What are the responsibilities and job description for the Accounting Technician (Collections) position at Vance-Granville Community College?
Description
Vance-Granville Community College is where meaningful work meets real community impact. At VGCC, you’ll be part of a supportive, mission-driven team dedicated to providing affordable, high-quality education that transforms lives. Your work will help open doors for students, strengthen local communities, and prepare individuals for in-demand careers. Every day offers the chance to see the direct impact of what you do. If you’re energized by purpose, collaboration, and making a difference, we invite you to apply.
Under general supervision, an employee in this position has the responsibility for supporting the financial services operation and activities of the Finance/Business Services Department of the college. Duties related to this position focus on performing detail-oriented accounting work involving student account activity, collections, and accounts receivable functions. The duties assigned may vary according to the specific needs of the Division and/or allocation of workload.
Teleworking: This position is assigned to the VGCC Main Campus in Henderson, NC. This is a fully onsite position.
Salary:
VGCC considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position; candidate's work experience, education/training, and key skills; and internal peer equity in offer calculations.
The following listing of essential job duties indicates the general nature and level of work required in this job. This is not designed to be a comprehensive listing of all the activities, duties, or responsibilities that may be required in this job. Individuals assigned to this job may be asked to perform other duties as required. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties and responsibilities of the job.
Essential Duties
- Perform a variety of customer service and clerical work requiring general knowledge of student account activity.
- Assist students with account balance, payment plan, and refund questions.
- Process in-person and phone payments for registration and various fees.
- Process returned checks and disputed debit charges (chargebacks).
- Analyze past due account balances for all students.
- Perform pre-collection and collection efforts, including maintaining up-to-date information with outside collection agencies and the NC Department of Revenue (NCDOR).
- Prepare check requests to pay invoices from Collection Agency.
- Prepare and mail student notifications and invoices for balances due; add and end Business Office restrictions.
- Collaborate with Student Accounts staff to invoice students prior to established payment deadlines.
- Recommend annual write-offs to the Director of Student Accounts, Accounts Receivable, and Grant Accounting.
- Process reports, letters, and payments for the debt set-off report received from the NC Department of Revenue and Collection Agency.
- Send messages (text and email) to students using the college's notification system.
- Maintain pre-collection payment plans internally and through a third-party.
- Collaborate with the Financial Aid Office to assist students with payment agreements.
- May serve as backup to the full-time Accounting Technician for daily checklist duties, as scheduling allows.
- Assist with other accounts receivable tasks as requested.
Qualifications
- Associate's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field, and one (1) year of experience in accounts receivable, collections, bookkeeping, or a business/financial office setting; or high school diploma/equivalent and three (3) years of directly related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Candidates currently working toward an Associate's degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field, with at least one (1) year of related experience, will also be considered.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- General knowledge of accounts receivable practices, collections procedures, and basic accounting principles.
- Ability to interpret and apply college policies regarding student account holds, restrictions, and write-offs.
- Skill in operating standard office equipment and proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and student information/ERP systems.
- Ability to accurately process financial transactions, including payments, refunds, and chargebacks, with a high degree of attention to detail.
- Strong customer service skills, including the ability to communicate financial information clearly and tactfully to students and families, some of whom may be in financial distress.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive financial and student records in accordance with FERPA.
- Ability to organize and prioritize a high volume of detail-oriented tasks and meet recurring deadlines (invoicing cycles, payment plan follow-ups, collection reporting).
- Ability to work collaboratively across departments (Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Collections) to resolve account issues.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and escalate issues appropriately to the Director when write-offs or exceptions are warranted.
Preferred Qualifications
- Prior experience in a higher education business office, student accounts, or registrar setting.
- Experience with collections, payment plans, or third-party collection agency coordination.
- Familiarity with Ellucian Colleague/Banner or a comparable student information/ERP system.
Salary : $18 - $27