Account Clerk III

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 150,000 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter of the City’s square miles have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for one of six Account Clerk III positions in our Revenue and Treasury divisions of the Finance Department.

An Overview

The City of Alexandria’s Finance Department is looking for a motivated, responsible, customer service-oriented Account Clerk III to join our team. Serving at the Customer Service Center counters in the Revenue Division and the Treasury Division teller windows, the Account Clerk III provides Alexandria residents and business owners with high quality tax-related customer service, assisting walk-in and call-in customers with vehicle assessments, billing, payment, and all issues related to City taxes (e.g. business, meals, and transit taxes, among others). The Account Clerk III performs their work under the general supervision of either the Car Tax Manager, the Business Tax Manager, or the Deputy Treasurer. A significant aspect of this work involves the use of the City’s personal property (car tax) system, real estate tax system, parking ticket system, business tax system, and automated cash registers.

What You Should Bring

The ideal candidate has some familiarity with the policies and procedures governing tax administration in local government and is passionate about providing Alexandria residents and businesses with friendly, efficient, and competent customer service in the administration of local taxes. Additional skills and abilities include:

• Attention to detail and good organizational skills
• Ability to report to work daily in the office
• Strong communication skills
  1. Ability to communicate effectively through thoughtful and incisive questions to gain a complete understanding of customer issues and requests;
  2. Ability to explain government regulations in plain language;
  3. Must be a good, empathetic, listener.
• Strong customer service skills
  1. Ability to de-escalate potentially tense interactions with members of the public;
• Ability to work independently and perform repetitive tasks for the entire day along with meeting all required deadlines.
• Cash handling experience
• Knowledge of document scanning preferred
• General knowledge of professional payment processing and accounts receivable software systems preferred;
• Skill with Microsoft Excel and Word;
• Ability to read and comprehend government documents including the Code of Virginia, the Alexandria City Code, and tax bills;
• General knowledge of local government tax administration
• Ability to reconcile financial statements and generate accurate financial summary reports;

The Opportunity - Examples of Work

• Answers taxpayer questions in person, over the phone, by email, and by physical mail;
• Staffs public Treasury windows, operating the City’s cash register software system (PCI RCS) and the City’s four accounts receivable systems (PCI RBS (real estate), RevOne (business tax), personal property tax system, and United Public Safety (parking tickets);
• Receives and processes payments via cash, check, and credit card, prepares receipts, balances cash, and prepares deposit slips; Prepares monthly revenue reports;
• Researches and resolves difficult taxpayer complaints and problems regarding various tax issues using state and local guidelines;
• Assists customers with establishing new tax accounts for personal property (vehicle tax) and business tax;
• Adjusts personal property and business tax accounts;
• Prepares and reviews statistical reports related to vehicle personal property;
• Establish new business license accounts along with collection of all applicable forms, certificates and other state licenses;
• Provide business owners with guidance on securing a business license. Interviewing the business owner to determine all applicable licenses relating to the nature of the business;
• Researches account information in the City’s ERP system- Tyler Munis;
• Maintains accurate, well-organized records for all tax-related documents in the Revenue Division’s Laserfiche database;
• Assist in preparing outgoing mass mailings;
• May assist in scheduling General District Court appeals for parking tickets.
• Performs related work as required.

About the Department

The City of Alexandria's Finance Department is a fast-paced, diverse, and customer service focused operation that is responsible for the assessment, collection, and enforcement of all City taxes, the management of cash flow and investments, accounting for and reporting the City’s financial position, processing payroll, executing a fair and competitive procurement environment, assessing all real and personal property in the City, managing the City’s risk and safety programs, and managing the City’s pension plans. The Finance Department has seven divisions and in fiscal year 2022 is operating with a total budget of $15.0 million and 111 FTE positions.

The goal of the Finance Department is to treat all employees, citizens, and business owners professionally, with fairness and compassion.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

High School Diploma or GED, and three years' experience in bookkeeping and related clerical work equivalent to the level of Account Clerk II, including the preparation of financial reports, and completion of high school level courses in bookkeeping, business arithmetic and English; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities.

Preferred Qualifications

Successful completion of college finance or business classes; experience in direct customer service; local government experience; experience assessing and adjusting Virginia local taxes; experience with payment processing and/or accounts receivable software systems.

Notes

This position requires the successful completion of pre-employment background checks including but not limited to a criminal background check. The selection process for this position may include a phone or virtual interview, in-person interview, and/or written examination.

The starting salary range for this position is $39,157.82 to $54,894.32 (midpoint of the grade), based on qualifications and experience. The incumbent can eventually be awarded up to $68,909.62 (Step 20) with tenure and job performance.