Job Location: Fond du Lac, WI
Position Type: Full Time
Job Purpose and Reporting Structure:
Under the direction of the Escrow Operations Manager, the Search Operations Team Lead performs a variety of duties related to managing information from tax agencies for use in production tax searching. Duties include the research, collection, documentation, maintenance and reporting of information in an easy-to-use and understandable format.
Activities include planning and coordinating the search timeline and processes for team, collaborating to research and develop work instructions and geographic nuances, searching properties for tax statuses and escrow amounts, analyzing complex data discrepancies, documenting results, spot checking TAIs, generating lender notifications, and leading and coordinating project teams.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
Data Management
- Gather and Manage Tax Information
- Communicate with tax agencies to gather information pertinent to research
- Order tax rolls, tax bills, or utilize other methods of obtaining real estate tax information Analyze and document tax information on states within the team
- Review tax laws for due dates and tax types that require tracking
- Maintain Action Log and/or search calendar
- Enter tax agency information in the Tax Agency Database (TAD)
- Tax schedules, due dates, tax types, methods of search, agency contacts, work instructions, websites/links, etc.
- Develop and maintain an internal calendar of due dates in all relevant tax agencies
- Support Property Tax Research Associates by answering questions, providing research, and advising on search nuances
Search and Team Coordination
- Create Excel checklists to analyze and prepare for upcoming searches and maintain throughout search cycle
- Collaborate with tax agencies and Agency Relations team to determine the most effective methods of searching
- Obtain effective results when communicating with tax agencies via phone, e-mail or other communication
- Run/pull TAIs/manual files and prepare for searching
- Conduct weekly team meetings and encourage team collaboration
- Provide recommendations of any process changes to the Search Operations Manager
- Work with, support, and mentor team members to accomplish operational goals
- Manage team members electronic time sheets and PTO requests
Production
- Support and incorporate quality as first priority in all production activities and maintain established quality score metrics
- Ensure work instructions and tax agency data are up-to-date and accurate
- Search in tax season and as needed throughout the year
- Work in conjunction with Operations and Engineering to design, test and implement new processes
- Coordinate with Quality Control and Client Services teams and conduct thorough root cause analyses in response to externally identified tax inquiry or internally identified production issue
- Notify Quality Control and Client Services teams of any search, production, or process updates that may affect lender portfolio or servicing expectations
Travel
- Display willingness to travel to various tax agencies to search as needed particularly in geographic areas where little to no documentation exists
- Take an active/lead role to plan and coordinate activities and book accommodations
- Attend tax agency and related conferences representing Info-Pro in a professional manner. Network with agencies and present information on Info-Pro, as necessary.
Project Management/Training/Continuous Improvement
- Perform project work and assignments
- Manage multiple projects and goal dates
- Develop and maintain project list; report to Search Operations Manager
- Work with, and mentor team members to accomplish operational goals
- Volunteer for or initiate process improvements, projects, and other assignments as they arise
Schedule
- Maintain flexible work schedule to accommodate search seasonality
Work Environment: The work environment characteristics listed here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.
The employee is required to obtain data using Internet and Microsoft applications while seated at a workstation, viewing a PC or laptop monitor.
The employee is required to travel to search at tax agency offices. A valid state drivers license is required. Ability to travel, at time including overnight stays at hotels, is required especially in busy search seasons. Travel by car, airplane, train, or boat (ferry) may be required.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Qualifications Requirements: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Strong organizational skills
- Strong communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Positive attitude
- Adapts well to change
- Strong problem-solving skills
- Self-motivated
- Able to work independently
- Detail-oriented
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications; primarily Excel and Outlook
- Knowledge of the Internet
Education and/or Experience:
Bachelors Degree and two years professional office experience is required.
Language Skills:
Ability to read, analyze, interpret, and write work instructions and company policies/procedures. Ability to write professional business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from Manager, coworkers and/or a group of customers or tax agency representatives.
Mathematical Skills:
Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent.
Reasoning Ability:
Ability to solve practical and complex problems and deal with a variety of concrete variable information in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to design, write and interpret a variety of instructions in written, oral or diagram form.
Other Skills and Abilities:
Requires the ability to operate a laptop, computer workstation, and related basic tools and equipment
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls and reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, smell, stop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds; this may be frequent if on a search road trip where tax books are used to obtain results. Long periods of standing may also be required on search road trips. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.
