate with clients, employers, attorneys, government agencies, and members of the public
- Participate/testify in court proceedings- present recommendations
- Monitor and adjust financial obligations based on court orders, including cost of living adjustments; public assistance status, medical expenses etc.
| 40% |
2. Establish Initial Support Obligations - Select and refer appropriate cases to the county attorney for legal action
- Initiate action and refer to County Attorney’s office matters regarding:
- Initiate/prepare legal documents utilizing PRISM for County Attorney review/signature
- Schedule hearings and file documents with the Court Administrator’s Office
- Collect/arrange for the collection of DNA samples from children, mothers, and alleged fathers for paternity determinations
- Effectuate service on clients/representatives
- Negotiate out-of-court child support related settlements with parties for approval by the County Attorney’s staff and ultimately by the court
| 37% |
3. Information Gathering/Assessment - Collect previous court records
- Collect requisite personal client relationship information; sources of income custody/parenting time status; household composition; public assistance eligibility; criminal history; education; health conditions; employment history and job training/skills
- Assess economic ability and formulate a recommendation for child support obligations and enforcement for consideration by the County Attorney’s Office
| 15%
|
4. Enforcement Actions - Initiate administrative enforcement actions for income withholding, bank levies; driver’s license suspension, judgements, passport suspension, occupational license suspension, and payment plans
| 5% |
5. Professional Competency - Maintain competency by regularly reading policies and staying abreast of changes in law and policy
| 3% |
This description provides a general list of responsibilities and is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of this position and classification. It is intended only as an illustration of the various types of work performed. The position description is subject to change as the needs of the employer and requirements of the position change.
Minimum Qualifications
Employment Standards
Education and Experience
- Associate of Arts in criminal justice, law enforcement, paralegal, social work, psychology, human services, or business administration or completion of a technical or community college child support AAS or diploma program
-OR-
- A high school diploma or GED AND one of the following:
-OR-
- Three years of experience providing clerical or other support services to child support staff, or experience as a legal secretary or paralegal (performing research on cases, gathering necessary documents for trials, preparing documents and pleadings, assisting attorneys in court, etc.)
-OR-
- Four years of experience in collections work in the private sector
-AND-
- Minnesota DHS Child Support Officer Merit qualified
Other Pre-Employment Standards/Requirements
- Pass a criminal history/background check
Preferred Criteria/Experience
N/A
Essential skills, knowledge, and abilities
Pre-Employment
- Basic contemporary computer technology skills; ability to enter and retrieve data
- Considerable knowledge of the legal process related to child support orders, hearings and court procedures
- Working knowledge of child support laws, rules, regulations and policies
- Working knowledge of data privacy laws
- Knowledge of federal and state income maintenance program laws, rules and regulations
- Knowledge of community resources
- Knowledge of personal financial management techniques
- Knowledge of debt collection approaches and laws
- Knowledge of human behavior and ability to handle hostile or uncooperative persons
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing
- Ability to conduct an effective interview
- Ability to understand and explain and relevant laws, rules and regulations and court orders
- Ability to analyze facts and evidence to make sound recommendations
- Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with attorneys, child support magistrates, co-workers, clients, court personnel, human services staff, and personnel from other organizations
- Ability to maintain effective working relationships with individuals from various cultural, occupational and socioeconomic backgrounds
- Ability and skills to establish and maintain thorough case files in compliance with state and federal laws, both for on-going collections and for audit process
- Ability to prepare legal documents; working knowledge of legal terms and forms used to draft orders of judgment, contempt actions, and other legal documents
- Ability to prepare clear, concise, and comprehensive reports
- Ability to perform basic mathematical computations
- Ability to organize and prioritize work and ability to process a large volume of work independently, quickly, and accurately
Post-Employment
- Working knowledge of SSIS, PRISM, OnBase, Compass Pilot
- Working knowledge of PHHS Department programs, operations, policies and procedures
Other Qualifications
Persons with Disabilities
The above is a general listing of job duties. Essential and non-essential functions may vary by individual position. Reasonable accommodations may be available for both essential and non-essential job duties.
In compliance w/ the Americans with Disabilities Act the following represents the Physical/Environmental Demands and Work Environment
| FUNCTION | <25% | 25% - 49% | 50% - 74% | >74% |
| Office Environment | | | | X |
| Sitting | | | X | |
| Standing, Walking | | X | | |
| Simultaneous/Repetitive Hand Movements | | | X | |
| Typing/Data Entry | | | X | |
| Close Vision (Near Acuity) | | | X | |
| Distance Vision (Far Acuity) | | | X | |
| Color Vision (ability to identify and distinguish colors) | X | | | |
| Accommodation (ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus) | | | X | |
| Hearing/Speech | | | X | |
| Sedentary (Exert up to 10 pounds of force) | | | | X |
| Light (Exert up to 20 pounds of force) | X | | | |
| Lifting, carrying or pushing of objects up to twenty-five (25) pounds | n/a | | | |
| Lifting, carrying, or pushing of objects over fifty (50) pounds | n/a | | | |
| Adverse movements such as overhead, bending, reaching | | | X | |
NOTICE
A County employee in this position may encounter not public data as defined by Minnesota and federal law in the course of his/her work. Any access to not public data should be strictly limited to accessing the data that is necessary to fulfill the defined job duties. While data is being accessed, the employee shall take reasonable measures to ensure the not public data is not accessed by unauthorized individuals. Once the work purpose to access the data is reasonably finished, the employee must properly store and secure the not public data in accordance with applicable County policies as well as Minnesota and federal law. All employees are expected to become familiar with and comply with the requirements of the County’s Data Practices and Data Security Policies.
Status: Non-Exempt
Job Category: Technical/Paraprofessional
Banding: 2020: B24
Labor Group: AFSCME
Reviewed: 05.2020
PLEASE NOTE: applying for this position requires applications be submitted to both Houston County AND the MN Merit System.
- Submit your application to the Minnesota Merit System for Child Support Officer by 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 22, 2026, by going to: http://agency.governmentjobs.com/mnmeritsystem/default.cfm and clicking on job posting: Child Support Officer (937-OC).
- Submit your online application to Houston County by 4:30 p.m., Friday, May 22, 2026, by clicking the green "APPLY" button on this page. Please attach a cover letter and copies of any applicable certifications. If special accommodations are needed to complete the application for employment form, please contact the Houston County Personnel Office at 507.725.5822.
Houston County is an Equal Opportunity Employer