Collections Specialist

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 oversees the Department of Finance business centers, City Register’s Office, and the Land Records, Adjudication, and Collections divisions. The division processes tax payments, parking violations payments, and other charges collected by DOF, records property transfers, adjudicates parking and camera violations, and manages enforcement activities related to unpaid business and excise taxes, parking fines, and Environmental Control Board summonses.

About the role

The Collections Division is seeking five (5) Collections Specialists to serve in the Account Executive Unit (AEU). Reporting to the AEU Unit Head, selected candidates will focus on debt collection efforts while providing great customer service.

Responsibilities

• Provide customer service while conducting debt collection efforts to secure payment from delinquent debtors.
• Investigate and contact debtors to resolve debt, communicating regularly to collect or resolve unpaid taxes, charges, or fines.
• Manage an assigned caseload, ensuring timely follow-up and completion of work.
• Make outbound debt collection calls, informing debtors of program benefits while collecting outstanding judgment debt.
• Assist in resolving high volumes of incoming or outbound customer communication, resulting in revenue collected or discrepancy resolution.
• Enforce unresolved judgment debt and conduct debt investigations, 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 agreements, or the best steps in collecting past-due amounts.
• Examine and analyze financial records and other documents; conduct interviews to determine a debtor’s financial stability.
• Resolve debt discrepancies and non-filing of tax returns in collaboration with debtors and associated DOF units.
• Utilize investigative tools and techniques to locate debtors' contact information and possible restrainable assets.
• Work independently or jointly with other divisions to seize assets, including bank accounts.
• Perform field investigations and participate in special projects as required.

Requirements

Minimum Qualifications:

• 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 in the fields described above and three years of satisfactory full-time professional experience in collections; or
• A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and five years of full-time professional experience in a collections agency or environment.

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

Special Note: To be eligible for 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.

Preferred Skills

• Previous debt collection experience.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Ability to collect and analyze relevant financial data.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize projects, and work independently.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.

Benefits

• Eligibility for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs (see U.S. Department of Education’s website).
• This position may be eligible for remote work up to 2 days per week, pursuant to the Remote Work Pilot Program.

Pay

$60,387.00 – $65,121.00

Additional Information

• In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States.
• New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. City employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County.