Customer Service and Billing Manager - US Water Services Corporation

U.S. Water Services Corporation is a well-established and growing water and wastewater utility organization specializing in utility maintenance, operations, engineering and construction services. We are headquartered in New Port Richey, Florida with over 850 employees in twenty states.

This position will be based at our office at 6915 Perrine Ranch Road, New Port Richey, FL 34655 and will require the ability to drive to other office locations throughout Florida. A clean Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) is required. Out of area candidates will need to relocate within a reasonable commute of the Perrine Ranch Road base location within 6 months of hire date.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manages and maintains responsibility for the integrity and effective operation of all utility billing functions including: analyzing key performance metrics, review data for billing activities, meter reading, cashiering, customer service, account maintenance, and collections functions.
• Provides day-to-day leadership, management and coaching of direct reports to ensure a high performance, customer service-oriented work environment which supports achieving the department and the Company's mission, objectives, and strategic plan.
• Ability to multi-task and manage multiple projects concurrently while working with tight deadlines and shifting priorities.
• Receives, investigates, and responds to difficult and sensitive problems and complaints in a professional manner; identifies and reports findings and takes necessary corrective action.
• Ensures staff observe and comply with all Company policies, processes, and safety practices.
• Effectively represent the department and the Company in meetings with governmental agencies; community groups; various businesses, professional, and regulatory organizations; and in meetings with individuals and Company stakeholders.
• Provide support to ensure compliance with internal and external control standards and all mandatory regulatory and contractual requirements through the implementation and oversight, as well as through ongoing audits.
• Stays abreast of new trends, innovations, and technological advancements in the utility billing and customer service field, analyzes all utility billing functions and processes, and designs and implements process improvement strategies for enhancing effectiveness and efficiency.
• Ability to supervise staff, provide training and development opportunities, ensure work is performed effectively, and evaluate performance in an objective and positive manner.
• Performs other duties as assigned and/or required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Experienced in managing all functions and employees associated with customer service billing, metering software, new utility service, disconnects, supervise customer service representatives and address customer inquiries.
• Working knowledge of principles and best practices of billing operations, meter reading, customer service, collections, accounting, and reporting.
• Advanced skill in Microsoft Office Products (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint) and the ability to learn new software quickly.
• Ability to prepare accurate utility billing related reports and analyses, with strong attention to detail.
• Strong analytic, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to build consensus through communication and shared decision-making.
• Knowledge of operations, services, and activities of water and sewer utilities.
• Administrative ability and skill in maintaining effective public relations; good judgement; tact, professionalism and courtesy.
• Ability to plan and supervise the work of large and diverse groups of employees with motivation, customer satisfaction, and employee training and development.
• Ability to work independently on assignments with limited supervision, exercising personal initiative and making informed decisions based on established policies and procedures.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, business administration or a related field, and five (5) years of progressively responsible customer service experience, including at least three (3) years in a supervisory capacity; OR any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and ability to successfully communicate with and manage people.
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience in utility accounting, call center management and/or billing, collections, and metering operations preferably in regulated utility industry.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience researching and monitoring software analytics and KPI's.

Compensation and Benefits: Pay is commensurate with experience and market-reflective. US Water offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short/long-term disability, health reimbursement account (HRA), paid time off, holiday pay, and 401(k) with company match. This role is eligible for our vehicle allowance program.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected status. We are also a Federal Contractor with a Drug Free Workplace program. We follow Federal law in which the use of marijuana is illegal regardless of State legalization and/or approved State Medical Marijuana Card status.

We require successful post-offer drug, criminal background and MVR screens.