Tax Enforcement Investigator I

County of Riverside•Riverside, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Riverside County Office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector is seeking a bilingual in Spanish Tax Enforcement Investigator I to support the Tax Enforcement Unit in the Riverside location. The Tax Enforcement Investigator I will be responsible for collecting delinquent unsecured property taxes on assets such as business personal property, mobile homes, boats, aircraft, and possessory interests. This includes conducting fieldwork, contacting taxpayers by phone and in person, setting up payment arrangements, and enforcing collections through bank and property seizures when necessary. The role requires strong investigative and research skills to locate taxpayers and their assets using public records, tax rolls, and bankruptcy files. The candidate will also prepare reports for hearings or litigation and assist with various collection activities including DMV holds, State Intercept programs, secured tax collection, and tax sale postings. This role requires weekly travel throughout Riverside County (including up to Blythe) to visit taxpayers' properties in the field and request payment. The most competitive candidates will have prior experience in tax collection or debt recovery, with a strong understanding of tax codes and legal procedures. They will possess excellent investigative skills, be able to locate hard-to-find taxpayers and assets, be comfortable with fieldwork, and have experience negotiating payment arrangements. Additionally, proficiency with Microsoft Excel and preparing reports for hearings or litigation, strong communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills, and ability to work collaboratively and adapt to changing needs are highly desired. Incumbents of Tax Enforcement Investigator I are expected to promote to the next higher level of Tax Enforcement Investigator II after acquiring the necessary experience and demonstrating satisfactory job performance. Meet the Team! The Riverside County Office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector is a group of dedicated public service professionals managing the collection of property taxes and safeguarding public funds, all while ensuring a valuable taxpayer experience. Their mission is t he sound investment of public funds, fair, efficient tax collection, and exceptional public service.

Requirements

Two years of experience in the collections, investigative or law enforcement fields which must have included the collection of pertinent financial information via face to face interviews and research; and applying skiptracing techniques, or determining and scheduling payments, or determining legal action to be taken on delinquent accounts.
Two years of experience in unsecured portions of Revenue and Taxation Code, including tax bills, notices, payments, refunds, and liens; and Federal Bankruptcy Act and Bulk Transfer Act, or mobile home property taxes and tax clearances.
Education from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one year of the required experience on the basis of 16 semester or 24 quarter units in business administration or related field for one year of experience.
Knowledge of: Unsecured portions of Revenue and Taxation Code, including tax bills, notices, payments, refunds, and liens; Federal Bankruptcy Act and Bulk Transfer Act; mobile home property taxes and tax clearances; basic mathematics, including interest computations.
Ability to: Establish and maintain effective relationships with diverse individuals and groups within the County organizational structure and the community; resolve complaints and function effectively in complex, sensitive, and stressful situations; analyze data researched and proceed logically to next step in securing necessary/additional information; efficiently read road maps; utilize micro-tape recorder; follow oral and written instructions completely and accurately.
Possession of a valid California Driver's License is required.
All qualified applicants will be required to take an un-proctored Spanish assessment exam.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in Spanish
Prior experience in tax collection or debt recovery
Strong understanding of tax codes and legal procedures
Excellent investigative skills
Ability to locate hard-to-find taxpayers and assets
Comfortable with fieldwork
Experience negotiating payment arrangements
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel
Preparing reports for hearings or litigation
Strong communication skills
Problem-solving skills
Organizational skills
Ability to work collaboratively
Ability to adapt to changing needs

Responsibilities

Utilizes phone, electronic and personal visits or filed work to locate and contact individuals and organizations to secure information and enforce compliance with specific provisions of tax laws, rules, or regulations; disseminates relevant information in order to enforce compliance with the tax law.
Analyzes balance sheets and profit and loss statements; reviews recorded documents for encumbrances on real or personal property to determine the equity in such property for seizures or priority of liens; investigates possible tax evasions.
Assist with the seizures and impound of personal property for tax delinquencies; represents the County at administrative hearings regarding the seized property and arranges for the sale of the seized items; investigates complaints.
Verifies tax liability and secures evidence for court prosecution when necessary.
Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with Federal, State, and local government agencies.
Prepares reports and correspondence; reviews bankruptcy and State and Federal court files; and testifies in court when required.
Consults in-house and external directories and personally contacts management companies, owners, and lessees to locate delinquent taxpayers; collects routine delinquent unsecured tax bills of a lower dollar amount.
Researches returned tax bills and notices for new addresses; conducts research on mobile home tax accounts and coordinates efforts with the Assessor and State of California.
Researches Federal and State court files, particularly for bankruptcy accounts.
Researches County records at the Assessor-County Clerk-Recorder, Community Health, Superior Court, and Registrar of Voters' offices; responds to phone calls for Tax Enforcement Investigators as needed.