Salary

$2,315.60 - $2,935.10 Biweekly

Location

Seattle, WA

Job Type

Career Service, Full Time, 35 hrs/week

Job Number

2024-23048

Department

DOA - Assessor's Office

Division

Accounting Operations

Opening Date

10/30/2024

Closing Date

11/13/2024 3:00 PM Pacific

FLSA

Non-Exempt

Bargaining Unit

B1 : OPEIU L8-Assessments

Full- or Part-Time

Full Time

Hours/Week

35 hours/week

Summary

With a growing portfolio of commercial and residential property parcels, King County's Department of Assessments is looking for interested applicants to apply for the Abstract Technician - Senior position. This position serves a vital role in meeting our mission of ensuring fair and equitable property tax administration by performing complex legal description analysis and review, as well as providing outstanding customer service to our taxpayers.

King County's Department of Assessments is looking for a dynamic and collaborative property deed/title clerk to support the daily administration and maintenance of the County's legal property descriptions. We are looking for action oriented creative thinkers who can multi-task and bring their property parcel and chain of title administrative skill and desire for excellence to this role. This position will focus on maintaining the accuracy of parcel data to help the department achieve its commitment to be "The Best Assessments Department in North America".

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF ASSESSMENTS
An award-winning leader and innovator in government property assessments, with 210 employees and an annual budget of over $37 million, the department administers King County's property valuation and assessment process. The Assessor's Office has a significant impact on the funding received each year by a wide range of important County public services. The agency uses innovative business intelligence tools and cutting-edge technology to be more efficient with current resources and provide value-added services to taxpayers. The Department of Assessments has collaborative partnerships with 150+ separate taxing districts and 39 cities. To learn more, please visit our website at: www.kingcounty.gov/Assessor.aspx :

ABOUT THE POSITION:
The Department of Assessments is seeking an employee who possesses strong functional and technical skills when working with legal descriptions, cadastral maps, chain of title, and property issues and who understands the value of maintaining the configuration and integrity of King County's real property tax assessment parcel data.

Are You....

• A seasoned and senior research-oriented professional with the ability to identify chain of custody and ownership of properties using varied sources of information? Can you back up your decision and title searches with verifiable data? Can you interpret, research and resolve complex parcel discrepancies based on deeds, customer requests or court orders?

• Business and complex legal/property boundary description writing savvy and able to write concise legal descriptions; proportion or prorate assessed value; reconfigure parcels based on segregations, mergers or lot line adjustments, following recorded conveyances, court documents and taxpayer requests?

• A senior customer service star? Do you have strong property and title researching skills? Do you have real property knowledge relating to problems/resolutions of title and taxes? Can you correspond with property owners and other representatives regarding problems/resolutions relating to title, taxes and other situations?

• Organized and attentive to detail? Can you work to resolve a variety of complex tax parcel/property identification problems? Can you manage your daily work to meet the needs of the department while ensuring accuracy and completeness?

If so, then read on to see if this position is right for you.

Job Duties

ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY: The Department of Assessments has an Abstract Technician Senior position in our Accounting Division's Abstract & Mapping Unit. This position serves a vital role in meeting our mission of ensuring fair and equitable property tax administration by performing complex legal description reviews or changes; working with complex right of way issues, formal plats and condominiums; and providing technical assistance, guidance and training to entry level technicians. This position requires the ability to be flexible, adapt to a changing daily routine and process complex and technical assignments while maintaining a production schedule, all while in a hybrid office and telework environment. Daily interaction with staff and the public requiring collaborative, analytical, customer service, and application processing and research skills. The successful applicant who accepts this position will work a 4 days per week schedule, 8.75 hours per day schedule for thirty-five (35) hours per week.

The successful candidate will:

• Maintain the configuration of King County's real property tax assessment parcel structure.
• Read and write concise, complex legal descriptions; proportion or prorate assessed value, reconfigure parcels to conform to complex segregations, mergers, plats, condominiums or lot line adjustments, based on recorded conveyances, court documents and taxpayer requests.
• Research and resolve challenging and complex parcel discrepancies based on deeds, customer requests or court orders.
• Work to resolve a variety of complex tax parcel problems.
• Alter tax status of parcels based on conveyances between public and private entities, create split accounts, prorate assessed values.
• Review/process formal plats and condominiums.
• Interpret complex legal descriptions and technical documents for internal and external customers.
• Correspond with property owners and other representatives regarding problems/resolutions relating to title, taxes and other situations.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

WE ARE LOOKING FOR CANDIDATES WITH:

• Strong background in real estate terminology, principals & practice.
• The ability to perform complex property title research, chain of custody, & conveyance research.
• Solid analytical, communication, and interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently as well as part of a team in a collaborative, team-centered environment.
• Strong Customer focus with a dedication to integrity, ethics, trust and values.
• The ability to read, write and interpret property legal descriptions, surveys, real estate documents, property title and sales documents, paying close attention to detail and a need for accuracy.
• Proficiency and ease in using business productivity tools and business technology tools in your everyday work; (We use Microsoft Office Suite and ArcGIS plus other internal applications & assessment related tools)
• Exceptional listening skills.
• The ability to keep up with evolving business needs through flexibility and rapid integration of new concepts.
• Demonstrated skill in reading & interpreting cadastral maps.
• A strong understanding of applicable federal, state and local codes, regulations, policies and procedures as they relate to physical & legal property changes or other complex policies and procedures.

In addition, any combination of education and/or experience that clearly demonstrates the ability to successfully perform the duties of the position listed above and demonstrates the following:

• A minimum of three (3) years of administrative and clerical experience dealing with a diverse customer base,
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience working with and knowledge of real estate processes, legal descriptions, applying laws and regulations, understanding property documents, such as deeds, titles, and recorded property actions, or other similar transactions,
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience using computer applications, such as Microsoft Office Suite, Arch GIS and other applications that include data entry skills,
• A minimum of three (3) years of experience and the ability to perform moderately complex mathematical calculations used to support property adjustments such as square footage and split value calculations.

BONUS IF CANDIDATES HAVE THESE ADDITIONAL DESIREABLE QUALICATIONS:

• Experience in land surveying, mapping software and technology.
• Knowledge of property title search practices.
• Familiarity with Washington State property tax rules.
• Experience as an Abstract Technician.

Supplemental Information

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North" , we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. A resume and cover letter and answers to the supplemental questions are required. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

The applicants who meet the required minimum qualifications and indicate through an analysis of their submitted application materials that they possess the most competitive background in direct and recent job-related experience, knowledge, skill, abilities and training may be called for further selection processing. Additional selection process analysis may include but is not limited to written and performance exams, written work submittals, web-based/online examinations, oral panel and/or manager interviews.
WORKING CONDITIONS: The primary work location for this position is the King Street Center Building, 201 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA. Our offices in the King County King Street Center operate under a fragrance, plant and scent free policy . This policy is intended to promote a safe and healthy work environment for all employees.

WORK SCHEDULES: This position is scheduled to work thirty-five (35) hours per week and is overtime eligible with prior supervisory approval. Employees in these positions work four (4) days per week, typically Monday through Thursday, or Tuesday through Friday, (8.75 hours per day) based upon management staffing needs and in accordance with applicable collective bargaining agreements and King County policy.

UNION MEMBERSHIP: Positions in this classification are represented by the OPEIU, Local 8.

King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what's best for themselves and their eligible dependents
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12paid holidays each year plus twopersonal holidays
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental,family and medical, and volunteer leaves
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite activity centers
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Page .

This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.

NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position.Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.

For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.