Human Service Worker I - Fairfax - Fairfax County, VA

Description

Salary : $51, $86,427.54 Annually
Location : FAIRFAX (EJ27), VA
Job Type: FT Hourly W BN
Job Number:
Department: Family Services
Opening Date: 02/21/2026
Closing Date: 3/6/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Pay Grade: S18
Posting Type: Open to General Public
Job Announcement
This position is located in the Pennino Building in Fairfax, Virginia, with possible weekly assignments in one of the Department of Family Services' Regional offices in South County (Alexandria), Reston or Annandale, Virginia. Performs all tasks related to determining eligibility of families for participation in the Child Care Assistance and Referral (CCAR) Program. Interviews prospective families to determine childcare needs. Requests documentary verification as required by established policies and procedures. Reviews and responds to all referrals from other units. Determines the need for other social services and makes referrals when appropriate. Provides childcare resource and referral information to members of the community who are searching for childcare. Duties are performed under the supervision of a Child Care Specialist III.
Illustrative Duties
(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)
Learns, applies, explains and interprets federal, state, and local policies to clients, service providers, attorneys, the public, and other interested parties;
Performs client needs assessments in order to make appropriate referrals and connections to other services;
Works with clients to assist with gathering the information required to establish eligibility;
Compiles and maintains data and documents and may prepare written narratives to support eligibility determinations;
Ensures timely processing of applications to meet client needs and program policy mandates;
Uses automated technology to document, obtain and verify information to generate reports and authorize benefits and services for clients;
Assists clients in obtaining the resources necessary to meet emergency needs;
Assists clients in obtaining services and coordinates these with other service providers as needed;
Coordinates and manages clients' participation in a variety of services;
Participates in case staffings with other county staff or community organizations to assess and address needs of clients.
Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities
(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)
Knowledge of basic human behavior and social problems;
Ability to read, interpret and apply program policies and procedures;
Ability to understand and apply federal, state and local laws governing public assistance and welfare reform;
Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing;
Ability to make mathematical computations;
Ability to schedule, organize and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines;
Ability to use automated technology to establish and maintain case records;
Ability to handle multiple deadlines, computer systems, high volume of client contact,
high caseloads, and competing priorities;
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, co-workers
and other human service providers;
Ability to work effectively with people under stress and those from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds;
Ability to maintain professional ethics related to confidentiality of client information;
Ability to provide excellent customer service;
Ability to work in a team environment;
Ability to maintain flexibility.
Employment Standards
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to")
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree.
Contingent upon the area of assignment, some positions within this class may require specific certification(s) prior to employment and/or the ability to acquire necessary certification(s) within a specified time period following employment. The certifications are identified in the position description and employment advertisement.
CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
None.
NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to the position must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check and a Child protective services check.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Graduation from an accredited four year college or university with a degree in early childhood education, early childhood development, social work, or family studies.
• Excellent oral and written skills.
• Experience in child care subsidy programs, early child hood development programs, and/or working with low income families.
• Ability to work with a high caseload and in an environment of competing priorities.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other human service providers.
• One year of experience in recordkeeping, data entry, eligibility determination, and/or customer service.
• Professional experience in Microsoft office suites and electronic scanning/filling system.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Ability to use automated technology. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.
SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview and may include exercise.
Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including ) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.
Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.
Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY EEO/AA/TTY.
#LI-RS1
Merit Positions
Fairfax County is proud to offer employees an attractive and comprehensive benefits program, including the following:

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
• Group Term Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• LiveWell Program
• Flexible Spending Programs
• Paid Leave (annual, sick, parental, volunteer activity, and more)
• Paid Holidays
• Contributory Retirement Plan
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees' Child Care Center
• Continuous Learning Opportunities
• Commuter Benefits Accounts

NOTE: Fairfax County Government is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For more information about the PSLF program:
For additional details please visit the
Non-Merit Positions

• Non-Merit Benefit Eligible: scheduled to work a minimum 1,040 hours and no more than a maximum of 1,560 hours in a calendar year.
  • Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
  • Flexible Spending Program
  • Deferred Compensation
• Temporary: scheduled to work a maximum of 900 hours in a calendar year.
  • No benefits

01
What is the highest level of education that you have completed?

• Less than 12th grade
• High school diploma or GED
• Some college
• Associate's degree
• Bachelor's degree
• Master's degree
• Doctorate degree

02
Please indicate all major(s) or minor(s) for your completed degree(s). Check all that apply.

• Human services
• Social work
• Elementary childhood education
• Elementary education
• Family services
• Psychology
• Other (related field)
• Other (non-related field)
• Not applicable

03
If you answered "Other (related field)" or "Other (non-related field)" for the previous question, please list all of your completed majors and minors. If this question does not pertain to you, or you do not have a degree, enter "Not applicable."
04
If you answered "Some college" for the highest level of education completed, please indicate the number of quarter or semester hours you have completed towards a related degree.

• Less than 45 quarter hours
• 45 to less than 90 quarter hours
• 90 to less than 135 quarter hours
• 135 to less than 180 quarter hours
• 180 or more quarter hours
• Less than 30 semester hours
• 30 to less than 60 semester hours
• 60 to less than 90 semester hours
• 90 to less than 120 semester hours
• 120 or more semester hours
• Not applicable

05
How many years of full-time equivalent professional work experience do you have in human services or a related field? Note: "Human Services" is defined as work whose objective is to meet human needs and focuses on prevention and the remediation of problems. It is committed to improving the overall quality of life of the served populations.

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five to less than six years
• Six or more years

06
How many years of experience do you have managing caseloads in an environment of competing priorities?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

07
Do you have at least a year of experience in any of the following? Check all that apply.

• Recordkeeping
• Data entry
• Eligibility determination
• Customer service
• None of the above

08
Please indicate which of the following are included in your professional work experience. Check all that apply.

• Microsoft Applications - Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Outlook
• Electronic scanning/filing system
• None of the above

09
How many years of experience do you have working in a child care subsidy program?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

10
How many years of experience do you have working in an early child hood development programs and/or working with low income families?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years