SUPERVISING COMMUNITY SERVICE OFFICER TAX COLLECTION
Tax Collection
New Jersey treats Supervising Community Service Officer Tax Collection as a competitive-class job, so the gate is an examination and the ranked list it produces rather than a direct offer.
The spec names a master's degree, but it leaves the door open to substitute experience for the degree, and a professional license is required on top of that. The FY2027 range lands between $95,955 and $141,386, and state payroll lists a single employee in the title, at Community Affairs.
How to apply
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Exam
This is an application to sit an exam and be placed on an eligible list for this title, not an application for a specific job. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. There may be no current vacancy behind it, and the list it produces may not be certified for months or years.
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Exam
Open to permanent employees in the competitive division who hold a qualifying lower title in the same unit. A $35 application fee applies to Non-Public-Safety announcements issued on or after 2026-02-01. Like the open competitive exam, this places you on a list; it is not itself a job offer.
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Agency posting
Department of Community Affairs posts its own vacancies directly, often before (or instead of) any civil service exam announcement. Provisional appointment against a posted vacancy is how most people are actually hired into this kind of title.
Who employs this title
State payroll records show 1 person working under this title. The median actual salary is $110,268. The agencies employing the most are:
- Community Affairs (1)
Counts from NJ YourMoney agency payroll. See statewide workforce analytics.
Official job specification
The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator.
Definition
Under direction of the Division Director, Department of Community Affairs, is responsible for supervising a staff who provides technical assistance and consultative services to municipal tax collectors, tax searchers, treasurers, and utility collectors; may act as a certified tax collector on an interim basis in a municipality; does related work as required.
Examples of work
Acts as liaison between New Jersey's municipal tax collectors and the state. Supervises and prepares proctors and scores the examinations for certification of tax collectors. Supervises the conduct of studies of the operations and procedures used by the municipal tax collectors with a low collection rate and designs new and/or revises existing procedures to improve the rate of collection. Acts as the certified tax collector in municipalities in the event of a vacancy until a certified tax collector is appointed. Provides consultative assistance to municipal tax collectors and their staff in all phases of the tax collection process including billing, receipt of payments, detailed accounting procedures, enforcement of payments, preparation of tax sales, redemption of lien calculations, and preparation of foreclosure list. Provides advice and assistance to municipal tax search officers in the area of certifying tax liabilities. Provides advice and assistance to municipal utility collectors in the areas of billing, receipt of payments, detailed accounting procedures, and enforcement of payments. Provides advice and assistance to municipal treasurers in the areas of maintaining books of entries for receiving, holding, investing, and disbursing public funds. Supervises coordination with tax collectors, assessors, clerks, finance officers, and other local officials, as well as governmental commissions, boards, and agencies regarding the development of procedures and proposed legislation. Prepares clear, sound, technically accurate, and informative statistical and other reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Manages the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for employee evaluation and for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting and/or disciplining of employees. Prepares and supervises the preparation of extensive correspondence in the performance of official duties. Supervises the establishment and maintenance of essential records and files. May be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
License
Appointees will be required to possess a Tax Collector Certificate valid in the State of New Jersey. Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.
Knowledge, skills and abilities
Knowledge of the typical functions and responsibilities of a municipal tax collector, tax searcher, utility collector, and treasurer. Knowledge of municipal budget practices and procedures. Knowledge of the provisions of the Local Fiscal Affairs Law (40A:5 et seq.), Local Budget Law (40A:2 et seq.), Tax Sale Law (54:5-1 to 54:5-129 et seq.), and Assessment and Collection of Taxes (54:4-1 to 54:4-133 et seq.). Knowledge of testing procedures and standards utilized in the preparation of tax collector certification examinations after a period of training. Knowledge of electronic data processing with particular application for processing of tax rolls and tax billing after a period of training. Ability to conduct studies of tax collection procedures and operations of local government. Ability to comprehend, analyze, and interpret basic laws, standards, and policies and apply them to specific situations. Ability to provide technical advice and assistance to tax collectors, tax searchers, utility collectors, and treasurers; ability to make necessary field visitations. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships in the course of assigned duties. Ability to prepare and/or supervise the preparation of extensive correspondence in the course of official duties. Ability to prepare clear, sound, and technically accurate statistical and narrative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations. Ability to supervise the maintenance of essential records and files. Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units. Ability to read, write, speak, understand, or communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication. Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodation is made to their known limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
Note
Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience. Eight (8) years of professional experience as a Certified Tax Collector. OR Possession of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university; and four (4) years of the above-mentioned professional experience. OR Possession of a master's degree from an accredited college or university in Political Science, Government, Public Administration, or a related field; and three (3) years of the above-mentioned professional experience. "Professional experience" refers to work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession's principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the authority to act according to one's own judgment and make accurate and informed decisions.
Study guides for this exam
- Supervisory Test Battery (STB) National Learning Corporation · $56.99
- General Supervisor National Learning Corporation · $49.90 · general prep, not specific to this title
The Civil Service Commission does not publish official study guides or release past tests. These are independent equivalency guides.