Utility Customer Service Representative

Overview

The City of Gresham is seeking a Utility Customer Service Representative to join its Utility Billing team within the Budget & Finance Department.

In this front-line role, you will help customers understand and manage their City utility accounts. You will answer billing and payment questions, explain account activity and City requirements, process service and account requests, and connect customers with available options and resources. This fast-paced work requires accuracy, patience, sound judgment, clear communication, and professionalism during difficult or sensitive conversations.

This is a full-time position scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and works onsite at Gresham City Hall, 1333 NW Eastman Parkway.

This posting will remain open until 9/6/26, however first review of applications and consideration for interviews will be taking place on 8/17/26.

As Oregon’s fourth-largest city, Gresham is a welcoming and growing community. City employees work together to provide practical, responsive, and high-quality public service. We seek candidates who will contribute to a respectful workplace and provide fair, thoughtful service to people with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Come build the future with us.

Position Description

As a Utility Customer Service Representative, you will be one of the City’s primary points of contact for residential, commercial, multifamily, and industrial utility customers. You will assist customers in person, by telephone, through voicemail, and by email.

This position reports to the Financial Operations Utility Billing Supervisor and works closely with Utility Billing staff, field employees, other City departments, and community partners.

What You'll Get To Do

• Help utility customers Assist customers with questions and requests about accounts, bills, payments, due dates, service, water use, payment arrangements, and customer assistance programs. Clearly explain account activity, City requirements, available options, and next steps.
• Maintain and update accounts Open, update, and close accounts. Complete authorized extensions, payment arrangements, adjustments, enrollments, and other account changes. Review information for completeness and refer requests that need further review.
• Process payments Accept and post payments, balance and reconcile payment activity, prepare checks for deposit, and follow cash-handling, security, and internal-control procedures.
• Document and follow through Create timely, factual, and complete account notes. Follow customer needs through completion or clearly refer them to the appropriate employee with the information needed to take the next step.
• Prepare customer communications Prepare notices, letters, forms, refund documents, returned mail, welcome materials, and other utility correspondence. Complete assigned outreach and check work for accuracy and completeness.
• Support daily operations Manage multiple priorities in a busy customer service environment, contribute to shared team responsibilities, and provide trained backup support as assigned.

Qualities We Are Looking For

• Customer service and communication You listen carefully, treat people respectfully, and explain account information, requirements, and next steps in plain language. You remain helpful and professional even when the answer is not what the customer hoped to hear.
• Accuracy and follow-through You pay close attention to detail, keep clear and complete records, manage interruptions and changing priorities, and follow assigned work through completion.
• Judgment and adaptability You follow established procedures, recognize when an issue needs further review, and pay attention to how your approach affects others. You can accept feedback, adjust your approach, and take responsibility when something does not go as planned.
• Reliability and learning You are dependable, contribute to shared responsibilities, and communicate with coworkers. You can learn detailed procedures, use multiple computer systems, and adjust as daily needs change.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED.
• Two years of customer service, general office, or related experience.

Preferred Qualifications

The most competitive candidates will have experience in one or more of the following:

• Providing customer service in person and by telephone in a busy environment.
• Explaining billing, payment, account, or service information.
• Processing payments, handling cash, or balancing payment activity.
• Entering and maintaining information in customer, billing, payment, or document systems.
• Documenting customer contacts and following requests through completion.
• Assisting customers during difficult or sensitive situations.
• Communicating in Spanish or Russian (preferred, not required).

Selection Process

To apply for this position, click 'Apply' at the top of this job posting.

Required Application Materials

• Complete online application(Do not type 'see resume' in any fields or leave work experience fields blank in the application template.)
• Resume
• Answers to supplemental questions
• Three or more professional references

The City of Gresham offers a comprehensive and equitable base salary within the listed range based on your experience, skills, and education verified in your application. We encourage you to clearly describe how you meet the minimum and preferred qualifications and essential attributes in your application materials. Learn more about Oregon Equal Pay.

If you desire a modification of this process to accommodate a disability, please provide your request in writing to [email protected], or by phone to 503-618-2729, upon submitting the required application documents.

A review of application materials including your response to supplemental questions submitted will determine which candidates will be invited to an interview.

Communication with candidates will be done primarily through e-mail. Sometimes these messages may land in a spam or junk mail folder. We encourage you to monitor your inbox as well as the inbox within the governmentjobs.com portal for important updates related to this process.

Veteran's Preference

The City of Gresham provides qualifying veterans and disabled veterans with preference in employment in accordance with state law. Any candidate wishing to have their qualifying veteran's preference applied to the process must submit a qualifying document (DD Form 214 or 215) at the time of application providing proof of eligibility that includes discharge status. Disabled veterans must also submit a copy of their Veteran's disability preference letter from the US Department of Veteran Affairs at the time of application, unless the information is included in the DD Form 214 or 215.

Our Commitment

The City of Gresham is committed to providing equal employment opportunity to all qualified employees and applicants without unlawful regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, familial status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, Oregon, or local law.

Please direct questions about this position to 503-618-2729 or [email protected].

If you need assistance with the online application, please contact NEOGOV directly at 1-855-524-5627.

Any offer of employment is contingent upon successful completion of a professional reference check and a criminal background check.

The City provides full family, comprehensive medical and dental insurance. Vision and prescription coverages are included in the medical plans. Most limited term and regular status employees who work at least 30 hours per week pay nothing for their medical and dental coverage.

Medical Insurance Options

• City of Gresham Core Plan- UnitedHealthcare Options PPO Network
• Kaiser Permanente Traditional HMO

Dental Insurance Options

• Delta Dental PPO Plan
• Willamette Dental Insurance
• Kaiser Permanente

Additional benefits include: Employer paid life insurance and long term disability, an employer sponsored deferred compensation plan, flexible spending accounts (medical, child care), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) retirement (City picks up the 6% employee's contribution), an employer contribution to a HRA/VEBA medical savings account, paid time off (PTO) accrual at a minimum of 12.66 hours per month, and 4 hours of sick leave, in additional to nine paid holidays and 3.5 paid floating holidays per year.

For more detailed information, please visit our Employee Benefits page at: https://greshamoregon.gov/benefits/

01

What best describes your highest level of education?

• High School/ GED
• Some College
• Associates Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Doctorate Degree
• None of the above

02

How many years of related experience do you have in customer service, account support, payment processing, administrative support, or similar work involving frequent public contact?

• Less than two (2) years.
• Two (2) or more years but less four (4) years.
• Four (4) or more years but less than six (6) years.
• Six (6) or more years of experience.

03

Which of the following have been a regular part of your work? Select all that apply.

• Providing customer service in person
• Providing customer service by telephone
• Providing customer service by email or other written communication
• Entering or updating customer or account records
• Processing payments or financial transactions
• Balancing a cash drawer or reconciling transactions
• Documenting customer contacts
• Following detailed policies or procedures
• Tracking requests that required follow-up
• Using multiple computer systems to complete a request
• Assisting customers during difficult or sensitive situations
• None of the above

04

Describe your related experience. Include where you gained it, how long you performed the work, how you communicated with customers, and the types of requests or responsibilities you handled.

05

You are entering an account update when a customer approaches the counter, the telephone rings, and you receive a message about another customer waiting for a callback. What would you be most likely to do?

• Stop immediately and begin helping the first person who needs attention, relying on memory to return to the account update later.
• Quickly finish the account update while also answering the telephone so neither task has to wait.
• Pause at a safe point, note what remains to be completed, respond based on urgency and established coverage procedures, and return to verify and finish the account update.
• Ask a coworker to take over the account update so you can respond to the other requests.

06

Describe a time you explained a policy, charge, account activity, or detailed process to someone who had difficulty understanding it or had different communication needs. How did you adjust your approach, and what was the outcome?

07

Which statement best describes your payment-processing or financial-transaction experience?

• I do not have payment-processing or financial-transaction experience.
• I have accepted or entered payments under established procedures.
• I have regularly processed payments or financial transactions and verified information for accuracy.
• I have regularly processed payments and balanced a cash drawer or reconciled transaction activity.
• I have regularly processed and reconciled transactions and researched or resolved differences.

08

A customer is upset about a charge and insists that you remove it. Based on the information available, you are not authorized to remove the charge. What would you be most likely to do?

• Remove the charge to calm the customer and ask a supervisor afterward.
• Continue repeating that the charge cannot be removed until the customer accepts the answer.
• Explain the charge and available options, determine whether further review is appropriate, document the contact, and refer the matter if needed.
• Immediately transfer the customer to someone else without reviewing the account.
• Tell the customer to submit the complaint in writing before providing any information.

09

Do you have the ability to speak Spanish, and if so what is your level of fluency?

• No, I don't speak Spanish.
• Elementary, can understand basic words and phrases, but can't hold a conversation.
• Limited working knowledge, can handle routine, predictable exchanges.
• Professional working knowledge, can conduct business and handle most work situations.
• Full professional knowledge, fluent, and can handle complex and nuanced material with ease.
• Native / bilingual, functionally a first-language speaker.

10

Do you have the ability to speak Russian, and if so what is your level of fluency?

• No, I don't speak Russian.
• Elementary, can understand basic words and phrases, but can't hold a conversation.
• Limited working knowledge, can handle routine, predictable exchanges.
• Professional working knowledge, can conduct business and handle most work situations.
• Full professional knowledge, fluent, and can handle complex and nuanced material with ease.
• Native / bilingual, functionally a first-language speaker.
• Required Question