Customer Service Specialist

Salary: $25.09 - $29.13 Hourly
Location : City Hall, 900 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA
Job Type: Full-Time Permanent
Job Number: 05M00000NEW
Department: Planning and Development Review
Opening Date: 08/10/2026
Closing Date: 8/24/2026 11:59 PM Eastern


Are you Richmond R.E.A.D.Y ? R espect. E quity. A ccountability. D iversity... YOU !!!


This is an EXCITING time to Join the City of Richmond! We are committed to nurturing talent, fostering growth opportunities, and building strong connections within our workforce. As we continue to make strides to becoming the employer of choice, we are thrilled about the below employee benefit enhancements:

• Virginia Retirement System (VRS)
• Language Incentive
• Referral Bonus
• T uition Assistance Program

Description


This employee class provides front-line customer service, citizen assistance, and revenue processing. Extensive data entry and account reconciliation. Strong ability to handle escalated inquiries, respectively, as well as conduct research, and adjustments for all manner of account queries. May serve as a lead worker. Ability to address customer complaints, billing queries and processes changes to accounts. Work will include entering data into an assigned system; researching and correcting account errors, and system defects; assisting with training of employees; creating bills; processing account adjustments; calculating and processing refunds; responding to phone calls, emails, and in-person inquiries; reconciling funds received; transmitting and posting electronic files; operating machines, and remittance processors; and performing basic clerical functions such as filing, utilizing computers, printers, issuing correspondence, mail sorting, etc.

Supervision Exercised/Received:

• Exercised: This classification typically does not supervise other employees, but may assist the supervisor with supervision duties, and/or act as a lead worker.
• Received: This classification typically reports to a supervisor or manager.
• Note: Other reporting relationships may apply.

Duties include but are not limited to

• Provides customer service account support activities such as investigating and researching account information and history; processing and adjusting customer accounts; performing billing and account reconciliation; clearing billing exceptions and correcting billing errors; following up on service orders; and processing refunds.
• Provides routine and advanced-level customer service, handling basic and escalated inquiries. Assists customers, departments, and employees by providing information, handling requests, and researching and responding to inquiries over the telephone, email, and in-person.
• Performs data entry. Prepares reports, spreadsheets, and other documentation.
• Performs other clerical and administrative duties, as required.

Qualifications, Special Certifications and Licenses

Knowledge (some combination of the following):

• Proficient communication skills, ability to create correspondence internally and externally
• Ability to adhere to deadlines
• Adhere to customer service policies and procedures
• Experience with Municipal governments
• City of Richmond Assessors File
• Familiarity using accounting and standard office equipment and programs
• Understand and implement principles, methods, and practices of accounting
• Ability to analyze and interpret fiscal and accounting data and to prepare appropriate statements and reports

Skills (some combination of the following):

• EnerGov
• Proficient in accounting practices
• Proficiency with Accounts Receivable
• Proficiency with Accounts Payable
• Proficiency at Microsoft Office Suite
• Proficient in Data entry and reconciliation
• Diplomacy
• Problem-solving
• Account management
• Strong Oral and written communication skills
• Interpersonal communication
• Basic mathematics
• Customer service
• Researching
• Interacting with potentially irate or irrational customers

Abilities (some combination of the following):

• Multi-task
• Listen attentively
• Analyze information
• Work with diverse populations
• Work in a fast-paced environment
• Analyze data to resolve customer issues or concerns

LICENSING, CERTIFICATIONS, and OTHER SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Bilingual preferred

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE:

• High School Diploma or GED
• Four years of customer service and payment processing, reconciliation and adjustment experience
• An equivalent combination of training and experience (as approved by the department) may be used to meet the minimum qualifications of the classification

Americans with Disabilities Act Requirements
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS: Working conditions may include exposure to travel to other locations within the City of Richmond as well as outside of the City of Richmond; exposure to hazardous physical conditions such as mechanical parts, electrical currents, vibrations, etc.; atmospheric conditions such as fumes, odors, dusts, gases, and poor ventilation; inadequate lighting; intense noise; and environmental hazards such as disruptive people, imminent danger, and a threatening environment.


PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT: Due to the nature of work assignments, incumbents must be able to perform detailed work on multiple, concurrent tasks, with frequent interruptions and under time constraint. While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, see, hear, finger (pick, pinch, type, or otherwise work primarily with fingers), and use substantial repetitive motions of the wrists, hands and fingers. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, walk and reach extending hands and arms in any direction. In terms of the physical strength to perform the essential duties, this classification is considered to be sedentary, exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to move objects.

* Internal use: HR Generalist to review.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

The City of Richmond provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.


The City of Richmond is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the City of Richmond will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with reasonable accommodations. If you require reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to participate in the job application and/or the interview process, please contact Veronica Kenner, by email at View email address on click.appcast.io.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruitment, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.
The City of Richmond Values Veterans. We are an official V3 Certified Company .

The City of Richmond is a proud partner with the US Army Partnership for Your Success PaYS Program.
With over 4,000 employees, the City of Richmond is an "Employer of Choice" among cities throughout the nation. The City strives to hire and retain employees who bring dedication and talent to the workforce. Offering a competitive, cost effective, and quality benefits package is one element of an "Employer of Choice".


The City offers a full range of benefit programs from initial hire through retirement. Please visit our Web site for details.
01


10-point compensable veteran. You must have an existing compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more. Other 10-point veteran include disabled veteran or a veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart for wound or injuries received in action, veteran's widow or widower who has not remarried, wife or husband of a veteran who has a service-connected disability, widowed, divorced or separated mother of an ex-service son or daughter who died in action, or who is totally and permanently disabled. Do any of these apply?

• Yes
• No

02


5-point veteran's must have been discharged under honorable conditions and had one of the following: Active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, in a war, or during the period 4/28/52-7/1/55 or active duty for more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 2/1/55 and 10/14/76 or active duty during the Gulf War sometime between 8/2/90 - 1/2/92 or active duty in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized or active duty for which more than 180 consecutive days other than for training, any part of which occurred during the period beginning 9/11/2001 and ending on the date prescribed by the Presidential proclamation or by the law as the last date of operation Iraqi Freedom. Do any of these apply?

• Yes
• No

03


How many years of professional experience do you have providing customer service that included payment processing, account reconciliation, and/or account adjustments?

• Less than one year of experience
• Two to four years of experience
• Five or more years of experience

04


Which of the following functions have you independently performed as part of your professional experience? Select all that apply.

• Payment processing
• Account reconciliation
• Account adjustments
• Billing corrections
• Refund processing
• Account receivable
• Researching account discrepancies
• None of the above

05


Describe your professional experience handling escalated customer inquiries, complaints, or potentially irate customers?

• Less than one year of experience
• One to two years of experience
• Two to four years of experience
• Five or more years of experience
• No experience

06


Describe your professional experience performing high-volume data entry and reconciling information while maintaining accuracy?

• Less than one year of experience
• One to two years of experience
• Two to four years of experience
• Five or more years of experience
• No experience

Required Question