Senior Collections Officer

Job Description:

Senior Collections Officer

Description

ABOUT US

At the County of Marin, our employees overwhelmingly report feeling their work is meaningful, they like the work they do, and they are proud to tell people “I work for the County of Marin.” Discover more about us, our values and our organizational culture on the Department of Human Resources website . Read on to find out more about this opportunity.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT:

The mission of the Department of Finance (DOF) is to instill the public's trust and ensure the financial integrity of the County of Marin by safeguarding the County's funds and promoting the prudent utilization of resources.

The DOF maintains the accounts of County government, the County’s school districts, and many of the special districts within Marin County. The Department of Finance also administers the County’s major financial, budgetary, payroll, fixed asset, tax apportionment and revenue collection systems.

ABOUT THE POSITION

There is currently one (1) Senior Collections Officer position with the Tax . This position is located on-site reporting to the Marin County Civic Center building in San Rafael, CA.

Under the direction of the Division Accounting Unit Manager, the Senior Collections Officer oversees the daily operations of the front-line Tax Collector team, composed of full-time professional and support staff. The incumbent organizes and prioritizes team activities and leads customer service efforts. A highly qualified candidate is detail-oriented and solution-driven, with a strong background in revenue collections and tax delinquency management, including tax default, installment plans, bankruptcies, and auction preparation.

This role requires sound judgment and professionalism when addressing complex and sensitive financial matters in a fast-paced, service-oriented environment. The ideal candidate brings expertise in billing, delinquency resolution, and regulatory compliance, along with a thorough understanding of tax laws and procedures. Strong communication skills are essential when engaging with both the public and internal stakeholders. Proficiency in Microsoft Excel is required for organizing and reconciling financial data. This individual demonstrates initiative, reliability, and a commitment to operational excellence through process improvements and workflow enhancements.

ABOUT YOU

Our Highly Qualified Candidate Has proven experience in governmental debt collection and in serving in a lead role capacity within a medium to large team setting. The ideal candidate has experience in working in a fast-paced customer service focused environment and possesses excellent verbal and written communication skills. The candidate can readily articulate and document calculations and methodologies utilized in accordance with governmental rules and regulations to clients, team members and leadership. The individual has experience working with enterprise resource planning systems and/or other financial software applications (e.g, ERP, point of sale systems) and has led internal training efforts.

The ideal candidate is organized, dependable, and flexible; customer-focused; a critical thinker and strategic planner who proactively recommends changes to policies, procedures and technology to improve operations. The ideal candidate can function both independently and as an effective Team lead within the unit.

QUALIFICATIONS

KNOWLEDGE OF:

• Government revenue collection, billing, delinquency, and enforcement: Including current collection procedures, laws, regulations, and legal procedures applicable to the collection of delinquent accounts.
• Laws, regulations, and compliance in revenue and debt collection: With a strong emphasis on adhering to legal frameworks and best practices.
• Managing complex accounts, including bankruptcy and legal cases: Understanding the intricacies of these highly sensitive and regulated situations.
• Public noticing and compliance for debt recovery and sales: Such as tax auctions and other public debt recovery mechanisms.
• Data analysis and reporting with advanced Excel functions: For tracking, reconciliation, and comprehensive reporting.
• Customer account management in a fast-paced service setting: Maintaining professional and effective interactions with diverse account holders.
• Internal controls and workflow optimization in finance/revenue: Principles and practices for ensuring operational efficiency, accuracy, and security within financial processes.
• Cash handling, balancing, reconciliation, and deposits: Adhering to strict control procedures for daily cash receipts.
• Tools and investigative procedures for locating debtors and assets (e.g., skip tracing): Techniques and resources used in comprehensive debt recovery.
• Accounting theory, principles and practices and their application to a wide variety of accounting transactions: Including journal preparation and financial record-keeping.
• Computer applications related to the work, including spreadsheets, financial transaction processing, tax software, and report preparation.
• Standard office practices and procedures, including the use of standard office equipment.

ABILITY TO:

• Communicate clearly and professionally by phone, email, and in person: Effectively interacting with diverse stakeholders, including the public, internal departments, and legal counsel.
• Interpret and apply tax laws and regulations professionally: Ensuring all collection activities are compliant and accurate.
• Handle, reconcile, and report daily cash receipts with strict controls: Maintaining precise financial records and adhering to security protocols.
• Manage delinquent accounts effectively via payment plans, legal notices, and counsel referrals: Developing and implementing strategies for debt recovery.
• Administer bankruptcy accounts accurately and in compliance with legal requirements.
• Coordinate annual tax auctions, including comprehensive documentation and public noticing: Overseeing complex, legally sensitive collection events.
• Analyze large Excel datasets for tracking, reconciliation, and reporting: Extracting meaningful insights from financial data.
• Prepare state mandated reports accurately and timely.
• Use tax software to process payments, research accounts, and resolve issues efficiently.
• Improve workflows and maintain strong internal controls within collection and revenue processes.
• Locate and evaluate debtor assets through skip tracing and other investigative methods.
• Prepare journals in financial systems and apply sound accounting principles to a variety of transactions.
• Apply billing and collection procedures effectively and consistently.
• Lead customer relations and provide technical guidance and training to support staff.
• Oversee accurate, timely preparation and mailing of legal notices related to collections and debt recovery.
• Work independently with minimal supervision while managing priorities effectively: Demonstrating self-reliance and organizational skills.
• Act as a technical resource for Information Services (IS) staff in the development and modification of automated accounting, financial reporting, and internal control systems: Bridging the gap between operational needs and technical solutions.
• Demonstrates strong ability to locate taxpayers through effective skip tracing and investigative research techniques.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Any combination of experience, training and/or education that would provide the knowledge and abilities required. A typical way to qualify is one year of experience equivalent to the Collections Officer II; or three years of experience in credit or collections work, including responsibility for interviewing debtors and investigating, recommending, and expediting legal action against delinquent accounts or accounts receivable.

PLEASE NOTE: The benefits described herein do not apply to temporary (contingent) or to part-time employees that work less than 50%.

COUNTY OF MARIN BENEFITS: GENERAL
Below are some of the excellent benefits the County offers. More information about our benefits can be found on the Marin County's Benefits Homepage .

Paid Time Off : Competitive vacation accrual; 12 holidays per year; and generous sick leave accruals. Additional types of paid leaves are available for some bargaining units.

Health Plan : Choice of four health plans (two Kaiser HMOs, Western Health Advantage HMO, and an Anthem Blue Cross PPO) along with dental through Delta Dental PPO, and vision through Vision Service Plan (VSP). There is a County contribution toward the premiums (the contribution amount varies depending on coverage tier elected such as employee only, employee + 1, employee + family). Plus, the County offers excellent Life Insurance, Disability, Flexible Spending Plans, a Dependent Care Assistance Program, professional development and more.

Retirement : Defined benefit plan under the County Employees Retirement Act of 1937. More information can be found online at www.mcera.org.

IRS 457 Plan : Choice of pre-tax or post-tax (Roth) employee contribution up to the IRS annual maximum.

Retiree Medical : The County provides access to group health plan coverage to eligible retirees.

For specific questions regarding the employment process, please contact Human Resources at (415) 473-6104. For additional details about the benefits or retirement, please contact the Benefits Division at (415) 473-2197.

*IMPORTANT NOTE: Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice.

Closing Date/Time: 7/9/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$77,961.00 - $94,770.00 Annually