Collections Officer - Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector (4306) - City and County of San Francisco

Department: Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector
Job class: 4306 Collections Officer
Starting salary range: $79,248 - $96,330/Annually    (1.5% increment as of July 1, 2024)
Role type: Permanent Civil Service What does this mean?
Hours: Full-time
Exam type: Class Based Test
Rule: Rule of 10                        What does this mean?
List type: Entrance

Application Opening: June 12, 2024

Application Deadline: July 7, 2024

Recruitment ID: CBT-4306-147382 / RTF0147375-01139167

DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION & MISSION

The Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector serves as the banker, tax collector, collection agent, and investment officer for the City and County of San Francisco. As the entity responsible for safeguarding the City’s money, the Office uses this expertise and authority to assist San Francisco residents through award-winning programs and initiatives that help low-income families build economic security and mobility.

VISION

We are committed to providing excellent services for taxpayers, customers, and our community. By promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, we are a stronger, smarter, and more informed government agency.

BUREAU OF DELINQUENT REVENUE:

The Bureau of Delinquent Revenue is the sole duly authorized and official collection agency for the City & County of San Francisco and provides debt collection services for multiple City departments. The Bureau successfully manages a large and comprehensive revenue recovery operation that encompasses the full life cycle of the debt collection process; it has a robust portfolio of more than half a million accounts that exceeds a billion dollars in delinquent receivables and consists of approximately 40 different types of municipal debts. These municipal debts include business and personal property taxes, regulatory license fees, parking and transit citations, utility bills, and county medical services debts.

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

Under supervision, performs specialized revenue collection work related to the collection of delinquent monies owed the city; and performs related duties as required. Incumbents in this class perform research, obtain and evaluate information to determine a debtor’s ability to pay and make arrangements for payment of money owed to the City and County. This class is the journey level in the Collection series.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Reviews, inspects, and validates a wide variety of sources, documents and records to obtain evidence and information necessary to locate persons owing monies to the city.
2. Interacts in person, by email or by telephone with taxpayers and representatives, to answer inquiries and explain tax procedures.
3. Contacts a variety of outside organizations in locating assets of individuals owing money to the city.
4. Updates the accounts with relevant documents; performs any required maintenance (status code changes, adjustments needed, cancellations, etc.) and implements the next appropriate step in the collection process.
5. Maintains updated account information when new contact data (address, phone number, employer data, etc.) has been identified and updates the various databases for follow-up, including scanning relevant documents.
6. Provides information and resolution alternatives to the public on the payment of taxes, delinquent accounts and license fees.
7. Assists Senior Collection Officers in researching and maintaining records on a wide variety of tax and debt types.
8. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Experience:

Two (2) years of verifiable journey-level experience in the collection of delinquent accounts.

Substitution:

Experience performing high volume accounts receivable duties, including analyses of complex billing and financial information, and generating reports of financial liabilities, may substitute for the required collections experience on a year for year basis.

Desirable Qualifications (Ideal Candidate)

The stated desirable qualifications may be considered at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring:

• Ability to use skip tracing techniques to locate debtors and to analyze and validate the research
• Ability to maintain records and prepare ordinary reports
• Ability to navigate through and perform tasks utilizing computer software (accounting systems, tax programs, spreadsheets, and database systems) in order to obtain and enter information, perform analyses of billing and financial information
• Ability to deal effectively and courteously with the general public and co-workers

Verification

Please make sure it is clear in your application exactly how you meet the minimum qualifications. Every application is reviewed to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications as listed in the job ad. Please review our articles on Employment Application and Minimum Qualifications and Verification of Experience and/or Education for considerations taken when reviewing applications.

Note: Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores. Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco. 

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this examination process, which includes the following:

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ): (Weight: Qualifying)

Candidates will be required to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application at a later time. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Multiple Choice Examination: (WEIGHT - 100%)

Qualified candidates will be invited to a written examination to determine their relative knowledge, skills and abilities in job-related areas which may include but not limited to: knowledge of collections procedures, principles, concepts and techniques; modern office practices and procedures, interviewing, negotiation skills and written communications ability.

A passing sore must be achieved on the written examination in order to be placed on the eligible list/score report.  This is a standardized examination, and, therefore, test questions and answers are not available for public inspection or review.

Note: applicants that meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement in the selection process.  Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

Certification:

The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Ten.  Additional selection processes may be conducted by the hiring department prior to making final hiring decisions.

Eligible List/Score Report:

A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission. 

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be twelve (12) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director. 

To find Departments which use this classification, please see https://sfdhr.org/sites/default/files/documents/ASO-Level-Chart.pdf?documentID=21246.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. [Note: The correction of clerical errors in an announcement may be posted on the Department of Human Resources website at https://careers.sf.gov/. The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website at http://sfgov.org/civilservice/rules

HOW TO APPLY

Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit https://careers.sf.gov/ and begin the application process. 

• Select the “Apply Now" button and follow instructions on the screen 

Recruitment Analyst Information:  If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Guillermo.Tapia@sfgov.org.

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. 

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received. 

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information about the Hiring Process 
• Conviction History 
• Employee Benefits Overview 
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Workers
• Reasonable Accommodation
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams 
•  

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst Guillermo Tapia at Guillermo.Tapia@sfgov.org

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.