Senior Program Associate

POSTING TYPE: Open Competitive
DEPARTMENT: Social Services
HOURS: Full-time (40 hours per week)
PREFERRED HIRING RANGE: $50,194 - $56,468/year (Salary Grade 105)
FULL SALARY RANGE: $50,194 - $78,428/year
LOCATION: Hybrid; telework and in-person at the Northern Service Center, West Saint Paul
UNION: AFSCME 306
CLOSE DATE: 4:30 p.m. on 9/11/2025

Come and join over 2,000 skilled individuals whose talents and contributions make Dakota County a premier place to live and work. The work that county government does is unique, and Dakota County offers important careers - the kind of careers that make a difference in people's lives.

Dakota County welcomes and is inclusive of diverse people, backgrounds, and perspectives. Dakota County aims to reflect the community and clients it serves and to foster an equitable and respectful working environment where everyone is empowered to be their authentic selves.

The position assists a wide variety of social services programs and provides a variety of highly skilled administrative functions and tasks under limited supervision. This particular vacancy supports Community Living Services programming including Social Workers, service providers and the individuals served. This position is responsible for assisting with processing service arrangements in various state and county systems, assisting with intake and case transfers, various administrative tasks and communicating with service providers, county, and contracted workers to ensure a smooth service delivery. Other duties include auditing and reconciling various financial records for accuracy and ensuring state and federal compliance, while troubleshooting, prioritizing and multi-tasking a high-volume caseload.

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* Associates Degree in business administration, human services or related field AND One (1) year of progressively responsible administrative experience in an office environment.
OR
* High School Diploma AND Three (3) years of administrative experience in an office environment
OR
* Current combination of education and experience to total 3 years.

* Candidate must be proficient at keyboard skills including typing at least 45 WPM.

Preferred Qualifications:
* Experience in electronic databases and records management systems
* High level of skill with Microsoft Office applications
* Experience in working with diverse populations and clients with limited English proficiency

To be eligible for hire, an applicant must successfully complete a background check and meet the criminal history background criteria required to access certain networks/systems necessary to perform the essential functions of the position.

These examples do not include all possible tasks in this work and do not limit the assignment of related tasks in any position of this classification. Regular attendance according to the position's management approved work schedule is required for all positions.

1. Prepares service arrangements and authorizes or reconciles provider payments based on contract language to be in compliance with statutory requirements and county policies for various service delivery systems.
2. Creates administration and fiscal case components for case management in various county and state software systems, including but not limited to eligibility, service coding for claiming and revenue capture, and data integrity.
3. Conducts internal audit of case components, whether fiscal or administrative, to ensure required compliance with state and federal mandates.
4. Communicates with service providers and tracks progress and compliance in regard to service agreements and payments.
5. May coordinate intake and case management transfer processes for social services programs.
6. May process background checks and track associated documentation for licensure of providers.
7. Handles confidential client information with integrity and in compliance with legal regulations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS 1-7

• Considerable ability to conduct research, analyze, prioritize, and coordinate work according to client and agency needs.
• Knowledge of State, Federal and County guidelines for appropriate programs.
• Ability to deal effectively with multiple and sometimes conflicting demands while maintaining composure and professionalism.
• Ability to make problem solve while demonstrating good judgment.
• Ability to work independently and as a team member.
• Ability to work effectively with clients and staff from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
• Ability to recognize and comply with HIPAA and other data privacy regulations.
• Ability to audit and reconcile various financial records for accuracy related to program services.
• Knowledge of productivity application software (Microsoft Office, etc.).
• Understanding of mission and vision of department and program operational guidelines, business practices, staff needs, and client service outcomes.
• Ability to work effectively with clients and staff from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
• Ability to utilize County electronic data management system to organize and manage confidential documents in a centralized method.