Apr 24, 2026

SUPPORT INVESTIGATOR (HELPS)

Job Description

POSITION: Support Investigator (HELPS)
DEPARTMENT: Albany County Department of Social Services
SALARY RANGE: $52,585-$57,246
WORK LOCATION: 162 Washington Ave, Albany, NY 12210

BENEFITS:

Generous Paid Time-Off NYS Retirement System Work-Life Balance

Health, Dental, Vision and Hearing Tuition Reimbursement Public Service Loan Forgiveness

DESCRIPTION:
These duties involve verifying the absence of a legally responsible relative from a household, locating the individual and

assessing the possibility of obtaining reimbursement of funds for a social service agency. The work is performed under

general supervision of either a higher-level investigator or the Coordinator of Child Support Enforcement allowing incum-

bents considerable leeway in carrying out specific tasks. Does related work as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: EITHER:

A. Graduation from an accredited college or university with at least an Associate's degree in Criminal Justice, Public Ad-
ministration or a closely related field; OR,

B. Graduation from high school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and three (3) years of law enforce-
ment experience or closely related investigative experience involving public contact which includes enforcement of
policies, rules, regulations, and procedures and preparation of comprehensive investigative/incident reports

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
  • Possession of a Class D or higher New York State Motor Vehicle operator's license at time of appointment and throughout employment;
  • In the Child Support Enforcement Unit of the Department of Social Services ONLY: This position is subject to background check
for any convictions directly related to its duties and responsibilities. Only job-related convictions will be considered and will not automati-
cally disqualify the candidate. No background check will occur until after a conditional offer of employment has been made. Any revo-
cation of employment due to criminal history will include a clear explanation and instructions for appeal.

NOTE:
Investigative experience can be interpreted to include experience with a law enforcement agency, credit bureau, retail
credit, bank, insurance company, internal revenue, social security, child support investigations, or a private investiga-
tion agency.

POINT OF CONTACT FOR INQUIRIES:
dssinquires@albanycountyny.gov

Candidates will not have to take an exam for this title. This is a Hiring Emergency Limited Placement (HELP) Program-designated title.

The HELP Program is a temporary program designed to help local government employers address current staffing issues. Traditionally, the

titles filled under the HELP Program required job candidates to compete in a competitive exam to be considered for employment. For the

duration of the program, this title will be classified as non-competitive and categorized as a “HELP Program” position. At the close of the

program, this position will revert to competitive class status. Employees occupying positions filled through the HELP Program will be granted

competitive class status without the need to participate in a competitive exam.

ID

8f1d0e3cd2687b5ea63022774e32d10e