Corporations Specialist / Corporations, UCC & Commissions

Join Our Team at the Department of the Secretary of State

At the Department of the Secretary of State, we are a team dedicated to providing efficient and exceptional service to our community. We prioritize work-life balance and offer great benefits to support our team in achieving professional success while maintaining personal well-being. Join a team that fosters a culture of teamwork, integrity, and continuous improvement, offering opportunities for growth and making a meaningful impact on the lives of our citizens.

We are looking for dedicated and collaborative individuals who thrive in a dynamic, growth-focused environment. If you are passionate about making a difference, driving success, and being part of a positive team culture, we want you on our team.

This is an advanced administrative support position with the Division of Corporations, UCC & Commissions that reviews, examines and records various corporate, UCC, notary public and marriage officiant filings after determining compliance to the applicable laws, rules and regulations governing those filings. The incumbent provides expert guidance to attorneys, paralegals, accountants, the public and other state agencies, on the phone, in writing and in person. This position gathers and analyzes information to make conclusions using independent judgment, initiative, and discretion, to make recommendations to management on program status and improvements to processes and procedures.

What We're Looking For:

• Team Collaboration: Ability to work effectively within a team, contributing to shared goals and helping others succeed.
• Communication Skills: Clear and professional communication with the public, attorneys, law enforcement, and internal teams.
• Adaptability: Comfort in a fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions and changing priorities.
• Problem-Solving: Critical thinking to resolve complex eligibility, compliance, or restoration issues.
• Attention to Detail: High level of accuracy in reviewing legal and court documents and processing transactions.
• Professionalism: Ability to maintain a polite, courteous, and non-confrontational demeanor, avoiding gossip/negativity, and respecting diverse perspectives.

Key Competencies We Value:

• Emotional Intelligence: Empathy, professionalism, and accountability in customer and team interactions.
• Conflict Resolution & Feedback: Skill in navigating difficult calls and providing accurate information with tact.
• Time Management: Effective organization of daily responsibilities while managing a high call volume.
• Commitment to Excellence: Strong work ethic and attention to statutory deadlines.
• Continuous Improvement: Openness to process enhancements and feedback.

In this role, you will:

• Independently reviews, examines, and accepts or rejects business, trademark and UCC filings, requests for apostilles and authentications and notary applications ensuring completeness, accuracy and determining compliance to applicable laws, rules and regulations.
• Answers all division calls regarding Corporations, UCC, Notaries Public, Marriage Officiants and Boards and Commissions.
• Prepares and mails acknowledgments of filing.
• Enters information regarding accepted documents into a database and modifies existing data to maintain accurate records.
• Responds to inquiries from attorneys, paralegals, accountants, other state agencies and the public and provides statutory filing guidance on corporate, trademark and uniform commercial code lien filings.
• Independently composes, reviews and edits written assistance notices to filers and the public to provide instruction and guidance on compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
• Accesses and provides information on web-based services and functions and assists public with the location of forms using the internet.
• Processes requests for corporate certificates of good standing, copy requests and apostilles or authentications.
• Researches, collects, compiles, and analyzes data and information related to corporate filings, UCC filings, requests for apostilles and authentications and notary applications to reach a conclusion and/or make recommendations, or prepares and analyzes reports derived from the filing databases and maintains spreadsheets for trend filing analyses on business entities and uniform commercial code.
• Prepares, scans and does quality assurance on filed documents for storage on the imaging system.
• Codes, computes, verifies, posts and reconciles financial transactions of all public filings.

Preferences will be given to candidates who have:

• Ability to interpret and apply laws, rules, and procedures related to the Division of Corporations, UCC & Commissions.
• Ability to make compliance determinations using established criteria or regulations.
• Skill in conducting research, gathering information, and analyzing results.
• Ability to work independently on complex, detailed projects with accuracy and initiative.

Minimum Qualifications:

(Entry level knowledge, skills, and/or abilities may be acquired through, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO the following coursework/training and/or experience.)

Training, education, or experience in office and administrative support work that demonstrates 1) competency in applying a proficient knowledge of modern office practices to perform advanced administrative support tasks requiring specialized skills, and 2) the ability to use independent judgment, initiative, and discretion to make determinations on varied matters. All positions in this classification assume the qualifications of: Office Assistant I, Office Assistant II, Office Associate I and Office Associate II.

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Please note that this position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or STEM OPT extensions, and successful candidates will be required to complete an I-9 form upon hire.

The successful candidate must pass a National Criminal Background check, which may include fingerprinting.

Why Join Our Team?

We believe in supporting our workforce's health and well-being with a valuable total compensation package, including:

Work-Life Fit: Take time for yourself with 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.

Health Insurance Coverage: The State of Maine pays 85%-95% of employee-only premiums ($11,196.96 - $12,514.32 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.

Dental Insurance: The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($387.62 annual value).

Retirement Plan: The State contributes the equivalent of 14.11% of the employee's pay towards the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS).