About Our Job

Who We Are

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills, and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive, and talented workforce of more than 1,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

At Denver Human Services (DHS), we envision a healthy community where people are connected, supported, safe, and well. One in three people in Denver turn to DHS for support at all stages of life. Our employees help children, at-risk adults, families, and individuals navigate social and economic pressures by connecting them to services and experts who support their overall well-being.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The targeted salary range for this position is $66,000.00 - $71,000.00/year, based on education and experience.

We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which includes but is not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service
• 457B Retirement Plan
• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 13 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 Wellness Day and 1 volunteer day per year
• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

The City and County of Denver supports a hybrid workplace model. Employees work where needed, at a job site three days a week and off-site as needed. Employees must work within the state of Colorado on their off-site days.

What You’ll Do

Denver Human Services is seeking a dedicated and passionate individual to serve as a Senior Core Services & Placement Navigator within the Clinical and Support Services section of the Child Welfare Services Division. This position provides specialized service navigation, placement coordination, case consultation, and fiscal oversight for children, youth, and families involved with Denver Human Services (DHS), with a particular focus on children and youth in DHS custody who require out-of-home placement.

The primary function of this role is to balance child safety, individualized service needs, appropriate placement, and fiscal responsibility while supporting successful outcomes for children and youth in DHS care. The position works closely with caseworkers, providers, administrators, community partners, state agencies, and judicial stakeholders to identify and coordinate appropriate services and placements.

Responsibilities

The Senior Core Services & Placement Navigator:

• Identifies, coordinates, and monitors appropriate paid out-of-home placements for children and youth in DHS custody while advocating for the least restrictive and most appropriate placement based on the individual needs of each child or youth.
• Makes decisions and provides guidance to caseworkers, administrators, management, and community stakeholders regarding appropriate services and placements for children and youth involved with DHS, including children and youth in DHS custody.
• Demonstrates expertise in Core Services, community-based resources, and available out-of-home placement options to support children, youth, and families.
• Provides consultation, education, and support to caseworkers regarding the Families First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), independent assessment processes, Core Services, and out-of-home placement requirements.
• Participates in multidisciplinary teams and collaborative processes, including the Denver Collaborative Partnership, Family Team Meetings (FTMs), group supervision, and other case consultation forums.
• Works effectively with numerous internal and external partners and stakeholders, including Colorado Access, the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF), the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), judicial partners, service providers, and community organizations.
• Develops and maintains strong working relationships with contracted providers to support appropriate service delivery, placement stability, and contract compliance.
• Maintains service authorizations within the provider database and ensures all authorizations are accurate, current, appropriately documented, and aligned with approved services.
• Ensures compliance with state-mandated audits, applicable funding requirements, and other legal and regulatory mandates.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you and Denver to the next level.

Our ideal candidate has some or all the following experience, skills, and characteristics:

• Intake experience preferred
• Experience with Differential Response and Partnering for Safety
• Supervisory experience
• Experience leading, supervising, and/or coordinating staff

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Requirements as set forth in Colorado Department of Human Services Volume 7 and/or Volume 30 regulations
• Experience: Two (2) years of post-graduation professional social case work experience at the type and level of Social Case Worker and demonstrated mastery of essential duties described
• Education & Experience Equivalency: No substitution of experience for education is permitted. Additional appropriate education may be substituted for experience requirements
• Licensure & Certification: Requires a valid Driver’s License at the time of application. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment. Requires certification as a Social Case Worker in Child Welfare or Adult Protective Services in accordance with CDHS regulations

NOTE: Denver Human Services works to ensure that all employees are paid equitably.  Please ensure your resume is complete and accurate and that it includes all of your relevant work experience and education including job titles, description of assigned duties and all dates of employment periods that you would want to be considered when determining an offer amount.

Required Application Documents

Please attach your official or unofficial transcripts of your completed undergraduate and/or graduate degree and list of professional references to your application in the required attachment section.

Application Deadline

This posting is expected to stay open until November 1st. Please submit your application as soon as possible no later than November 1st at 11:59 p.m. MST.

About Everything Else

Job Profile

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Position Salary Range

Target Pay

Agency

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. 

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact [email protected] with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.