Job Description
PLEASE ATTACH THE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
Job ID: 35119
Agency: Social Services
Location: Statewide
Salary: $27.59 - $34.79 Hourly, depending on qualifications
Pay Grade: J
Closing Date: 03.23.2026
This is a Full-Time 40 Hours Weekly position with the Department of Social Services. For more information on the Department of Social Services, please visit https://dss.sd.gov/ .
Our Culture: Family focused. Person centered.
At our organization it is the belief that every South Dakota family has the right to be safe and secure. We believe in respecting individuals and cultural differences by treating people with dignity, fairness, and respect.
Our Department: Build Strong Families, South Dakota's Foundation and Our Future.
The Department of Social Services aims to strengthen families to foster health, wellbeing, and independence.
Our Team: Dependable. Committed. Compassionate.
As a member of the Department of Social Services you will be part of a team of professionals who are dependable, committed, and compassionate. We believe collaborative communication, teamwork, partnerships, and trust are foundational to the delivery of essential family services.
The Division of Child Protection Services is seeking a highly motivated individual to serve as Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Program Specialist to join the CPS CQI Team. The philosophy of CQI places high value on improvement. CQI is a process that seeks to identify, describe, and analyze strengths and opportunities for improvement and then tests, implements, learns from, and revises solutions. The desired candidate will possess a commitment to service; the ability to interpret child welfare data; and the ability to utilize data to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement; work in a fast-paced environment, and the ability to draw logical conclusions based on data and can communicate strengths and improvement opportunities concisely.
Duties of the position include:
- complete state and federal review to help inform child welfare outcome performance;
- administer staff and stakeholder survey in conjunctions with internal review processes;
- analyze data and present findings of the staff and stakeholder survey to internal and external stakeholders;
- draft the Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) every 5 years and complete the Annual Progress and Service Report (APSR) yearly;
- gathering data pertaining to customer needs, and using the information to identify, predict, interpret, and evaluate CPS program initiatives/projects;
- applying the Continuous Quality Improvement process to improve child welfare practice areas as well as measuring current initiatives to ensure they are effective and meeting program needs;
- conduct exit meetings to assist the local office in selecting the area of need for a CQI plan. Once that area is selected then assist them in starting the CQI process for the area of improvement;
- complete fidelity reviews of current policy and practice, share findings with management team and local offices;
- coaching, consultation, and skill development to all tiers of the CQI System;
- identifying strengths and opportunities for improvement in all CPS program areas;
- office assessments to help specific offices identify their individual strengths and opportunities for improvement.
- draft new policy and provide oversight to help enhance policy and practice as it relates to providing quality services to children and families.
The Ideal Candidate Will Have:
A bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant field is preferred.
Knowledge of:
- theories and concepts related to culture, child development, family connections and family dynamics and their influence on child and parental relationships and behavior;
- quality improvement or change management models.
- interviewing techniques and methods for obtaining and communicating information;
- various social, cultural, economic, psychological, and emotional factors influencing the behavior and attitudes of families and individuals;
- federal and state laws, regulations, and policies governing the assigned program area.
Skill/Ability to:
- correctly interpret, analyze, and apply federal and state laws, regulations, and policies to provide technical advice, guidance, consultation, and policy interpretation in the assigned program area to other social services' personnel, clients, public officials, and private citizens;
- evaluate and monitor program operations and standards, identify problem areas, measure accomplishments against objectives, and develop and implement corrective action;
- exercise good judgment in evaluating program performance, making decisions, and proposing corrective action;
- develop methods and procedures and define standard actions for specific situations;
- utilize computerized data system;
- communicate information clearly and concisely;
- compile, analyze, and prepare clear and concise reports;
- effectively plan and organize work activities and prioritize task completion to meet schedules and deadlines;
- establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, their families, and other social service personnel, public officials, and private citizens.
Additional Requirements: Please attach resume to be considered.
This position is eligible for Veterans' Preference per ARSD 55:10:02:08.
Successful applicant(s) will be required to undergo a background investigation. An arrest/conviction record will not necessarily bar employment. Successful applicant(s) will undergo an abuse and neglect screening.
The State of South Dakota does not sponsor work visas for new or existing employees. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete an Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9. The State of South Dakota as an employer will be using E-Verify to complete employment eligibility verification upon hire.
The State of South Dakota offers $0 premium employee health insurance option plus eleven paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, and other insurance options, and retirement benefits. You can view our benefits information here . This position is a member of Class A retirement under SDRS.
Must apply online: https://gen-stateofsouthdako-trn.inforcloudsuite.com/hcm/xmlhttp/shorturl.do?key=3O9
You must apply online, emailed resumes or submissions will not be accepted.
South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources
Telephone: 605.773.3148 Email: careers@state.sd.us
http://bhr.sd.gov/workforus
"An Equal Opportunity Employer"
#LI-Remote