The Social Services Supervisor provides leadership, oversight, and professional guidance to a team of staff delivering essential services to individuals, families, and vulnerable populations. This role ensures high-quality service delivery, compliance with regulations, and effective coordination with community partners. The supervisor also manages caseload distribution, supports staff development, and contributes to program planning and evaluation.
Performs difficult professional work assessing, developing, initiating, evaluating, and managing social service intervention programs. Work is performed under the general direction of the Social Services Manager. Continuous supervision is exercised over personnel within the team.
This position may be assigned to specialized functions within the Health and Human Services Department.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential function.- Manages, coordinates and supervises social service programs and staff to ensure compliance with County, State, and Federal laws, policies and procedures.
- Assigns cases to staff and monitors activity and results; holds individual conferences and group meetings with staff to interpret agency and State policies, rules and regulations; performs reviews of selected cases.
- Uses independent judgment providing supervision and leadership to personnel under position’s span of control; makes and participates in decisions on matters of hiring, transfer, suspension, layoff, recall, promotion, discharge, assignment, reward, adjusting grievances or disciplining employees under position’s span of control; sets goals and objectives for others to work towards and monitors performance; creates and maintains a positive work environment fostering effective performance of staff.
- Develops and recommends policies and procedures that conform to statutes, laws, rules, regulations and policies while meeting client needs effectively and professionally.
- Addresses and resolves elevated client issues.
- Supervises delivery of services to ensure compliance with service plan reviews, case operations, standards review and placement plans; represents the Department in legal proceedings, hearings, and screening and placement meetings.
- Develops and monitors budget and oversees revenue generation for assigned program areas; authorizes purchased services and administrative expenditures.
- Researches and writes grant applications and monitors grant funding.
- Oversees agency on-call (after-hours) program and staff, requiring evening, weekend and holiday availability.
- Facilitates effective community relations including serving on task forces and advisory committees; serves in an emergency preparedness and response mode for incidents including after business hours.
- Performs other duties and activities as assigned.
Education and Experience
Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, human services administration, or related field and five years of experience in health and human services or social work or equivalent combination of education and experience. Master's degree is preferred.
Special Requirements
Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) may be required dependent upon unit assignment.
Qualified Developmental Disabilities Professional certification may be required dependent upon unit assignment.
MnCHOICE Certification within six months of employment may be required dependent upon unit assignment.
Supervisory experience is preferred.
A valid driver’s license or evidence of equivalent mobility is also required upon hire.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge of, and ability to interpret and apply, laws and regulations related to Human Services programs; knowledge of trends in and delivery methods for social services; knowledge of computer systems and programs used to administer Division Human Services programs; knowledge of revenue resources available from County, State and Federal resources; knowledge of County government work flows and processes; knowledge of court procedures and practices; knowledge of conflict management and ability to recognize and diffuse conflict; knowledge of budgeting principles sufficient to provide input into a Department budget and manage assigned budget responsibilities; skill in the use of standard office equipment, including computer and software programs; proven leadership qualities with ability to motivate employees; verbal and written communication skills sufficient to effectively present information and respond to questions from a wide variety of audiences; reading comprehension skills sufficient to read and interpret legal and technical human services documents; interpersonal skills sufficient to exchange and/or convey information, receive work direction, and maintain effective working relationships; ability to perform data entry into various databases; ability to prepare and analyze program budgets and financial reports;
ability to effectively organize time and anticipate, plan and successfully respond to changing circumstances; ability to perform all job duties in compliance with safety guidelines and with an ongoing awareness of safety practices; ability to communicate courteously and professionally while maintaining positive working relationships with others when carrying out all job functions.
This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires speaking or hearing and using hands to finger, handle or feel, frequently requires sitting and repetitive motions and occasionally requires standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, reaching with hands and arms, pushing or pulling and lifting; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating machines, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surroundings and activities; work occasionally requires exposure to fumes or airborne particles, exposure to toxic or caustic chemicals, exposure to outdoor weather conditions. work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).
