Why Tumwater?
Tumwater is more than just a city, it’s a vibrant community rooted in history and filled with opportunity. Located at the southern gateway to the Seattle-Tacoma metro area, Tumwater offers the perfect blend of small-town charm and big-picture vision.
Surrounded by the natural beauty of Puget Sound, prairie landscapes, rivers, and evergreen forests, we’re just over an hour from ocean beaches, the Olympic Peninsula, and Mount Rainier. Whether you’re into hiking, kayaking, brewery-hopping, or live music, you’ll find easy access to it all.
Here in Tumwater, we’re building a future that’s highly livable, connected, and inclusive. With safe neighborhoods, excellent schools, and a deep sense of civic pride, it’s not just a great place to live, it’s a great place to grow your career.
The Opportunity
This is a great opportunity for an experienced and motivated employee to step into a leadership role overseeing the City’s utility billing, including Business & Occupation taxes and violations. The Utility Billing Supervisor plays a key role in ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant billing while supporting high-quality customer service.
In this role, you’ll provide day-to-day supervision and technical guidance to staff, help resolve complex billing and system issues, and serve as a subject-matter resource across departments. You’ll work closely with financial systems, policies, and automated billing processes, partnering with IT and vendors as needed to ensure system integrity and continuous improvement.
This position is well-suited for someone looking to grow their leadership skills, expand their technical expertise, and take on greater responsibility in a critical City operation while contributing to a positive and collaborative work environment.
***For consideration please submit a letter of interest.***
- Supervises technical and clerical staff involved in various financial activities by assigning work, monitoring progress and evaluating performance. Effectively recommends the hire, promotion, discipline and termination of assigned employees.
- Prepares, balances, and/or analyzes reports or other financial statements.
- Receives and processes documents representing a variety of financial transactions.
- Reviews transactions for accuracy and against other accounting system criteria.
- Maintains journals, ledgers and other complex financial records.
- Provides technical expertise to resolve problems, provides information, explains procedures, and communicates operating information with other employees.
- Evaluates system or billing errors. Trouble-shoots and diagnoses software problems and contacts vendors or Information Technology staff to initiate corrective measures. Provides system user support, technical assistance and training.
- Interprets City codes, regulations, and applicable policies and procedures.
- Maintains confidentiality in work related issues, client records, and City information.
- Coordinates and schedules work of billing functions for the purpose of ensuring accurate and timely completion of the billing process.
- Oversees changes to the automated utility billing system and verifies accuracy of information and system operations.
- Provides direct and/or indirect customer service for accounts such as analysis and audits to make adjustments to customer accounts.
- Responds to customer complaints, resolves issues with dissatisfied customers and/or customers referred by other staff. Makes decisions to resolve account problems, explains procedures and billing procedures to customers; accurately establishes and enters new and/or revised information to accounts into the system ensuring that information entered is in compliance with policy.
- Coordinates management of delinquent accounts receivables accounts.
- Daily balancing and bank deposits
Performs related duties and responsibilities as required.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Basic knowledge of rules and City codes as they relate to the position.
- Knowledge of the State of Washington Budgeting, Accounting and Reporting System (BARS) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP).
- Knowledge of federal and state accounting and auditing regulations including a strong understanding of internal control standards.
- Ability to use and understand financial management software and other automated systems.
- Ability to read, interpret, apply, and explain technical procedures and/or governmental regulations clearly and concisely.
- Ability to modify workload to assist with an emergent problem, assignment, or project whenever feasible.
- Ability to monitor and enforce regulatory requirements of business licenses, city-imposed taxes, and business tax ordinances.
- Ability to defuse situations that involve angry or hostile customers, to defuse interpersonal conflicts, and to guide staff/customers towards a positive resolution.
- Ability to perform research and analysis of system data and make recommendations for improvements or revisions for maximum efficiency.
- Ability to plan, organize, schedule job tasks, and to make appropriate decisions within legal guidelines.
- Ability to work independently and demonstrate good time management as well as the ability to work effectively as a part of a team.
Minimum Qualifications:
Candidates must meet one of the following combinations of education and experience:
- High school diploma or GED and ten (10) years of increasingly responsible experience in governmental or municipal accounting, auditing, or financial management, including at least two (2) years in a supervisory or management capacity;
- Associate degree in accounting, finance, business administration, public administration, or a related field and eight (8) years of relevant experience as described above, including two (2) years in a supervisory or management capacity;
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration, public administration, or a related field and six (6) years of relevant experience as described above, including two (2) years in a supervisory or management capacity;
- Any equivalent combination of education, experience, certification, and training that demonstrates comprehensive knowledge of municipal financial operations and the responsibilities of the position.
Preferred qualifications:
- Ten (10) or more years of professional experience in governmental accounting, with three (3) or more years in a supervisory or management role;
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience with Tyler Munis/eERP or comparable financial systems.
Training/Licenses/Certifications:
Possession of a valid Washington State Driver’s License and an insurable driving record may be required. Must pass a background investigation. Must be bondable.
The City of Tumwater is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factor.
The City of Tumwater is committed to wellness, safety, the environment and racial equity.
