CPS Lead Worker - Social Service Specialist 4 (SSS4)

Location: Bremerton, WA – Region 5. Full-time, permanent position; requires time in the field and the office. Travel is required within assigned areas, with clients, and for training/meetings. Closes: 10/26/2026. Job ID: 2026-08154.

About the role

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is seeking a CPS Social Service Specialist 4 (SSS4) to lead Social Service Specialists in Region 5, Bremerton Office. This position functions as a Lead Worker over Social Service Specialists (SSS1–SSS3) who provide professional-level social services to clients involved with Child Protective Services (CPS), Family Assessment Response (FAR), Family Voluntary Services (FVS), and Family Reconciliation Services (FRS). The role provides advanced specialized case management, coaching, mentoring, on-the-job training, and assistance in transitioning staff from formal training to fieldwork. It assigns work, conducts case reviews, maintains procedures for efficient workflow, and acts as the unit supervisor (SSS5) in their absence — including attendance at meetings, facilitation, case staffing, and decision-making. The position applies child welfare practice principles, laws, rules, and policy in leading employees and assessing/intervening on the most complex cases.

Responsibilities

• Provide on-the-job training, mentoring, feedback, coaching, and consultation to staff.
• Conduct on-the-job training and assistance with staff in formal training plans transitioning to fieldwork.
• Assign work, review work for efficiency, use data to identify trends, and review case actions for accuracy and compliance with policy.
• Serve as Lead Specialist assigned to the most complex cases.
• Report on the strengths and weaknesses of employees to their direct supervisor.
• Provide feedback for annual performance evaluations and identify training needs.
• Provide coverage of assigned caseloads.
• Attend court hearings and provide testimony in court when necessary.
• Fill in as supervisor in the supervisor’s absence.

Requirements

Candidates must meet one of the following education/experience pathways and the supplemental experience requirement:

• Pathway 1: Seven (7) years of paid social service experience, including at least one year assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family-centered practice services, and 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline.
• Pathway 2: One (1) year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 3.
• Pathway 3: Bachelor’s degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or a Bachelor’s degree that includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline, and three (3) years of paid social service experience*.
• Pathway 4: Master’s degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences, or a Master’s degree that includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Service discipline, and two (2) years of paid social service experience*. (A two-year Master’s degree in one of the above fields that included a practicum may be substituted for one year of paid social service experience.)

*Paid Social Service experience must include at least one year of assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family-centered practice services.

In addition, the candidate must demonstrate:

• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Preferred Qualifications

• Child welfare experience in program areas: Child Protective Services (CPS), Child and Family Welfare Services (CFWS), Family Voluntary Services (FVS), Family Reconciliation Services (FRS), Family Assessment Response (FAR), and Adoptions/Permanency.
• Master's in Social Work and completed practicum.
• Case management experience with mandatory clients.
• Knowledge of child development and/or family systems.
• Professional experience working with clients who have mental health or substance use disorders, developmental delays, or criminal behaviors.
• Experience researching, interpreting, and applying Child Welfare laws, rules, and policies, and delivering services accordingly.
• Experience with the agency's software program, FamLink.

Pay

Salary: $74,748 – $100,488 annually. This position also receives 10% assignment pay in addition to the regular base salary; the required duties include performing visits in unregulated environments (e.g., private residences) to conduct investigations for allegations of abuse and/or neglect to assess the safety of vulnerable children.

Schedule & Location

Full-time, permanent position based in Bremerton, WA (Region 5). Requires time in the field and the office. Travel is required within assigned areas, with clients as cases require, and to attend training and meetings in other locations. A minimum of two years of driving experience and a valid driver’s license are required. Employees must successfully complete the formal training course sponsored by their division within one year of appointment. This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE).