How to hire a social services supervisor

How to hire a social services supervisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step social services supervisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a social services supervisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new social services supervisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a social services supervisor, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a social services supervisor to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a social services supervisor that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of social services supervisors and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Social Services Supervisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Social Services Supervisor	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$18-41
   Coordinator	Coordinators are responsible for liaising between the department they are assigned to and any other external party. They oversee projects or agreements... Show more	$12-29
   Resident	A resident, often known as a resident physician, is a medical doctor who just graduated from medical school and pursued the residency program for further training. Residents work with health care team members to provide direct medical care by diagnosing medical problems and devising appropriate treatment plans... Show more	$21-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Mental Health
   • Community Resources
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Substance Abuse
   • Clinical Supervision
   • MSW
   • Discharge Planning
   • Performance Evaluations
   • Nursing Home
   • Service Delivery
   • Direct Supervision
   • Protective Services
   • Staff Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Collaborate with partners including public and private agencies to achieve permanency for children.
   • Interpret Medicaid and Medicare policies and procedures.
   • Complete Medicaid billing tickets providing accurate codes for services provide.
   • Coordinate admissions of active duty service members and veterans to the inpatient rehabilitation/medical unit after suffering a new spinal cord injury.
   • Transport consumers to treatment team meeting for ISP.

   More social services supervisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the social services supervisor job description is a good way to get more applicants. A social services supervisor salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a social services supervisor in Nebraska may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level social services supervisor. Additionally, a social services supervisor with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average social services supervisor salary

   $58,822yearly

   $28.28 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level social services supervisor salary

   $39,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 15, 2026

   Average social services supervisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$79,286	$38
   2	New York	$68,548	$33
   3	Washington	$66,787	$32
   4	Texas	$63,591	$31
   5	Pennsylvania	$62,161	$30
   6	Illinois	$61,061	$29
   7	New Jersey	$59,966	$29
   8	Oregon	$59,655	$29
   9	Iowa	$59,551	$29
   10	Minnesota	$59,397	$29
   11	Arkansas	$56,684	$27
   12	Massachusetts	$54,615	$26
   13	Indiana	$52,300	$25
   14	Ohio	$51,473	$25
   15	Louisiana	$48,881	$24
   16	Georgia	$48,359	$23
   17	Montana	$44,092	$21

   Average social services supervisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Edelman Financial Engines	$92,356	$44.40	1
   2	Wpp Us Holdings Inc	$79,740	$38.34	19
   3	UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital	$78,585	$37.78
   4	CarDon & Associates	$72,724	$34.96
   5	Omnicom Media Group	$70,721	$34.00	3
   6	Zenith	$69,470	$33.40
   7	Trilogy Health Services	$68,556	$32.96	16
   8	BronxWorks	$64,477	$31.00	12
   9	State of Connecticut	$63,978	$30.76	10
   10	Bethesda Project	$63,631	$30.59	3
   11	Signature Healthcare	$63,039	$30.31	19
   12	Washington State University	$61,777	$29.70	2
   13	Publicis Health Media	$60,166	$28.93
   14	Job Corps	$59,229	$28.48
   15	WorkReduce	$59,168	$28.45
   16	Kettering Health Network	$59,139	$28.43	21
   17	Dakota Holding Corporation	$59,125	$28.43
   18	Mission Neighborhood Health Center	$58,405	$28.08
   19	KIND Snacks	$58,392	$28.07	6
   20	Best Buy	$57,376	$27.58

4. Writing a social services supervisor job description

   A good social services supervisor job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a social services supervisor job description:

   Social services supervisor job description example

   General Definition of Work
   
   A Waiver & Community Supports Team Supervisor's role is to lead staff and manage home and community-based service waiver case management, services for our aging population, and support to individuals with disabilities and their families. This position is one of ten supervisors in the Social Services Division, who work with teams consisting of Office Technicians, Case Aides, Social Worker I, Social Worker II, Social Worker III, and Public Health Nurses.
   
   Performs difficult professional work assessing, developing, initiating, evaluating and managing social service intervention programs. Work is performed under the general direction of the Social Services Manager. Continuous supervision is exercised over personnel within the team.
   
   Essential Functions
   
   To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential function.
   
   * Manages, coordinates and supervises social service programs and staff to ensure compliance with County, State, and Federal laws, policies and procedures.
   * Assigns cases to staff and monitors activity and results; holds individual conferences and group meetings with staff to interpret agency and State policies, rules and regulations; performs reviews of selected cases.
   * Uses independent judgment providing supervision and leadership to personnel under position's span of control; makes and participates in decisions on matters of hiring, transfer, suspension, layoff, recall, promotion, discharge, assignment, reward, adjusting grievances or disciplining employees under position's span of control; sets goals and objectives for others to work towards and monitors performance; creates and maintains a positive work environment fostering effective performance of staff.
   * Develops and recommends policies and procedures that conform to statutes, laws, rules, regulations and policies while meeting client needs effectively and professionally.
   * Addresses and resolves elevated client issues.
   * Supervises delivery of services to ensure compliance with service plan reviews, case operations, standards reviewand placement plans; represents the Department in legal proceedings, hearings, and screening and placement meetings.
   * Develops and monitors budget and oversees revenue generation for assigned program areas; authorizes purchased services and administrative expenditures.
   * Researches and writes grant applications and monitors grant funding.
   * Oversees agency on-call (after-hours) program and staff, requiring evening, weekend and holiday availability.
   * Facilitates effective community relations including serving on task forces and advisory committees; serves in an emergency preparedness and response mode for incidents including after business hours.
   * Performs other duties and activities as assigned.
   
   Minimum Qualifications & Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
   
   Education and Experience
   
   Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, human services administration, or related field and five years of experience in health and human services or social work or equivalent combination of education and experience. Master's degree is preferred.
   
   Special Requirements
   
   Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) may be required dependent upon unit assignment.
   
   Qualified Developmental Disabilities Professional certification may be required dependent upon unit assignment.
   
   MnCHOICE Certification within six months of employment may be required dependent upon unit assignment.
   
   Supervisory experience is preferred.
   
   A valid driver's license or evidence of equivalent mobility is also required upon hire.
   
   Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
   
   Knowledge of, and ability to interpret and apply, laws and regulations related to Human Services programs; knowledge of trends in and delivery methods for social services; knowledge of computer systems and programs used to administer Division Human Services programs; knowledge of revenue resources available from County, State and Federal resources; knowledge of County government work flows and processes; knowledge of court procedures and practices; knowledge of conflict management and ability to recognize and diffuse conflict; knowledge of budgeting principles sufficient to provide input into a Department budget and manage assigned budget responsibilities; skill in the use of standard office equipment, including computer and software programs; proven leadership qualities with ability to motivate employees; verbal and written communication skills sufficient to effectively present information and respond to questions from a wide variety of audiences; reading comprehension skills sufficient to read and interpret legal and technical human services documents; interpersonal skills sufficient to exchange and/or convey various databases; ability to prepare and analyze program budgets and financial reports; ability to effectively organize time and anticipate, plan and successfully respond to changing circumstances; ability to perform all job duties in compliance with safety guidelines and with an ongoing awareness of safety practices; ability to communicate courteously and professionally while maintaining positive working relationships with others when carrying out all job functions.
   
   Physical Requirements
   
   This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires speaking or hearing and using hands to finger, handle or feel, frequently requires sitting and repetitive motions and occasionally requires standing, walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling, reaching with hands and arms, pushing or pulling and lifting; work has standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word and conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels; work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data, operating machines, operating motor vehicles or equipment and observing general surrounding and activities; work occasionally requires exposure to fumes or airborne particles, exposure to toxic or caustic chemicals, exposure to outdoor weather conditions. Work is generally in a moderately noisy location (e.g. business office, light traffic).

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find social services supervisors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any social services supervisors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level social services supervisors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your social services supervisor job on Zippia to find and recruit social services supervisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit social services supervisors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new social services supervisor

   Once you've found the social services supervisor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new social services supervisor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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