Collections Agent

Overview

Note: Employees for the State of Montana must reside within Montana. All applications and required documents must be submitted through the MT Careers site at:

Do you have a knack for communication and a talent for turning challenges into success stories? Step into a role where your skills make an impact for people across Montana. As part of a supportive, customer‑focused team, you’ll help individuals resolve unemployment insurance over payments with fairness, respect, and understanding. Every conversation you lead helps protect public resources, build trust, and make a difference in your community.

MISSION STATEMENT:
Empowering all Montanans through work and opportunity.

DLI CORE VALUES:

• Responsiveness
• Respect
• Integrity
• Excellence
• Cohesiveness

We are proud of our open, team-based, supportive, and collaborative work environments.

Position Overview:

As a Collection Agent, you’ll help keep Montana’s unemployment insurance program strong, fair, and trusted. You’ll grow your professional skills while helping people get back on track and protecting valuable public resources. You’ll work in the Central Services Division to recover unemployment insurance payments that should not have been issued, speaking with claimants, district courts, and other agencies to gather information, set up repayment plans, and follow up to stay on track.

You’ll treat Montanans with dignity and communicate clearly through stressful situations.

What’s In It For You:

• Build in-demand skills in communication, conflict resolution, and case management while handling a steady caseload.
• Have meaningful work every day by helping Montanans, protecting taxpayer dollars, and maintaining a strong safety net program.
• Join a supportive team that values professionalism, collaboration, and work–life balance, with training and mentoring to help you succeed and advance.

Essential Functions:

What You’ll Do Every Day

• Take charge of your caseload: Own a diverse mix of accounts from start to finish, staying organized, thinking critically, and guiding each case toward a fair, sustainable resolution.
• Communicate with confidence: Reach out to claimants by phone, mail, or email to explain decisions in clear language, answer questions, and help people understand options during stressful times.
• Create workable solutions: Work with claimants to build realistic repayment plans that follow state policies and fit their financial situation, balancing persistence with empathy.
• Strengthen partnerships: Coordinate with the Department of Revenue, Department of Administration, and other partners to ensure timely, lawful, and well-aligned collection efforts.
• Master the details: Prepare, file, and track all necessary documents to ensure case files are complete and support any required actions while treating individuals consistently and fairly.
• Stay organized and transparent: Record every interaction and decision to maintain accountability and support data-driven decisions and policy improvements.
• Uphold integrity and fairness: Apply laws and regulations consistently while respecting each person’s circumstances and safeguarding taxpayer dollars.
• Drive improvement and growth: Share frontline observations, suggest process improvements, and learn from colleagues as part of a team focused on ongoing betterment.

Required Skills and

Competencies:

Candidates must demonstrate the ability to:

• Customer communication and service:
  Deliver clear, respectful, and empathetic service when explaining policies, account details, or repayment options.
• Conflict resolution and negotiation:
  De-escalate tense interactions and reach reasonable repayment agreements that honor both claimant and agency needs.
• Regulatory analysis and application:
  Interpret and apply unemployment insurance laws, regulations, and collection policies accurately.
• Attention to detail and documentation:
  Maintain organized, precise records for accountability and data integrity.
• Time and workload management:
  Prioritize and complete multiple cases while meeting state and federal timelines.
• Collaborative problem solving:
  Work effectively with team members, management, and partner agencies to achieve goals.
• Professional judgment and ethics:
  Ha…