Career Opportunity

Investigator, Tax Collector - Citywide (4334) (131091)

Recruitment: RTF0131090-01096586

Published: February 28, 2023

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal Learn More

About:

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below:
• Application Opening: Monday, February 27, 2023
• Application Deadline: Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 11:59PM (PST)
• Compensation Range: $97,682.00 - $118,716.00
• Recruitment ID: CBT-4334-131091

Role description

THIS IS A CITYWIDE EXAM

San Francisco is a vibrant and dynamic city, on the forefront of economic growth & innovation, urban development, arts & entertainment, as well as social issues & change. This rich tapestry of culture and ideas is sustained by our City's commitment to heighten the quality of life for the diverse population of San Franciscans and residents of the greater Bay Area. Our employees play an important role not only in making our City what it is today, but also in shaping the future of San Francisco.

Under general supervision, performs field investigations for the collection of delinquent revenues and enforcement of licenses, business taxes, and other City and County obligations pursuant to local, state and federal law.

Examples of Important and Essential Duties:
According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

The essential duties of the position include but are not limited to:

• Perform field investigations and surveillance; research and identify unregistered businesses; make personal visit and survey of businesses to enforce compliance; confirm licensure and registration of businesses; conduct interviews with business owners, representatives, witnesses and others to gather data to enforce compliance with laws, regulations, policies, and procedures including the explanation of all relevant taxes and fees.
• Prepare accurate and detailed investigative notes and case files, based on keen observations of site visit; prepare email correspondence; prepare and submit timely accurate survey reports; gather and analyze financial records.
• Handle and resolve complicated accounts; explain tax code and local laws, requirements, regulations, policies, and procedures; explain all applicable taxes and fees due for each business type; maintain good working relationships with other agencies and general public; provide excellent customer service.
• Comprehensively review each business account and all its applicable obligations to the City; document all notes and files into proprietary system in preparation for referral to delinquent collection section; represent the City in administrative hearings, if needed; prepare and issue notice of violations and/or citations.
• Follow up on new investigation leads and document all findings to ensure compliance regarding registration, applicable taxes, and any third-party obligations that may be due by business entit(ies) assigned to investigator.
• Maintain and update account inventory by moving accounts along to resolution by confirming registration, start date accuracy, all applicable taxes and fees are filed, and/or all locations in San Francisco are registered with the City.
• Explain and enforce Certificate of Authority and bond requirements to any business that is required to obtain such requirements. Review all data reports obtained for possible investigation leads and proceed accordingly.

Nature of Work: This position requires sitting, standing, and walking for extended periods and work in inclement weather. Duties sometimes involve interacting with the public under hostile conditions.

How to qualify

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Training and Experience:
Two (2) years of verifiable collection experience, which must have included one (1) year of investigative experience involving gathering, tracing, and locating information on individual's whereabouts and ability to pay; AND

License and Certification:
Possession of a valid California Driver's License and ability to meet insurability standards.

Notes on Qualifying Experience: One year full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Verification
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at here.

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

All work experience, education, training, and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum qualifications must be included on your SmartRecruiters application by the filing deadline. Information must be entered into the SmartRecruiters applicant tracking system under the headings for Experience and Education. Leaving these sections blank and attaching a resume in lieu of completing the Experience and Education sections will cause your application to be rejected.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application.

Applications completed improperly may be cause for ineligibility, disqualification or may lead to lower scores.

SELECTION PROCEDURES:

After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ) (Weight: Qualifying):
Candidates will be prompted to complete a MQSQ as part of the employment application. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum Qualifications (MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum qualifications.

Supplemental Questionnaire Evaluation (Weight: 100%):
Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be sent a Supplemental Questionnaire via electronic mail after the closing of this filing period. The Supplemental Questionnaire is designed to measure the knowledge, skills and/or abilities in job-related areas required for the position which may include, but not be limited to: Knowledge of: implementation of modern methods and practices used in collection investigations; laws, ordinances, rules and regulations pertaining to business tax laws, collections, and investigations; Ability to: exercise good judgment in evaluating information and documentation; ask pertinent questions to elicit necessary information; comply with confidentiality rules; make decisions; speak clearly, concisely, and effectively in order to give oral instructions, answer questions, respond to concerns, and communicate work-related information to staff, departmental personnel, members of the public, and representatives of other agencies; effectively listen and elicit information; write detailed reports based on observations and research, and complete legal documents supporting laws, regulations, and policies in a clear, concise well-organized, and effective manner, using proper grammar, punctuation, and syntax; write correspondence and memos; utilize job-related databases; deal effectively with departmental staff and the public, provide excellent customer service, and act in courteous manner; effectively handle irate business owners; analyze financial information to confirm the need for further investigation and/or negotiate payment plans.

Candidates will be required to submit the completed Supplemental Questionnaire via email in the time frame indicated and responses cannot be changed once submitted. All applicants’ responses to the Supplemental Questionnaire are subject to verification. The Supplemental Questionnaire will be rated and scored by our Subject Matter Experts. A passing score on the Supplemental Questionnaire must be achieved in order to be placed/ranked on the Eligible List. Candidates will be placed on the eligible list in rank order according to their final score.

Note: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed to advance through all of the steps in the selection process.

What else should I know?

Eligible List/Score Report:
A confidential eligible list of applicant names that have passed the civil service examination process will be created, and used for certification purposes only. An examination score report will be established, so applicants can view the ranks, final scores and number of eligible candidates. Applicant information, including names of applicants on the eligible list, shall not be made public unless required by law. However, an eligible list shall be made available for public inspection, upon request, once the eligible list is exhausted or expired and referrals resolved. The eligible list/score report resulting from this civil service examination process is subject to change after adoption (e.g., as a result of appeals), as directed by the Human Resources Director or the Civil Service Commission.

The duration of the eligible list resulting from this examination process will be six (6) months and may be extended with the approval of the Human Resources Director.

Certification Rule:
The certification rule for the eligible list resulting from this examination will be Rule of Ten.

Terms of Announcement and Appeal Rights:
Applicants must be guided solely by the provisions of this announcement, including requirements, time periods and other particulars, except when superseded by federal, state or local laws, rules or regulations. Clerical errors may be corrected by the posting the correction on the Department of Human Resources website here.

The terms of this announcement may be appealed under Civil Service Rule 110.4. Such appeals must be submitted in writing to the Department of Human Resources, 1 S Van Ness Avenue, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94103-5413 by close of business on the 5th business day following the issuance date of this examination announcement. Information concerning other Civil Service Commission Rules involving announcements, applications and examination policies, including applicant appeal rights, can be found on the Civil Service Commission website here.

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About the Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Seniority Credit in Promotional Exams
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

HOW TO APPLY:
Applications for City and County of San Francisco jobs are only accepted through an online process. Visit here and begin the application process.

• Select the “Apply Now" button and follow instructions on the screen

Applicants may be contacted by email about this recruitment and, therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure that their registered email address is accurate and kept up-to-date. Also, applicants must ensure that email from CCSF is not blocked on their computer by a spam filter. To prevent blocking, applicants should set up their email to accept CCSF mail from the following addresses (@sfgov.org, @sfdpw.org, @sfport.com, @flysfo.com, @sfwater.org, @sfdph.org, @asianart.org, @sfmta.com, @sfpl.org, @dcyf.org, @first5sf.org, @famsf.org, @ccsf.edu, @smartalerts.info, and @smartrecruiters.com).

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records. Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

Exam Analyst Information: If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the exam analyst, Eric Louie at eric.j.louie@sfgov.org.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:  All City and County of San Francisco employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Someone is fully vaccinated when 14 days have passed since they received the final dose of a two-shot vaccine or a dose of a one-shot vaccine. Any new hire must present proof of full vaccination status to be appointed. Any new hire who will be routinely assigned or occasionally enter High-Risk Settings, must provide proof of having received a COVID-19 booster vaccine by March 1, 2022, or once eligible.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.