Unclaimed Property Administrator, Inquiries & Requests

Arizona Department of Administration•Phoenix, AZ

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Serves as Acting Unclaimed Property Administrator during recruitment of a permanent appointee, with full responsibility for the operations of the Unclaimed Property Unit and for the Department’s obligations under the Revised Arizona Unclaimed Property Act. Leads and supports the Unit’s supervisors and staff, sustains established operations across claims, holder reporting, examinations, and financial functions, and maintains continuity of service to apparent owners, claimants, and holders. Statutory interpretation, contested matters, and legal proceedings are supported by Unclaimed Property Counsel and the General Counsel; financial operations are supported by designated financial staff.

Requirements

Knowledge of the confidentiality requirements governing Department records, including statutory restrictions on access to and use of confidential taxpayer information, and of the confidentiality of examination documents and working papers
Knowledge of Generally Applied Accounting Standards (GAAS), Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS) and internal control environments (e.g., COSO); responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring robust control structures to safeguard organizational assets.
Skills in utilizing Artificial Intelligence Systems
Able to distill complex program and statutory subject matter into concise briefing materials, executive summaries, data visualizations, and presentations for senior executive and external policymaker audiences
Excellent verbal, written, and listening communication skills, including care and accuracy in written work that will stand as the Department’s record
Ability to clear a comprehensive background and clearance process that includes an Arizona tax compliance verification, and a criminal background check through the FBI via level one fingerprint clearance through the Arizona Department of Public Safety
Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy and also participate collaboratively as part of a team
Ability to work in a confidential manner, applying the statutory confidentiality requirements governing Department records and examination working papers
Ability to understand and solve problems by applying advanced analytical skills to include collecting all the relevant information and data needed to address the problem

Nice To Haves

Current ADOR employee in good standing
Minimum of three (3) years’ supervisory/people management experience
Demonstrated ability to lead an established team through a period of transition, sustain morale and engagement, and support staff whose workloads and reporting relationships are in flux
Willingness to work within an established statutory framework, to learn that framework quickly, and to seek guidance from counsel and subject matter experts rather than resolving unfamiliar technical questions independently
Willingness to serve in the capacity described under Litigation Notice below
No prior unclaimed property experience required

Responsibilities

Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with ADOR’s core values, agency policies, applicable standard work, and applicable laws.
Actively participating in the interviewing and hiring processes and ensuring successful functional onboarding of new employees
Planning, assigning, coordinating and overseeing daily work of direct reports in alignment with strategic, operational, and tactical priorities of the organization
Setting reasonable stretch performance goals and conducting mid-year and annual performance appraisals
Recognizing and rewarding performance excellence, culture championship, and continuous improvement efforts
Communicating and enforcing agency policies and programs
Applying corrective action, addressing complaints and resolving problems in a timely fashion, involving and collaborating with leadership and Human Resources as appropriate
In collaboration with the Deputy Assistant Director/Assistant Director and Talent, develops and executes a plan for retaining and developing talent to meet current and future business objectives
Engaging in performance management calibration and talent review evaluations
Inspiring staff to continue to build their skill and craft while keeping ahead of the curve for the future challenges
Ensures understanding of and alignment with the strategic and operational goals and agency initiatives
Prepares and presents program performance data, operational metrics, and fiscal and workload analyses for agency executive leadership and, as directed, for the Governor’s Office, Legislature, and oversight bodies, in written, tabular, and presentation formats appropriate to an executive audience.
Ensures effective systems, processes, programs and standard work are in place to support meeting the needs of apparent owners, claimants, and holders
Ensures functional operations are staffed to effectively support service delivery
Manages vendor and contractor relationships supporting Unit operations, including the unclaimed property system of record, any interstate agreements, print and mail services supporting notices and correspondence, securities liquidation, cryptocurrency staking and safekeeping arrangements, custodian bank, transfer agent, and account reconciliation services, and contract or temporary staffing augmenting claims review and processing functions
Manages the Department’s contract and contingent-fee unclaimed property auditors; monitors auditor performance, including development and application of metrics evaluating the accuracy of auditor recommendations; and exercises independent Departmental judgment in determining whether to accept, modify, or reject an auditor’s recommendation.
Develops working knowledge of the Revised Arizona Unclaimed Property Act and its implementing rules sufficient to administer the program, and escalates novel or contested statutory questions to the Unclaimed Property Counsel or General Counsel
Administers the Department’s obligations under the Revised Arizona Unclaimed Property Act and its implementing rules
Oversees examinations and safeguards examination documents and working papers
Remains current on all laws, regulations, policies, and best practices related to unclaimed property
Maximizes work processes and deliverables through lean principles within the Arizona Management System (AMS); and provides recommendations for process improvement, and engages in continuous improvement efforts as assigned.
Oversees the receipt, cashiering, and deposit of property remitted by holders, and the safekeeping, custody, and accounting of property held by the Department
Oversees the transfer, custody, income, and dividend collection, liquidation, and auction of securities, digital assets, and tangible property, including the execution of transfer authorizations and related instruments
Ensures periodic reconciliation of custodial accounts, remittance records, income received, and claims disbursements against the Unit’s system of record, and directs the research and resolution of reconciling items
Manages the Unit’s budget and expenditure authority; reviews and approves vendor and contract auditor invoices; and authorizes transfers and distributions of unclaimed property monies
Prepares revenue, distribution, and workload projections, and supports the Department’s financial reporting obligations including materials furnished for annual financial reporting and responses to external auditors
Exercises budget, invoice approval, and transfer authority in coordination with designated financial staff assigned to support the assignment

Benefits

Affordable medical, dental, life, and short-term disability insurance plans
Participation in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) and long-term disability plans
10 paid holidays per year
Vacation time accrued at 4.00 hours bi-weekly for the first 3 years
Sick time accrued at 3.70 hours bi-weekly
Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child (pilot program).
Deferred compensation plan
Wellness plans
Tuition Reimbursement
Infant at Work Program
Rideshare and Public Transit Subsidy
Career Advancement & Employee Development Opportunities
Flexible schedules to create a work/life balance