This is a Citywide Exam posting. Your application to this posting is an application to take a citywide exam.
If you pass the exam, you will be emailed your score and ranking on the eligible candidate list. When a department has an open position with this job classification they will use this eligible list to hire for that position. Departments will contact candidates from this list to gauge interest in their specific roles. Learn more about the City's hiring process here: https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/
Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:
Application Opening: January 30, 2026
Application Deadline: The job ad will close at 12:00 am PST on February 14, 2026. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm PST on February 13, 2026.
Salary Range: $94,848 to $115,284 annually (https://careers.sf.gov/classifications/?classCode=8158&setId=COMMN)
San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.
San Francisco Child Support Services (CSS) empowers parents to provide economic support for their children by furnishing child support services in the form of location of parents, establishment of paternity and support obligations, and enforcement of support obligations for the well-being of families and children. Our vision is to ensure that children receive the financial and medical support they need from their parents to be healthy and successful. CSS stands unique among other City departments not only due to our mission and vision, but also because of our size.
With a total staff of 58, and within a highly-skilled team environment, our people must autonomously perform a broader range of challenging duties than in many larger departments where responsibilities may be more compartmentalized.
Becoming a City employee means being a part of a team that cares about making a difference. Your work will shape both the present and future of San Francisco. When you work for the City, you're choosing a job with purpose.
Under general supervision, performs the full range of child support officer duties; interviews applicants to establish child support cases; establishes parentage and/or enforceable support obligations; locates absent parents; monitors payment performance and initiates appropriate legal actions to collect arrearages; interprets and applies family support laws; appears at fair hearings or in court as a witness; and performs related duties as required. This is the journey level in the series. Incumbents perform journey level professional duties of child support enforcement.
Other essential duties may include, but are not limited to:
According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.
Conducts interviews by phone or in person with custodial and non-custodial parents, relatives, attorneys and other interested individuals to gather necessary information to verify facts, establish the child support case, explain procedures for child support processing, and keep accurate information.
Establishes parentage and/or enforceable support obligations consistent with the California Child Support Guidelines; locates absent parents and performs other child support enforcement activities to compel compliance with court orders; and ensures that information is entered accurately in the case record.
Monitors and evaluates payment performance by reviewing payment records and verifying payment history with the custodial parent, in accordance with state directives, and initiates appropriate legal action if collection of arrearages is needed.
Reviews documents for compliance with statutes, court decisions and other legal authorities; recommends appropriate corrective action or program improvement plans; and prepares various correspondence. Attends meetings, conferences, seminars and training as assigned in various capacities, including as a participant or trainer.
Assists attorneys by performing a variety of paralegal and investigative tasks, such as case preparation; initiates fraud referrals and recommends case closure following specific guidelines; appears at fair hearings or in court as a witness.
Creates and maintains child support files according to State and Federal regulations and established procedures; updates records and filing systems to ensure that accurate data is kept on assigned child support cases.
Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification. Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.
Education: Possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university; OR
Education Substitution: Professional administrative experience in the functional areas of financial underwriting, insurance adjusting, credit research, collections, eligibility determination for welfare; or other related operations area involving substantial contact with clients in a legal/paralegal environment may be substituted for the required education on a year-for-year basis (30 semester units/45 quarter units equals one (1) year of experience);
AND
Experience: Successful completion of one year (2080 hours) as an 8157 Child Support Officer I; OR two years of experience in establishing and enforcing child support obligations in any CASES/comparable automated child support system in another jurisdiction at a level equivalent to 8157 Child Support Officer I.
Note - Special Conditions
Upon date of appointment, and throughout incumbency, finalist(s) must also meet the following special condition:
Federal Tax Information Background Clearance - All CSS employees are required to possess and retain FTI Background Clearance as a condition of employment. (Upon any selection as a finalist, the employer provides the process for any FTI clearance.)
Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.
One-year full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.
Verification of Education and Experience
Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Review SF Careers Employment Applications (https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/#:~:text=Employment%20Applications%20and%20Minimum%20Qualifications) for considerations taken when reviewing applications.
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/experience-education/.
Note: Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.
Selection Procedure
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:
Written Multiple-Choice Examination: (Weight: 100%)
Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be invited to participate in a written, multiple-choice examination, designed to measure their relative knowledge, skills and abilities in job-related areas. The multiple-choice examination content may include but not be limited to: Knowledge of: child support case processing techniques, interviewing techniques, basic legal processing, filing systems and basic math. Ability to: apply techniques and information related to child support case processing; operate personal computers; communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with a wide variety of individuals; proofread records and documents; and interact effectively and courteously with staff and the public.
Candidate scores on this exam may also be applied to other announcements involving other job titles, when directed by the Human Resources Director.
Date(s) of Examination: Those applicants meeting the minimum qualifications will be notified of the exact date, time, and the location to report to the examination.
Note: A passing score on the Written Multiple-Choice Examination must be achieved in order to be placed on the Eligible List.
Eligible List/Score Report
A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.
The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be of twenty-four (24) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.
To find Departments which use this classification, please see the city's Position Counts by Job Codes and Departments. (https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/Forms-Documents/Position-Counts-by-Job-Codes-and-Department-FY-2022-23.pdf)
Certification: The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Three (3). The hiring department may administer additional position-specific selection procedures prior to making final hiring decisions.
Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/.]
The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at https://sf.gov/departments/civil-service-commission.
Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:
Information About the Hiring Process (https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/process/)
Conviction History
Employee Benefits Overview (https://sfdhr.org/benefits-overview)
Equal Employment Opportunity (https://sfdhr.org/equal-employment-opportunity)
Disaster Service Worker
ADA Accommodation (https://careers.sf.gov/accommodations/)
Veterans Preference
Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams
Right to Work (https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/#:~:text=Identification/Right%20to%20Work)
Copies of Application Documents
Diversity Statement (https://careers.sf.gov/knowledge/#:~:text=Learn%20more-,Diversity%20Statement,-The%20City%20and)
Where to Apply
All job applications for the City and County of San Francisco must be submitted through our online portal. Please visit https://careers.sf.gov/ to begin your application process.
Computers are available for the public (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday) to file online applications in the lobby of the Dept. of Human Resources at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor and at the City Career Center at City Hall (https://www.sf.gov/city-career-center) , 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 110.
Ensure your application information is accurate, as changes may not be possible after submission. Your first and last name must match your legal ID for verification, and preferred names can be included in parentheses. Use your personal email address, not a shared or work email, to avoid unfixable issues.
Applicants will receive a confirmation email from notification@smartrecruiters.com that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.
If you have any questions, you may contact Kimberly Gibney at kimberly.gibney@sfgov.org. Recruitment ID: CBT-8158-X00120
The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.
