The City of San Luis Obispo is excited to offer a full-time (40 hours per week) Utility Billing Assistant position through June 2025. As a part of the City’s upcoming financial plan, the Utilities Department has requested that the position be full time. If approved, the role would remain full-time. If unapproved, the role would transition to a 75% part-time position (30 hours per week) starting in July 2025. 

If you are selected for interviews, they will take place in person on Monday, April 14, 2025, so please hold that date. 

The successful  Utility Billing Assistant is a detail-oriented and customer-focused professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment. They excel in financial and administrative support, ensuring accurate and efficient utility billing operations. With strong communication skills, they confidently assist the public, explain billing policies, and resolve inquiries with professionalism and clarity. Their ability to analyze data, perform billing calculations, and maintain detailed financial records supports operations within the department. Above all, they take pride in fostering positive interactions with both customers and colleagues, ensuring that the City's utility billing functions operate smoothly and transparently.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED:
Employees in this classification receive supervision within a framework of standard policies and procedures. 
 

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
(Any one position may not include all of the duties listed nor do the listed examples include all tasks that may be found in positions of this class.)

• Provides assistance and information to the public and other City employees; answers telephone and assists public at counter; explains City and Utilities related policies, billing procedures, rates and fees.
• Performs a variety of financial duties in support of Utility Billing and customer service operations.
• Processes utility bills; balances and records payments; prepares and records adjustments, service requests, and change orders; processes meter reads; prepares, proofs, and adjusts bills.
• Prepares reports, forms, receipts, work orders, and specialized documents related to Utility Billing.
• Prepares financial and statistical reports pertaining to Utility Billing.
• Trains and assists other Utility Billing staff in the proper operations and procedures of assigned desk
• Composes standard correspondence, such as transmittal letters, from prior materials or brief instructions.
• Proofreads materials for accuracy, completeness, compliance with departmental policies, formatting and correct English usage including grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• Enters, edits, updates and retrieves data from narrative reports or spreadsheets and prepares periodic or special reports, following established formats and menus.
• May create new departmental forms, spreadsheets or other means of capturing data.
• Establishes and maintains financial and administrative files, following an established records management system; compiles information from such files; purges files as required.
• Processes mail pertaining to Utility Billing and water and sewer payments.
• Operates standard office equipment, including job-related computer hardware and software applications, electronic ten-key calculators, multi-line telephones; and other department-specific equipment.
• May serve on a variety of departmental or City-wide project teams or committees.
• May complete standard forms (both online formats and hard copy) with information from the public.
• May provide instruction, direction and work review to less experienced, part-time staff or volunteers on a project basis.
• Records data and maintains statistical and financial records and logs; performs data entry; checks, verifies, and files financial data.
• Performs related duties similar to the above in scope and function as required.
  KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
  Knowledge of:
• Modern office procedures, practices and use of equipment with general computer software applications including word processing and spreadsheet applications.
• Business English and proper grammatical uses for oral and written communication.
• Customer Service Techniques.
• Basic accounting principles and practices.
• Record keeping methods and techniques.
• Principles of mathematics.
• Pertinent federal, state, and local laws, codes, and ordinances.

• Administer customer billing procedures.
• Maintain tactfulness and courtesy in high stress situations.
• Perform mathematical calculations accurately and quickly.
• Explain City policies and procedures.
• Type at a speed necessary for successful job performance.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Analyze technical data, evaluate situations, and solve problems.
• Plan and organize work to meet deadlines.
• Perform job tasks with minimal supervision.
• Follow oral and written instructions.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Equivalent to graduation from high school;
and
Two years related work experience. Recent work experience with automated billing systems, preferably in utility billing, is desirable.
Word-processing speed of net 45 wpm. Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills.
or
Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
Recent experience in a public agency setting and additional college level course work in accounting, finance or related field as well as bilingual communication (English/Spanish) is desirable. 

THIS POSITION WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING BEFORE A FINAL OFFER IS MADE:

• Live Scan Fingerprinting - DOJ