Manager, Utility Billing

Job Location:

PRIMARY PURPOSE:

This position manages and reviews the generation of information required to bill tenants in an accurate and timely manner for their fair share of utility and landlord provided services use, while maximizing the return to Simon Property Group, complying with legislative and regulatory rules governing the redistribution of utilities, and minimizing the number and financial impact or charge adjustments for tenants.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

General

• Develops and manages relationships with internal contacts and key tenants with respect to tenant charges activities.
• Develops and maintains analytical, statistical and financial reports and benchmarks to measure key performance indicators and prioritize tenant charges activities.
• Manages and develops direct reports to meet goals and objectives.
• Assigns review and approve adjustment related work to the Assistant Manager.
• Reviews work quantity and quality for performance measurements.
• General supervision and problem solving for Tenant billing Group.
• Training of Utility Specialists in skills/tasks necessary to achieve goals.

Data Management

• Manages the development and maintenance of utility rate libraries to calculate tenant electric, water and gas charges in accordance with lease language.
• Manages the retrieval and validation of information from the metering, audit, and utility charges databases for the purposes of tenant energy charge estimation and calculation.
• Ensures accuracy and manages maintenance of data necessary for calculation of required financial reporting.
• Coordinates the planning and implementation of energy audits with the Manager, Metering, including budget recommendations.

Charge Calculations

• Manages the analysis of metering information, audit data, and utility charges to establish property cost allocations between common area maintenance, energy redistribution, central plant services, and non-CAM charges.
• Manages interactions with field operations, lease accounting and tenant coordination to estimate utility escrows for new tenants and calculate final charges for closings.
• Manages the validation of tenant charge calculations by third parties.
• Monitors and ensures that tenants are billed in a timely and accurate manner for their fair share of utility and landlord provided services use, while maximizing the return to Simon Property Group, complying with legislative and regulatory rules governing the redistribution of utilities, and minimizing the number and financial impact or charge adjustments for tenants.
• Reviews and approves tenant/property adjustments, including Redistribution Analysis and Allocations.
• Reviews margin recommendations for electricity.  Approves margin recommendations for water/sewer and natural gas.

Operations

• Manages Energy Services’ assistance to the accounts receivable and lease accounting groups with respect to tenant inquiries.
• Assists with resolution of accounts receivable energy disputes with national tenants.
• Ensures the timely provision of information to the accounts receivable and lease accounting groups to help resolve tenant disputes of energy charges.

Systems

• Represents Energy Billing as the subject matter expert on the processes for estimating, calculating and reconciling tenant charges.
• Ensures that the update and maintenance of Simon’s charge calculation system, including: rate libraries, meter databases, taxation tables, property information, tenant information, property allocation information, estimated usage tables and SIC tables is performed on a timely basis.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance or related discipline or equivalent experience.
• Broad experience in the gas and electric regulated and deregulated markets.

• 3 years hands-on experience with rate calculation engines, billing systems and/or transaction management systems.
• Minimum of 3 years of supervisory experience.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills, with a problem-solving mindset and attention to detail.
• Self-starter with the ability to multi-task and achieve goals with minimal supervision.
• Strong working knowledge of Word, Excel, Access and Lotus Notes.
• Strong verbal and written communications skills.