Collections Specialist

About the role

NYC Department of Finance (DOF) is responsible for administering the tax revenue laws of the city fairly, efficiently, and transparently to instill public confidence and encourage compliance while providing exceptional customer service.

DOF's Customer Operations Division has oversight of the Department of Finance business centers, City Register's Office, and the Land Records, Adjudication, and Collections divisions. Customer Operations is charged with the processing of tax payments, parking violations payments, and all other charges collected by DOF. The division is also responsible for recording property transfers, adjudicating parking and camera violations, and managing the full life cycle of the department's enforcement activities related to unpaid business and excise taxes, parking fines, and Environmental Control Board summonses.

The Collections Division is responsible for managing the full life cycle of the Department of Finance's enforcement activities related to unpaid business and excise taxes, parking fines, and Environmental Control Board summonses. The debt collection process involves specialized professional collectors, experienced in the art of negotiation, who provide debtors with options and encourage full payment.

The division utilizes several collection tools to enforce compliance, including notices, telephone dunning, outside collection agencies, and special projects aimed at locating and taking enforcement actions against assets.

The Collections Division is seeking five (5) Collections Specialists to serve in the Account Executive Unit (AEU). Reporting to the AEU Unit Head, the selected candidates' duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following:

• Providing great customer service while simultaneously conducting debt collection efforts to secure payment from delinquent debtors.
• Investigating & contacting debtors to resolve debt.
• Communicate regularly with debtors and/or their representative to collect or otherwise resolve unpaid and overdue taxes, charges, or fines.
• Manages assigned caseload to determine which cases require follow-up, ensure work is completed within a specified length of time.
• Make outbound debt collection calls, informing debtors of program benefits while collecting outstanding judgment debt.
• Assist in resolving high volume of incoming or outbound customer communication resulting in revenue collected or discrepancy resolution.
• Assisting with the enforcement of unresolved judgment debt.
• Conducting debt investigations and preparing case files for review.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date case records in the case tracking system.
• Work with debtors to secure full payment, new payment agreement streams and/or the best step in collecting the past due amount.
• Examining and analyzing financial records and other documents; conducting interviews to determine the financial stability of a debtor.
• Work with debtors and associated DOF units to resolve debt discrepancies and/or non-filing of tax returns.
• Utilize different investigative tools and techniques to locate debtors' contact information and possible restrainable assets.
• Independently and jointly work with other Divisions in the seizure of found assets, including but not limited to bank accounts.

Additional Information

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.

This position may be eligible for remote work up to 2 days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program agreed between the City and the Collective Bargaining Unit representing employees serving in the civil service title.

May be required to perform field investigations and participate in special projects.

Qualifications & Requirements

• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university in business administration, accounting or a related field and one year of satisfactory full-time professional experience working with a collections agency or similar; or
• An associate degree as described in "1" above and three years of satisfactory full-time professional experience as described in "1" above; or
• A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State department of education or a recognized accrediting organization and five years of full-time professional experience in a collections agency or a collections environment.

"Special Note

To be eligible for placement in Assignment Level II, individuals must have, in addition to meeting the minimum requirements, either one year of full-time satisfactory experience in Assignment Level 1 or one year of full-time satisfactory debt collection experience. "

"Special Note

To be eligible for placement in Assignment Level III, individuals must have, in addition to meeting the minimum requirements for Assignment Level II, successfully completed the Certificate Program: "Professional Collection Specialist Designation (PCS)", offered by the Association of Credit and Collections Professionals (ACA) or an equivalent pre-approved professional certification in a related field."