Business License Officer

Town-of-Vienna; Vienna (VA); On-site; USD 69,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The Town of Vienna is seeking a Business License Officer to oversee the licensing of businesses within Vienna, issuing licenses, conducting audits, and collecting meals tax. This role blends administrative duties with field work and cross-department collaboration.

You will work with Planning and Zoning, Public Works, and Economic Development, ensuring compliance with local and state codes, delivering excellent customer service to business owners and residents, and supporting revenue forecasting.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of local, state, and federal licensing requirements.
• Ability to interpret business tax codes and provide revenue forecasts.
• Explain business licensing regulations clearly.
• Perform technical and administrative work with independent judgment.
• Understand the operation of businesses in the Town.

Responsibilities

• Oversee licensing of businesses and issue licenses in accordance with Town ordinances and state codes.
• Handle billing and collection for business taxes, including meals tax.
• Audit and verify gross receipts and meals tax, coordinate hearings, and assist Town Attorney if needed.
• Assist applicants with licensing forms and provide regulatory guidance.
• Enforce licensing codes within Town and coordinate with other departments.

Skills

Local licensing regulations

Tyler MUNIS Enterprise ERP

Revenue forecasting

Interpersonal communication

Attention to detail

Public service mindset

Tools

Tyler MUNIS Enterprise ERP

Job description

Town of Vienna Business License Officer

Hiring Range: $68,588-$85,000

Join our Vienna Team! The Town of Vienna is a vibrant community in Fairfax County, about 15 miles west of Washington, DC.

As the Business License Officer, you’ll oversee the licensing of businesses within the Town of Vienna, ensuring compliance with Town ordinances and Virginia state codes. You’ll be responsible for issuing licenses, conducting audits, managing tax collections, and providing excellent customer service to business owners and residents alike. This role offers a balance of administrative and field work with opportunities to collaborate across departments.

Key Responsibilities

• License Oversight: Process applications, issue business licenses, and enforce compliance with local and state business regulations.
• Revenue Collection: Handle billing and collection for business taxes, including meals tax for food service establishments.
• Audit & Enforcement: Verify reported gross receipts, conduct audits, coordinate hearings, and support legal action when necessary.
• Public Service: Assist business owners with licensing questions, help complete forms, and provide guidance on regulatory requirements.
• Collaboration: Work cross-functionally with departments such as Planning and Zoning, Public Works, and Economic Development to support cohesive town initiatives.
• Administrative Support: Prepare mailings, maintain records, respond to tax-related correspondence, and support reception or cashier duties as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Solid understanding of local, state, and federal licensing regulations
• Experience with Tyler MUNIS Enterprise ERP system is a plus
• Ability to interpret business tax codes and provide accurate revenue forecasting
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Detail-oriented with the ability to work independently and make sound judgments
• A collaborative mindset and dedication to public service

Why Join the Town of Vienna?

• Work in a supportive, close-knit team environment
• Contribute to a town known for its charm, history, and strong community values
• Enjoy a stable municipal career with competitive compensation and benefits
• Be part of meaningful, community-focused work every day

Work Schedule

Monday through Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM (Flexible)

All new employees must satisfactorily complete a background check. A conditional offer of employment may then be made contingent upon the successful completion of a drug test.

This is a Non-Exempt Position.

The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the class as necessary.

Oversees the process of applications and issuance of business licenses by interpreting, applying, and enforcing Town of Vienna Ordinance and State Codes; including initiating collection of payments and delinquent processing.

Provides and conducts meal tax activities for businesses who serve prepared foods through application processing and approval, payment collection, and delinquent collections.

Audits and verifies reported gross receipts and meals tax receipts by reviewing all requested materials. Arranges and runs summons hearings with businesses. Prepares materials for Town Attorney if further collection action is warranted.

Serves as an information resource providing customer service to the public by assisting applicants in completing licensing forms, answering questions, and resolving issues within scope of authority.

Regulates businesses operating within the Town by enforcing business license codes within the bounds of Town of Vienna ordinances and state laws.

Plans, organizes and prepares the printing and mailing of Business, Professional and Occupational Licenses (BPOL) and Dog license applications.

Additional Duties

Reviews, researches and answers tax related correspondence.

Maintains a variety of statistical records; compiles information and data for statistical reports; checks and tabulates figures.

Cross-trains in other revenue systems. Backs up reception and cashiering on an as-needed basis.

Collaborate closely with cross-departmental teams including Planning and Zoning, Public Works, and Economic Development to support cohesive project development, streamline workflows, and align strategic goals across municipal initiatives.

Performs related work and analysis as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Town and applicable local, state, and federal licensing requirements.
• Tyler MUNIS Enterprise ERP reporting system.
• Ability to process new business license applications and renewals timely and accurately.
• Ability to analyze meals tax reporting and provide revenue forecasts.

Ability to:

• Interpret and explain business licensing regulations.
• Perform technical and administrative work involving the use of independent judgment and personal initiative.
• Understand the organization and operation of businesses in the Town.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Responsibilities, Requirements and Impacts

Data Responsibility

Data Responsibility refers to information, knowledge, and conceptions obtained by observation, investigation, interpretation, visualization, and mental creation. Data are intangible and include numbers, words, symbols, ideas, concepts, and oral verbalizations.

Gathers, organizes, analyzes, examines or evaluates data or information and may prescribe action based on these data or information.

People Responsibility

People include co-workers, workers in other areas or agencies and the general public.

Persuades or influences others in favor of a service, point of view, or course of action; may enforce laws, rules, regulations, or ordinances.

Asset Responsibility

Assets responsibility refers to the responsibility for achieving economies or preventing loss within the organization.

Requires responsibility and opportunity for achieving considerable economies and/or preventing considerable losses through the handling of very large amounts of money.

Mathematical Requirements

Mathematics requires the use of symbols, numbers and formulas to solve mathematical problems.

Uses basic algebra involving variables and formulas and/or basic geometry involving plane and solid figures, circumferences, areas and volumes and/or compute discounts and interest rates.

Communications Requirements

Communications involves the ability to read, write, and speak.

Reads technical instructions, procedures, manuals and charts to solve practical problems; composes routine reports and specialized reports, forms, and business letters, with proper format; speaks compound sentences using normal grammar and word form.

Judgment Requirements

Judgment requirements refer to the frequency and complexity of judgments and decisions given the stability of the work environments, the nature and type of guidance, and the breadth of impact of the judgments and decisions.

Responsible for guiding others, requiring frequent decisions, affecting the individual, co-workers and others who depend on the service or product; works in a somewhat fluid environment with rules and procedures, but many variations from the routine.

Complexity of Work

Complexity addresses the analysis, initiative, ingenuity, concentration and creativity, required by the job and the presence of any unusual pressures present in the job.

Performs skilled work involving rules/systems with almost constant problem solving; requires normal attention with short periods of concentration for accurate results and occasional exposure to unusual pressure.

Impact of Errors

Impact of errors refers to consequences such as damage to equipment and property, loss of data, exposure of the organization to legal liability, and injury or death for individuals.

The impact of errors is serious.Rules for business license enforcement must be applied and enforced equitably.Calculations or fine applied must be correct.Errors can not only affect the Town financially, but could also affect the Town's reputation and open up the Town to legal action.

Physical Demands

Physical demands refer to the requirements for physical exertion and coordination of limb and body movement.

Performs sedentary work that involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time; requires little or no dexterity.

Equipment Usage

Equipment usage involves responsibility for materials, machines, tools, equipment, work aids, and products.

Handles or uses machines, tools, equipment or work aids involving little or no latitude for judgment regarding attainment of a standard or in selecting appropriate items.

Unavoidable Hazards

Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health