Principal Clerk

Somerville is a city that upholds progressive principles for both employees and residents alike. If you are looking for a culture that embraces innovation, empowerment, and collaborative involvement, Somerville not only embraces these talents, but encourages them. Creative, hands on collaboration with passionate dedication are at the core of the City’s workplace culture.  Challenging and fast paced, Somerville also offers a generous benefits package that embodies a strong work life balance. Not only is it a “Model City”, as termed by The Boston Globe, but it is also a model employer.

Statement of Duties:

Under the direct supervision of clerical or other employee of higher grade, completes a variety of complex clerical duties requiring a considerable degree of decision making and a thorough knowledge of the function of the position. Duties can include invoice payment, Generation of Municipal Lien Certificates, processing refunds, Certificate of Good Standing, and account adjustments. Operate a customer service window handling a large volume of money, balance warrants and process checks. Maintain and retrieve files and records; answer telephones; prepares and mails outgoing correspondence; answers inquiries and provide routine information on department services; fills out forms; retrieves records from electronic database; operates standard office machines and equipment. Acts as a backup in the posting of receipts to accounts receivable including lockbox. Acts as backup to accepting departmental (9-10) cash receipts and balancing at the end of the day.  Assist constituents with online payments and questions.  Via computer, access accounts, post payments and checks total of receipts of current balances; performs other duties as assigned by the Treasurer.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

• High school graduate or GED with business courses.
• Two years’ experience and efficiency in a computerized office.
• Must possess excellent writing, oral, computer and communications skills.
• Must be alert, calm, and able to cope with emergencies, be detail oriented and maintain a high level of accuracy.
• Ability to understand and follow complex instructions and manage multiple complex tasks simultaneously.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment, the ability to interact professionally with others in a pleasant and efficient manner.
• Ability to learn MUNIS system, experience preferred.
• Bi-lingual/bi-cultural experience helpful.

Work Environment
The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements.  Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. 

Physical and Mental Requirements

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 position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills
Few physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing.  May also be some occasional lifting of objects such as office equipment and computer paper (up to 30lbs.)

Motor Skills
Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone, personal computer and/or most other office equipment including word processing, filing and sorting of papers.

Visual Skills
Visual demands require constantly reading documents for general understanding and analytical purposes.

Send your resume and cover letter by Tuesday, June 16, 2017 to:

City Hall Personnel Office
93 Highland Avenue
Somerville MA 02143
Fax: 617-666-4426
TTY: 1-866-808-4851
Email: employment_opportunities@somervillema.gov

City of Somerville residents are especially encouraged to apply.

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request.