Social Work Assistant Jobs in Rio Rancho, NM (NOW HIRING)

$51.72 - $82.76 Hourly
$107,584 - $172,135 Annually
This position is a Pay Band C13
Posting Details
At the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), every role is an opportunity to make a lasting difference in the lives of children, youth, and families across our state. We are committed to building a compassionate, skilled, and dedicated workforce that works collaboratively to ensure safety, promote well-being, and strengthen families. Whether you are in the field supporting families face-to-face, working behind the scenes to improve systems, or helping to shape the agency from a leadership level, your work here has purpose and long-lasting impact. Join a team that values integrity, resilience, and service and be part of meaningful change for New Mexico's future.
THIS POSTING WILL BE USED FOR ONGOING RECRUITMENT AND MAY CLOSE AT ANY TIME. APPLICANT LISTS MAY BE SCREENED MORE THAN ONCE.
*APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED WITHOUT WORK EXPERIENCE OR A RESUME WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. IF ATTACHING A RESUME, RESUME MUST INCLUDE DATES OF EMPLOYMENT FOR EACH JOB (MONTH & YEAR) AND DETAILS OF WORK EXPERIENCE/JOB DUTIES*
Why does the job exist?
The Deputy Director for Family Services exists to provide executive leadership and statewide operational oversight for the Multi-Level Response system and core prevention services. This role ensures consistent implementation of practice standards, strengthens performance management, and supports compliance with federal funding requirements, including FFPSA. The position plays a critical role in advancing child safety, preventing unnecessary system involvement, and promoting family stability and timely permanency across the state.
How does it get done?
The Deputy Director for Family Services provides leadership for statewide operations with a primary focus on the Multi-Level Response system and related prevention services. The role works closely with Associate Deputy Directors, regional and program leadership, and cross-functional partners to ensure consistent implementation of practice standards and operational priorities across all regions. This position drives performance management by reviewing data, identifying trends, addressing operational barriers, and guiding corrective actions to improve outcomes for children and families. The Deputy Director collaborates with fiscal, policy, legal, and compliance teams to ensure adherence to federal funding and reporting requirements, including FFPSA, and to safeguard the integrity of prevention programming. The role also partners with external stakeholders, including behavioral health providers, courts, tribes, and community organizations, to strengthen coordination and support system alignment. Through strategic planning, leadership development, and active engagement with division leadership, the Deputy Director ensures statewide consistency, accountability, and continuous improvement in service delivery.
Who are the customers?
This position serves children, youth, and families receiving services through the Family Services Division, particularly those supported through the Multi-Level Response and prevention systems, by ensuring consistent practice, timely service delivery, and effective strategies that promote child safety, family stability, and permanency outcomes statewide. The role also serves internal division leadership, staff, and cross-system partners by providing operational direction, performance oversight, and coordination necessary to ensure compliant, effective, and aligned service delivery across regions.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a strategic and operational leader with experience managing complex, statewide human services programs, preferably within child welfare, prevention, or behavioral health systems. This individual demonstrates strong executive judgment and the ability to translate policy into effective practice across multiple regions. The successful candidate will have experience leading large-scale system implementation efforts, driving performance improvement through data and accountability structures, and ensuring compliance with federal funding requirements, including FFPSA or similar frameworks. They are skilled in supervising senior leaders, navigating cross-system partnerships, and balancing strategic vision with day-to-day operational oversight in a high-visibility environment. Strong communication skills, and the ability to lead through change while maintaining a focus on child safety, prevention, and permanency outcomes are essential.
Minimum Qualification
Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Psychology, Guidance and Counseling, Education, Sociology, Criminal Justice, Criminology, or Family Studies/Services and ten (10) years of experience as a social work assistant and/or in social or community coordination, working with communities, working on health or social service related matters, social work/case management experience, health care, and/or behavioral health care, of which four (4) years must be supervisory experience. Any combination of education from an accredited college or university in a related field and/or direct experience in this occupation totaling fourteen (14) years may substitute for the required education and experience.
Employment Requirements
Must possess and maintain a valid Driver's License. Must possess and maintain a current Defensive Driving Course Certificate from the State of New Mexico or must pass and receive Defensive Driving Course Certification as a condition of continued employment. Pre-employment background investigation is required and is conditional pending results.
Working Conditions
Work is primarily performed in an office setting with regular use of a computer, Visual/Video Display Terminal (VDT), telephone, and virtual meeting platforms. The position requires extensive reading, writing, data review, and communication with internal and external stakeholders. The role requires periodic statewide travel for meetings, site visits, and stakeholder engagement. The position operates in a high-visibility, fast-paced environment that may require extended hours, responsiveness to urgent operational matters, and participation in crisis response or executive briefings as needed.
Supplemental Information
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Agency Contact Information: Scott Patterson-Alatorre, (505) 695-4626 Email
For information on Statutory Requirements for this position, click the Classification Description link on the job advertisement.
Bargaining Unit Position
This position is not covered by a collective bargaining agreement.