Procurement Specialist ll

The Procurement Specialist II is responsible for the gathering and accurate reporting of time-sensitive real estate tax information within multi-state geographic regions assigned by team lead or direct supervisor. Specialists are responsible for proper processing of property tax information for escrowed or non-escrowed and ensure our LERETA and Business Partners receive tax information timely, accurately, and in a qualitative manner. The Specialist II works independently with little direction from supervisor. The role identifies tax bill discrepancies or requirements that could endanger the timely reporting of current or prior year tax information as well as redemption information.

Essential Functions:

Tax Processing and Procurement

• Oversees tax amount data procurement methods consisting of customer service via telephone, e-mail, fax communication to taxing agency jurisdictions with professionalism
• Maintains accurate production/statistical reports to share with Team leads and direct supervisors
• Utilizes the company’s mainframe check request processing queues to submit check requirements for disbursement of fees
• Specializes in retrieval of escrow and non-escrow property tax information of parcels in automated and manual jurisdictions in excluded areas in which taxing authorities do not assist third parties as well as water and sewer, and utility property tax information
• Audits and analyzes probable discrepancies for parcels that do not match the mortgage lenders legal description and the agency tax assessor or tax bill
• Enforces and adheres to company’s policy to maintain confidentiality and security requirements
• Interprets tax amount data and statuses per property taxes received from taxing agency jurisdictions and effectively reports tax status to mortgage lenders and LERETA internal and external customers
• Verifies the imaging and indexing process of lender documents for accurate uploading
• Proficiently utilizing LERETA mainframe agency header and calendar profiles
• Audits and analyzes agency fees for bill back to LERETA customers and submits monthly reporting to the Accounting Team
• Audits, analyzes, reports, and communicates status of work assignments and statistics to Team Lead/Supervisor while identifying any opportunity to increase efficiency processing tax payments from mortgage lenders to the taxing agency jurisdictions
• May train or assist new team members in their navigation skills to utilize Microsoft Excel, Mainframe queues and TDT web open items window application for data entry and verification of property tax amounts for mortgage lender loans and parcels

Customer Service

• Ensures timely response of inquiries from mortgage lenders, homeowners, and taxing agency jurisdictions by utilizing effective verbal and written communication in a prompt, professional, and accurate manner
• Communicates tax status information to LERETA’S internal and external customers including procurement of legal description of properties
• Establishes rapport and shapes trusting relationships with both internal and external customers and vendors
• Communicates information to mortgage lender and Contract Maintenance team to ensure non-escrow loans are converted to escrow loans as pertinent to customer loan portfolio
• Applies and supports the implementation of new or modified policy and procedures as instructed to ensure Tax Disbursement Team and company quality standards are met
• Advises lenders of state guidelines in which a signed authorization is required by the agency jurisdiction from the homeowner to retrieve property tax amount data

Quality Control

• Performs Quality Assurance (QA) in work queues, Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook and other applicable formats
• May assist with the development of training materials and conduct training sessions with fellow team members, both full-time and temporary staff personnel
• Maintains high accuracy in property tax data retrieval and processing which leads to Quality Control exemption
• Identifies and resolves discrepancies that may impact tax processing results to LERETA business partners

This position will perform other duties as assigned based on the needs of the department.

Core Competencies:

• Adeptness in time management, soft copy and electronic filing and organizational skills
• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to respond and resolve both internal/external customer requests for data
• Ability to scribe meeting notes for department teams
• Ability in working independently to solve difficult tasks
• Ability to perform Quality Assurance and Quality Control by editing or validating data accuracy
• Ability to audit and analyze mortgage lender tax lines for status updates and modifies as pertinent
• Ability to respond and resolve both internal/external customer requests for data

Required Education & Experience:

• Minimum of 12-24 months experience as a Tax Disbursement Team Processor I or equivalent
• Computer Skills:Intermediate to Advanced level in Microsoft: Excel; performing filtering, formulas, formatting, computing, Pivot Tables, V-Lookup, editing and tracking multiple spreadsheets. Word, Access, and Outlook 2010 or greater knowledge a plus. FTP, Windows and Internet Explorer; navigation and searching skills, and file management knowledge is required. 
• Usage of office equipment such as fax and copy machines, dual computer monitors, scanners and FedEx and USPS, Priority Mail software applications
• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Advanced Data Entry skills
• Experience in MSP, Fiserv, and Mortgage SERV
• Ability to utilize LERETA online Agency profile, Agency Calendar, research of penalty and interest tax claim queue, and FAQS for applicable processing within scope of job responsibilities
• Advanced knowledge of LERETA tax processing cycles including diversity and a higher level of complexity in both state and agency requirements. Bill Processing, Open Items, Delinquency Procurement, Escrow Reporting, Payment Processing, and Total Escrow Servicing. Knowledge is not specific to the assigned job role within the Tax Disbursement Team

Preferred Education & Experience:

• Customer service experience
• Real estate or mortgage lender experience
• Associates Degree or equivalent

Salary range: $15.74 - $21.45