Chief Deputy - Register of Deeds

This position assists the Register of Deeds in performing statutory duties related to the recording and storing of real estate documents and issuing of vital records under the supervision of the Register; providing courteous and efficient customer services to County residents; and providing supervision of assigned staff.  The position acts on behalf of the Register in the absence of the Register. 

Department: Register of Deeds

Pay Grade: 115, Exempt

Starting salary: $90,430.44

Minimum Experience: 

• Five (5) years of related work experience in a Register of Deeds department or working with real estate and/or management.

   

Minimum Education: 

• High School diploma or equivalent. Bachelor’s degree in public or business administration, Finance, Accounting, or a related field is preferred.

   

Certifications, Licenses: 

• Must have dependable transportation. 

• A pre-employment criminal background check is required.

   

This position assists the Register of Deeds in performing statutory duties related to the recording and storing of real estate documents and issuing of vital records under the supervision of the Register; providing courteous and efficient customer services to County residents; and providing supervision of assigned staff.  The position acts on behalf of the Register in the absence of the Register.

GENERAL POSITION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The following duties are normal for this position.  However, they are not to be construed as exclusive or all–inclusive.  To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily.  Other duties may also be required or assigned.

• Oversees daily operations of the office of the Register. 
• Coordinates staff, handles employee concerns and problems, assigns work, trains, counsels’ employees, and recommends disciplinary and other personnel actions. 
• Supervises the office staff and makes decisions in the absence of the Register. 
• Analyzes and recommends methods for improving workflow in such areas as record-keeping systems, forms control, and general office operation.
• Interprets policies, rules, and procedures as required.
• Develops and recommends courses of action open to the Office of the Register and analyzes their probable consequences. 
• Prepares concise reports on projects and recommendations.
• Provides direct support for the Register.
• Follows up on implementation of office directives for the Register. 
• Schedules meetings for the Register. 
• Attends meetings on behalf of the Register upon request of the Register.
• Maintains records which may be confidential in nature and disseminates information as necessary. 
• Reconciles monthly bank and credit card statements. 
• Manages databases, processes and reports uncashed checks to the State of Tennessee unclaimed property.
• Enters requisitions on behalf of the office for purchasing. 
• Ensures the Register’s Office complies with state and local statutes and is consistent with professional accounting practices.
• Participates in key Register Office and County initiatives, special projects, and reports.
• Assists in the annual audit process.
• Serves as an administrative liaison.  Works collaboratively and provides assistance to department supervisors and employees in County and City offices, banks, attorneys, vendors, and customers requesting information, guidance, advice, etc. 
• Processes and receipts accounts receivables taken from E-file vendors and customers. 
• Monitors departmental budget and processes requests for payment of departmental bills.
• Handles the purchasing duties for the office to include requisition entry, soliciting, and negotiating bids for printing, office equipment, supplies, and services. 
• Ensures all invoices and accounts payable are promptly paid and verifies payment receipt. 
• Assists the public with document inquiries and general correspondences in a timely manner.
• Attends meetings, seminars, and training sessions as required to remain knowledgeable of the department operations and to promote improved job performance; participates in workshops to stay abreast of current trends and technology; maintains an orderly office environment. 
• May provide assistance in other areas of the Register’s office, as needed. 
• Secondary leader for the daily huddles. 
• Conducts regular 1-on-1 meetings with Senior Deputies, Deputy II’s, Deputy I’s, and other teammates on the frontline to ensure they are receiving the proper coaching to deliver at the optimal customer service level for our community. 
• Conducts meetings with the Senior Deputies, Deputy II’s, and Deputy I’s, to ensure they are receiving regular feedback, listen to their needs, and develop their talent.
• Prepares and delivers annual performance evaluations for each employee.
• Leads end-of-the-day checkout with other deputies to verify their cash box balance. 
• Review and approve monthly reports, which are audited on an annual basis by the Comptroller’s office. 
• Performs intermittent audits as outlined in internal controls and office policies.
• Provides customer service to internal and external customers; greets, receives, and screens visitors and customers; addresses and resolves customer questions as able and refers complex inquiries, requests, or complaints to appropriate staff.    
• Sorts, copies, and distributes a variety of correspondence, deliveries, and mail; opens, logs, and routes office mail; retrieves, delivers, and sends faxes and emails. 
• Composes routine correspondence; proofreads and edits documents. 
• Enters, scans, updates, and maintains information in spreadsheets, databases, and reports. 
• Maintains electronic, paper filing, and record systems to provide easy access to records and information; provides retention of records as required by Department, County, and State policies. 
• Performs various bookkeeping functions, prepares cash journals, checks, and various reports, reconciles bank statements. 
• Analyzes, evaluates and interprets documents to immediately determine whether to accept or reject real estate documents for recording according to local, State, and Federal guidelines.   
• Sends rejection letters back if documents are not recordable according to TCA Codes explaining the reason for the rejection. 
• Prepares, issues and certifies copies of real estate records and vital records for the general public and other agencies. 
• Performs indexing of records; enters data into computer system; verifies/corrects computerized data; balances computer data entries with hard-copy records, certifies documents. 
• Makes documentation links of releases, assignments, modification agreements, amendments, etc. 
• Calculates and collects a variety of County fees and State of TN taxes and issues payment receipts. 
• Performs bookkeeping functions including oversight of charge and escrow accounts; balances accounts and prepares invoices, account statements and daily deposits; communicates with agencies with delinquent accounts or insufficient balances; receipts, posts, and records payments. 
• Runs daily list and active assessor selection pages to send to Assessor of Property’s office. 
• Prepares all daily, monthly, quarterly and annual reports. Prepares statistical and informational reports for government agencies, and for internal County departments and external clients. 
• Responsible for balancing of daily cash deposits. 
• Assists departmental supervisors and employees, County and City employees, attorneys, paralegals, secretaries, bankers, surveyors, appraisers, title searchers, realtors, and customers with their requests for documents information, guidance, advice, etc. 
• Provides quality customer service to individuals needing directions or assistance. 
• Maintains office website and social media pages.
• Organizes and schedules networking and professional meetings as directed by the Register.
• Assists with preparing the annual department budget and identifies needs.  Continuously monitors the budget as to continued needs and balances. 
• Assists with year-end analysis for auditors. 
• Trains new employees as assigned.   

• Other duties as assigned. 

   

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Incumbent is responsible for collecting fees; and the documentation and tracking of all transactions as a required fiduciary duty for the department. Assists with the preparation of the department budget. 

   

COUNTY ORGANIZATION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Represents the Department and County to other County staff and members of the public. 
• Provides quality customer service to individuals needing directions or assistance. 
• Demonstrates the organization’s Core Values and adherence to the Ethics policy. 

EXPECTATIONS OF EMPLOYEE 

• Adheres to the Register’s Policies and Procedures.
• Acts as a role model within and outside the work environment.
• Performs duties as workload necessitates and meets County Government and office productivity and quality standards. 
• Maintains a positive and respectful attitude.
• Communicates regularly with supervisor about department issues.
• Demonstrates flexible and efficient time management and ability to prioritize workload.
• Provides exceptional customer service and maintains appropriate customer relations.

• Ability to communicate in a polite, cooperative, and solution-based manner during all interactions (teammates, patrons, vendors etc.).

• Maintains positive, respectful, and adaptable behavior on a consistent basis.

• Consistently demonstrates the ability to build and maintain positive professional work relationships to accomplish job responsibilities.

• Consistently reports for work on time prepared to perform the duties of position at their designated staff station.

• Reliable, consistent attendance is a requirement and essential function of all staff positions. Every Employee’s attendance pattern should support the needs of the Register’s Office team and those we serve.

   

SUPERVISORY RELATIONSHIPS & RESPONSIBILITES: 

• Works under the supervision of the Register of Deeds. Employee may need to occasionally choose from defined alternatives to resolve problems but consults with the Register of Deeds on matters not covered by guidelines.  

• This position has supervisory responsibilities.

• This position supervises both supervisory and non-supervisory employees.  This position carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the County’s policies and applicable laws. 

• Responsibilities in coordination with the Register include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

• Assists with interviewing and selecting talent when the office has an employment need.

• Administer time off requests, ensuring the office is properly staffed while affording employees time off for respite.

• Approve timesheets, ensuring accurate reporting of time worked, time off, and overtime.

JOB QUALIFICATIONS – EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES 

Knowledge of: 

• Comprehensive ability to read and interpret legal descriptions, real estate documents and ability to read map legals. 
• Local government operations and administration. 
• Pertinent Federal, State, and local laws, codes, and regulations. 
• Current office practices and procedures. 
• Computer software consistent for this position. 

Skill in:

• Analyzing complex administrative information and issues, defining problems, and evaluating alternatives, and recommending methods, procedures, and techniques for resolution of issues. 
• Organizational and time management to prioritize duties to accomplish a high volume of work product while adapting to constant changes in priority. 
• Applying judgment and discretion in resolving problems and interpreting policies and regulations. 
• This position requires effective oral and written communication skills, excellent interpersonal skills, and intermediate computer literacy. 
• Good human relations and communications skills are required. ‘
• Incumbent must possess the ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.      The Incumbent must possess the ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals; effectively present information, and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers,
• and the general public.
• Incumbent must possess the ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Incumbent must possess the ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. 
• Webex and Zoom experience preferred. 

Ability to:

• Perform detailed work accurately and independently in compliance with stringent time limits requiring minimal direction and supervision. 
• Establish and maintain accurate records of assigned activities and operations. 
• Set work priorities and train, direct, motivate, and evaluate the work of assigned staff. 
• Select, supervise, train, and evaluate staff. 
• Delegate authority and responsibility. 
• Interpret and implement local policies and procedures; written instructions, general correspondence; Federal, State, and local regulations.   
• Perform mathematical calculations required for this position. 
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing. 
• Analyze facts and to exercise sound judgment in arriving at conclusions. 
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.  
• Maintain confidentiality and discretion regarding business-related files, reports, and conversations, within State and Federal statutes.
• Work the allocated hours of the position. 

PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REQUIREMENTS/ACTIVITIES:

• This work requires the occasional exertion of up to 25 pounds of force; work regularly requires sitting, frequently requires standing, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel and repetitive motions, and occasionally requires walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling and reaching with hands and arms. 
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close, distance and peripheral vision; depth perception; and the ability to adjust focus. Will spend a large amount of time viewing a computer screen. 
• Vocal communication and normal hearing are required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. 
• Acceptable verbal and conversation skills to effectively communicate with others via the phone, at meetings and to greet and assist visitors. 
• Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data and observing general surroundings and activities. 
• Work is primarily in an office setting. 
• Use and normal maintenance of office machines, (copier, computer, printer, etc.). 
• Frequent use of phone handset and repetitive use of hand & fingers to operate office equipment, use computer keyboard & computer mouse and to perform other office tasks. 
• Ability to recognize occupational hazards in work activities and take safety precautions.  
• Maintain mental capacity which allows the capability of making sound decisions and demonstrating intellectual capabilities. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

Work is performed in a typical indoor office setting; and is mostly sedentary with periods of mobility and light physical activity. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The level of responsibility subjects the incumbent to moderate stress due to interruptions.  

The intent of this position description is to provide a representative summary of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and is not a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may also be assigned job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description. 

Montgomery County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with the requirements of the Civil Rights Act of 1966 (Section 1981) and 1964 (Title VI, VII,) Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Equal Pay Act (EPA) and the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA).