Accounting Technician II - BU

Accounting Technician II - BU

Seattle Public Utilities' (SPU) People, Culture & Community Branch has multiple openings for an Accounting Technician II - BU within Customer Accounts & Billing Services. SPU is committed to service excellence and is looking for customer service-oriented candidates with a background in accounting or bookkeeping. A successful candidate would provide an exceptional work ethic, a team-oriented mindset, strong organizational skills, and the ability to work with a diverse staff in a dynamic work environment.

Employees in this position will make adjustments to customer bills and billing exceptions using an online billing system. This position is represented by the PROTEC
17 Administrative Support Bargaining Unit.

SPU is a community-centered utility that delivers vital services to Seattle residents and businesses including drinking water, drainage and wastewater, and garbage/recycling/compost. SPU also provides drinking water for 1.5 million customers in the region. SPU's work includes system maintenance and improvements and keeping Seattle clean. Over 1,400 SPU employees work with our community to provide affordable and equitable stewardship of our water and waste resources for future generations.

SPU commits to Our City Values and Race and Social Justice as core principles that guide our work. We actively take steps to dismantle systemic racism and increase service equity. We value diverse life experiences and strive to create a workplace that is welcoming to all. We take steps to be inclusive and equitable in our recruiting, hiring and promotional opportunities.

We know work isn't only about what you do it's also about who you work for and with! SPU provides a fun and family-friendly work environment that supports a work life balance, including:

• Hybrid work schedule opportunities
• Family-friendly and multicultural work environment
• Generous benefits package
• Free Orca Pass
• City pension plan with employer/employee contributions
• Growth potential and advancement opportunities

Job Responsibilities:

• Review and correct combined utility account meter reading and billing exceptions using an online billing system.
• Review customer usage history, calculate water, wastewater, and solid waste charges.
• Process adjustments to previous consumption and charges.
• Research account/property history using computer records and maintain customer master data.
• Request meter test, replacement, or repair.
• Prorate charges over season and global rate changes.
• Provide customer support and answer customer billing questions via phone or email.
• Verify and review accounting transactions and make appropriate corrections, entries, and adjustments to ensure accuracy.
• Ability to estimate timelines and resources to accomplish a task, effectively monitor progress and make frequent status reports.
• Work collaboratively with cross-division/branch staff to provide billing information and improve processes.

Qualifications:

Experience:

Two (2) years of Billing/Accounting/Bookkeeping experience OR one (1) year experience as an Accounting Technician I.

Education and Experience Equivalency:
Combinations of appropriate education, training, certification, and experience will be evaluated on an individual basis for comparability to the minimum education and experience requirements.

Desired

Qualifications:

• Experience working in a large computerized online billing system.
• Knowledge of and ability to understand and apply basic accounting principles, methods, laws and rules.
• Perform intermediate-level mathematical calculations (e.g. proration of rates across seasonal/global rate changes).
• Make independent judgements, work independently as well as part of a team within an organization committed to service excellence.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (e.g. Excel, Word, and Outlook).
• Excellent customer service and strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong communication skills (both verbal and written), and able to handle difficult conversations with customers and clearly communicate accounting information in non-technical terms.
• Ability to handle multiple priorities and takes pride in the accuracy, quality, and completeness of work.
• Strong organizational…