Introduction
Charlotte’s local government, with more than 7,000 employees and a $2.39 billion budget, works hard to ensure that the community will be a winning city for everyone – a truly remarkable place to live, work, learn and play.
Charlotte Water is an enterprise department of the City of Charlotte and one of the largest public water and sewer service providers in the southeast with 300,000 customer accounts and over 1000 employees. Our service area includes the City of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and the towns of Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, Mint Hill, Matthews and Pineville. Charlotte Water’s FY 23 budget is $535M and a five-year capital program of $2.5 billion. We enjoy the highest credit ratings from all three major credit rating agencies as a result of sound financial planning and management and strong support from our City Council. We value competent, skilled candidates with a customer service focus to work in a team environment.
Overview
The City of Charlotte is the largest municipality in North Carolina and the 15th largest city in the United States, with a total population of more than 897,000 citizens. A major commerce center, Charlotte hosts several of the nation’s largest banks and technology companies.
Also known as the Queen City, Charlotte is home to the Carolina Panthers, the Charlotte Hornets and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. We work hard to ensure that the community will be a winning city for everyone – a truly remarkable place to live, work, learn and play. Join us in helping to keep our City thriving, ensuring upward mobility and advancement in the workplace.
Summary
Under the general direction of the Customer Service Utilities Manager, the Customer Support Manager assumes a critical role in upholding the division's operational and capital budgets, overseeing customer billing and account management, and promptly addressing escalations from the executive branches of City and department leadership. This position entails the management of Human Resource functions related to divisional employees, cultivation of strong customer relationships through key accounts, handling financial assistance programs, ensuring Backflow compliance, serving as a supervisory liaison for the 311-call center, effectively managing complex organizational issues. The Customer Support Manager leads customer support initiatives, resolving intricate concerns and collaborating with key stakeholders, including the Mayor, City Council, City Manager’s Office, CLT Water Director, and other relevant parties. The primary focus is on maintaining the highest standards of professionalism, efficiency, and timely issue resolution. The role also involves evaluating root causes, proposing process enhancements, and overseeing special customer programs.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
• Monitor and control the division's operational and capital budgets, ensuring fiscal responsibility, prepare and present annual budget to Department Direct and Business Office.
• Collaborate with finance teams to optimize budget utilization for customer support functions.
• Manages customer billing processes and account management to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
• Oversees New Tap Connections functions, collaborates with Installation and Development Services division to improve business optimization and customer experience.
• Implement strategies for improving billing procedures and enhancing customer satisfaction.
• Address escalations from executive branches promptly, providing effective and satisfactory resolutions.
• Develop and implement escalation handling procedures for the customer support team.
• Manage HR functions for Divisional employees, including recruitment, training, annual performance targets and evaluations.
• Foster a positive and inclusive work environment to enhance team productivity and satisfaction.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key accounts to ensure customer satisfaction.
• Implement initiatives to enhance customer trust and confidence in department services.
• Oversee and optimize financial assistance programs, ensuring accessibility for eligible customers.
• Collaborate with relevant departments to enhance the effectiveness of assistance programs.
• Ensure compliance with Backflow regulations and work with regulatory bodies to address any issues.
• Directly works with the liaison for the call center to optimizing workflows and ensuring high-quality customer interactions and implement continuous improvements.
• Assist with training programs for call center staff to enhance customer service skills and department knowledge for one-stop resolution and service.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders, including the Mayor, City Council, City Manager’s Office, CLT Water Director, and others, to align customer support efforts with broader organizational goals.
• Evaluate root causes of customer issues and propose process enhancements for continuous improvement.
• Implement strategies to streamline customer support operations for increased efficiency.
• Ensure the highest level of professionalism and efficiency in resolving customer issues promptly.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators to track and improve issue resolution times.
• Ability to accommodate a flexible work schedule, including after-hours and weekends.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
• Ability to speak publicly and in large group settings.
• Ability to exercise considerable initiative and independent judgment.
• Ability to supervise, hire, coach, and apply corrective action.
• Ability to manage several operational units.
• Demonstrate high degree of professionalism, frequent inter- and intra-departmental interaction, supervisory skills.
• Strong computer skills using spreadsheets, databases, word processing and flow charting.
• Ability to manage and lead a diverse team.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and make presentations.
• Demonstrate proficiency with City financial software, familiarity with statistical analysis, purchasing and contract administration as well as principles, practices, and methods of budgetary management.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Knowledge of financial policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of PeopleSoft, Concur, Finance and Procurement
• Strong leadership and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Proven track record in stakeholder engagement and relationship management.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to conduct root-cause analysis and propose improvements.
• Proficiency in project management and report generation.
Preferred Qualification
• Knowledge of water meter operations.
• Knowledge of utility billing processes.
Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant professional or technical field from an accredited institution with seven (7) years of demonstrated experience in advanced customer support, handling complex issues, and navigating high-stress situations.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain the city’s drivers permit.
Salary
$93,099.00 - $103,442.00 Commensurate with Experience
Conditions of Employment
The City’s Background Check Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte. The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.
Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.
Final candidates must pass a pre-employment drug-screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and/or participate in other assessments.
The City of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
How To Apply
Apply online.
Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job.
You are welcome to visit the City of Charlotte Human Resources Department lobby where we have workstations available. Our office is located at 700 East 4th Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. Our hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST), excluding official City holidays.
Anyone seeking an accommodation to apply for a job may call (704) 336-2285 for assistance or you may email questions to CityHrJobPostingsNotify@ci.charlotte.nc.us.
Benefits
The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to all employees.
Click here to learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.
The City of Charlotte is a drug and alcohol-free workplace.
In Conclusion
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