Under administrative direction, the Utility Billing Manager manages and administers the utility billing operation.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Lead the Utility Billing Team, a dedicated group responsible for the billing and collection of water, sewer, stormwater, and sanitation services in our growing city. The team consists of eight members and operates within the Finance Department. As the Manager, you will play a key role in ensuring the delivery of exceptional customer service to the community, guiding the team through processes like account setup, billing inquiries, navigating the online portal, and educating customers on available city resources. Your leadership will be essential in driving innovation and improving the team's efficiency in a dynamic and expanding environment.
ABOUT YOU
The ideal Manager candidate is a proactive leader and a catalyst for change, with a proven track record of driving process improvements and enhancing service delivery. Your aptitude allows you to achieve in-depth mastery of utility billing software and you are skilled in optimizing workflows to increase operational efficiency. You bring a strategic mindset, focused on fostering a culture of continuous improvement and empowering your team to reach their full potential. Strong communication and leadership skills are essential, along with a commitment to mentoring and developing employees. Your ability to adapt to change, manage growth, and implement effective solutions will be key to your success in this evolving, fast-paced role.
(Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include the following tasks, knowledge, skills and other characteristics. The list of tasks is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY, and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by positions in this class.)
Ensures compliance with city and departmental policies, procedures, and goals while overseeing utility billing operations in alignment with local and state statutes, ordinances, and resolutions.
Maintains continuous daily operations by managing a team and ensuring cross-training to expand team expertise and mitigate service disruptions.
Develops employees by providing ongoing mentorship, training opportunities, and fostering a collaborative, high-performing work environment.
Provides regular team updates to communicate city and departmental direction, ensuring consistent alignment with upcoming initiatives and opportunities.
Supervises and directs the activities of assigned staff; makes recommendations regarding hiring, discipline, termination or advancement of employees. Schedules employees, assigns work, and monitors progress; guides, continually trains and develops employees in the accomplishment of their duties and professional growth; evaluates performance.
Provides forward-thinking leadership that aligns with the city’s growth trajectory, ensuring the Utility Billing Team is prepared to scale operations and meet the increasing demands of a dynamic, expanding population.
Champions a culture of innovation and adaptability by leading the team through evolving business needs, continuously improving services and operations, and integrating new technologies to automate manual processes and reduce errors.
Works with various departments including IT and vendors to implement system upgrades and enhancements that support business objectives.
Ensures the security and privacy of customer information with the billing system by implementing best practices for data protection.
Acquires technical expertise in billing software, with an understanding of how it integrates with other processes.
Ensures effective operation and utilization of the utility billing software, including configuring system settings, managing updates, and troubleshooting issues to enhance efficiency and accuracy in billing processes.
Applies strong analytical skills to billing data to spot errors, recognize trends, build statistical models, and producing reports that support process improvements and informed decision-making.
Monitors and evaluates department performance metrics, ensuring goals are met or exceeded per Level of Services.
Reviews and communicates monthly/quarterly reports to other departments.
Oversees the department’s budget, including forecasting and managing department expenditures.
Collaborates and supports Finance department on rate studies and ordinance updates.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Education/Experience:
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; five years' progressively responsible experience in utility billing or related field, including two years' management experience overseeing a large work group. Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.
Licensing/Certification Requirements:
May need the ability to travel to various locations in a timely manner as the job requires.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
Knowledge of the policies, procedures and goals of the city of Thornton, the Finance Department, and the Utility Billing Division.
Knowledge of basic principles of accounting and finance.
Knowledge of state and local statutes, ordinances, resolutions, and charter relating to utility billing.
Knowledge of effective problem-solving techniques to anticipate and resolve potential issues, including handling complex inquiries or complaints.
Knowledge of process improvement methodologies and tools to enhance operational workflows.
Knowledge of data security best practices to protect sensitive customer information and ensure compliance with privacy regulations.
Skill in fostering employee growth by offering mentorship, training, and creating a collaborative, high-performing work environment.
Skill in providing forward-thinking leadership, with the ability to align team objectives with the city’s growth and ensure scalability in response to increasing demands.
Skill in utilizing billing software effectively, including configuration, troubleshooting, and optimization, to enhance workflow efficiency and accuracy.
Skill in Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
Ability to interpret, understand, and comply with complex laws, ordinances, regulations, standards, and guidelines.
Ability to exercise significant discretion and independent judgment in accordance with city policies during daily operations, while empowering staff to make informed and appropriate decisions.
Ability to identify and implement strategies for improving customer communication and interaction, enhancing the overall service experience, including the ability to resolve difficult citizen or business inquiries and complaints.
Ability to analyze complex billing data and identify trends, utilizing insights to drive improvements in processes and customer service.
Ability to prepare narrative and statistical reports.
Ability to develop, manage and maintain budgets.
Ability to effectively coordinate assigned activities and functions with those of other divisions, departments, and outside agencies.
Ability to supervise, direct and train employees.
Ability to listen well and communicate effectively orally and in writing with various audiences.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees, vendors, customers and the general public.
Physical and Mental Requirements:
While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is required to sit, finger, grasp, feel, talk, hear, and make repetitive motions. This position is mostly sedentary work; exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. The employee is required to have close visual acuity.
Examinations may include but are not limited to application screening beyond minimum qualifications; written, oral, practical exercise or any combination thereof or other job related assessment deemed appropriate by Human Resources.
Your application will be used as a screening tool. Completeness and accuracy are important! Any false or untrue statements or material omissions in the application and related paperwork or during the selection process could disqualify you from consideration.
As a condition of employment, the city of Thornton conducts background investigations for all positions which may also include a review of credit report and/or driving record. A drug screen, physical, and/or psychological examination administered by a city-designated provider will be required for pre-determined positions.
