Family Support Center Service Coordinator-(Human Services Specialist I)-Community Resources & Svcs.

Howard County Government; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 56,000 - 64,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Retirement benefits

Wellness programs

Job summary

Howard County Government is seeking a Service Coordinator for the Family Support Center Program within the Office of Children and Families. The role integrates participants across programs, conducts family case meetings, and delivers parent education, engaging families with social services throughout the county.

The position requires a Bachelor's degree or equivalent, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to coordinate community resources; some bilingual ability is desirable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Preferred: Bachelor's in Early Childhood, Social Work, Human Services or related field with 2+ years experience.
• Experience in data reporting and record keeping is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Meets with new OCF FSC families to introduce programs and services and finalize partnership agreements.
• Conduct enrollment, intake, orientation, and ongoing case management for families in the FSC program.
• Develop and maintain relationships with community organizations to facilitate referrals and coordinated support.
• Connect families to community resources, referrals, crisis support, and supportive services for stability.
• Maintain accurate documentation including case notes, service logs, and family records.
• Ensure confidentiality and compliance with reporting standards; participate in team meetings and trainings.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Data reporting

Virtual platform proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Associate degree + 5 years experience

Preferred: related field bachelor’s

Job description

Howard County Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.

Howard County Government Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2025, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland, and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking.

Position Summary/Class Description Howard County Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community. Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2025, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland, and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking.

What are we looking for? We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.

What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.


• We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged!


• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs.


• As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

POSITION SUMMARY: Responsible for the overall coordination of child-centered, family-focused, and community-based support services for The Office of Children and Families’ (OCF) Family Support Center (FSC) Program. The Service Coordinator will integrate participants in all Office of Children and Families programs and services, conduct family case meetings, deliver parent education and participate in community outreach. The Service Coordinator is a collaborative partner with community programs, linking and engaging families with social and human services throughout the county. The position will also develop and implement parent workshops and assist in programming and service delivery throughout the Office of Children and Families.

Starting Salary Hiring Range $27.37 - $30.86

$56,925 - $64,180

Class Description Performs professional level human services work, which may include supervisory responsibility, under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior. Work includes human service, administrative, and counseling work; providing counseling and programmatic services to the special populations; and providing assistance in identifying the population at risk, its needs and how to meet those needs. Organizes and publicizes large events for citizens or special groups. Work also includes providing services needed to carry out human service programs or the operation of a medium sized center with extensive regional responsibility and concurrent programming.

• IMPORTANT NOTICE: This position is grant funded. Individuals selected for the position will serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and may be terminated if the grant funding for the position ends.*

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Meets with new OCF FSC families to familiarize and integrate them into programs and activities; complete all required program participant paperwork including ongoing development of family partnership agreements.


• Conduct enrollment, intake, orientation, and ongoing case management services for families participating in OCF’s Family Support Center Program


• Develop and maintain relationships with community organizations and facilitate referrals to ensure coordinated, high-quality support for families


• Connect families to community resources, referrals, crisis support, and supportive services to promote family stability and self-sufficiency


• Maintain accurate and timely documentation, including case notes, service logs, milestone tracking, and family records


• Maintain compliance with confidentiality and all required reporting standards


• Participate in regular meetings with supervisor and with team members to discuss progress, challenges, and other issues as they relate to service coordination


• Attend trainings and meetings as required by the Department, Office, and grant funders.


• Participate in activities related to Emergency Management as requested including work outside normal business hours to include some weekends and evenings.


• Other related duties may be assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.

Minimum Required Education/Experience Bachelor's Degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred Education, Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Bachelor’s Degree in a related field, Early Childhood, Social Work, Human Services, and two (2) years of experience in similar function, or an associate degree and five (5) years of experience in a similar function. Example of similar functions; Family Navigator, Family Engagement, Child Care Resource and Referral or Human Services.


• Strong interpersonal skills, excellent oral, written communication, planning and service coordination skills and the ability to work well with an ethnically diverse population.


• Knowledge of community resources and how to access them effectively.


• Proficiency in virtual platforms and use of technology for human services delivery.


• Ability to establish trusting relationships.


• Experience with data reporting and record keeping.


• Bilingual (English/Spanish) desirable but not required.

Physical Demands And Work Environment While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; sit; and use hands to touch or handle. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and ability to adjust focus. Employee must be able to drive to assisted living facilities, meetings, etc. This is a field/technical position with work typically performed in both office and field settings and requiring the ability to maneuver in and around such settings. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Language Skills, Mathematical Skills and Reasoning Ability

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Mathematical Skills

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Reasoning Ability

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Additional Information

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening, background screening, and reference checks. At time of application, please submit a copy of any college degree, coursework, licenses, or certifications that you have referenced on your application. Applicants who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service, such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (http://www.naces.org) or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation (https://www.wes.org/). Howard County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Howard County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at [e-mail]. Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application. The following is a summary of the benefits available to Howard County employees who hold full-time benefit-eligible positions. Employees in positions covered by a bargaining agreement should consult their union contract for other specific benefits. Additional details are also available in the Employee Manual and in summary plan descriptions which are available in the Office of Human Resources or at https://www.howardcountymd.gov/human-resources/benefit-plans.

FLEXIBLE BENEFITS PLAN: Under the County's flexible benefits plan called CountyFlex, employees may elect to enroll in medical insurance plans, dental insurance plans, optional life insurance, dependent life insurance, and healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts. Employee contributions to these benefits are made on a pre-tax basis. Information concerning enrollment options, plan rates and a benefits comparison chart are available in the Office of Human Resources.

GROUP TERM LIFE INSURANCE: Employees receive a group term life insurance benefit equal to 2 times their annual salary at no cost. Accidental death and dismemberment coverage is included. The County pays the entire cost for this benefit. Employees may purchase additional coverage under the CountyFlex benefits plan.

PAID LEAVE BENEFITS: Annual and Disability Leaves are accrued over 24 pay periods each year. Personal leave is credited on January 1st each year. Use of Annual, Disability and/or Personal Leave requires supervisory approval.

ANNUAL LEAVE: During the first 5 years of employment, employees accrue the equivalent of 13 days per year. From years 6 through 10, the accrual is the equivalent of 16 days per year. From years 11 through 20, the accrual is the equivalent of 19 days per year. From year 21 on, the accrual is the equivalent of 21 days per year. Annual leave may not be used during the first 6 months of employment. A maximum of 40 days may be carried over from one fiscal year to the next.

DISABILITY LEAVE: Employees accrue the equivalent of 1 day per month (12 days per year). There is no maximum accrual. This leave may be used for the disabling illness/injury of the employee, spouse or minor child or for a serious medical condition approved under F.M.L.A. Absences of over 3 days must be substantiated by a physician's certificate.

PERSONAL LEAVE: Employees receive 6 personal leave days each calendar year to be taken during the calendar year. Employees hired after April 30th receive 4 days of personal leave that year; those hired after August 31st receive 2 days; and those hired after November 30th receive no personal leave for that year. Personal leave may not be carried over.

HOLIDAYS: Employees are paid for the following holidays: New Year's Day; Martin Luther King Day; President's Day; Good Friday; Memorial Day; Juneteenth; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veteran's Day; Thanksgiving Day; Friday after Thanksgiving Day; Christmas Day.

OTHER PAID LEAVE: Other paid leave will be granted for approved jury duty, military leave, bereavement leave and official leave. Unpaid leave will be granted in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act.

RETIREMENT: Howard County sponsors a defined benefit plan for its employees. participation in the plan is mandatory. Employees are required to make contributions to the plan, which are taken on a pre-tax basis. Contribution rates are dependent upon the plan in which the employee participates (general plan, or police and fire plan). The County contributes an additional percentage sufficient to ensure that each plan is adequately funded. Complete details are available in the summary plan descriptions which are available in the Office of Human Resources.Howard County Retirement Plan: Employees contribute 3% of salary to the plan. Sheriff Deputies hired after 7/1/2021 contribute 8.5% of salary to the plan. All eligible Corrections Employees must enroll in the Corrections Employees Enhanced Benefit and must contribute 8.5% of salary to the plan.Howard County Police and Fire Employees' Retirement Plan: Sworn police officers and career firefighters must participate in this plan. Police employees contribute 11.6% of salary and Fire employees contribute 7.7% of salary to the plan.

SOCIAL SECURITY: Participation is mandatory. Employees contribute at the current established rate.

457(b) DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN: Employees are eligible to participate in an IRS 457(b) deferred compensation program. This plan allows employees to defer a portion of their income on a pre-tax basis. Contributions are invested at the employee's direction on a tax deferred basis.

EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Employees experiencing problems that affect their personal lives and job performance may take advantage of confidential assessment and referral services.