Temporary Planning Administrative & Finance Specialist

Medium; Reading (Berks County); On-site; USD 48,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

America At Work is assisting in identifying a Planning Administrative & Finance Specialist to provide administrative, financial, and customer service support to the Planning Division in Reading. The role involves collaboration with applicants, developers, engineers, and City staff to manage financial records, escrow accounts, and planning-related transactions.

The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s or higher in a related field, 4+ years of applicable experience, and proficiency with Munis

Qualifications

• Valid Pennsylvania Driver's License.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Public Administration, Planning, or related field; an associate degree with equivalent experience may be considered.
• At least 4 years of experience in administrative, financial, municipal, or office support work.
• Experience maintaining escrow accounts and processing development-related fees.
• Experience with financial software and Microsoft Office applications.

Responsibilities

• Provide information to applicants regarding planning procedures, requirements, and processes.
• Serve as the primary contact for applicants, developers, and consultants on financial matters and escrow accounts.
• Review documents, plans, fees, and applications; process escrow deposits and payments.
• Process vendor invoices and payments in line with City procedures.
• Enter and update financial transactions in the Munis system.
• Maintain escrow balances and prepare reconciliation reports.
• Coordinate with Finance on deposits, reimbursements, balances, and reports.
• Notify applicants of deficiencies and coordinate escrow replenishments.
• Develop budget reports and track expenditures.
• Prepare weekly/monthly reports as required.
• Assist with planning databases, records, and application tracking systems.
• Log applications in the tracking system and maintain status reports.
• Coordinate routing to internal departments and the planning commission.
• Respond to inquiries by phone and email professionally.
• Maintain effective communication with developers, engineers, architects, consultants, residents, and staff.
• Attend meetings and public hearings as required.
• Support compliance with city, state, and federal regulations.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes and client service.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Administrative support

Financial transactions

Municipal operations

Planning and zoning knowledge

Customer service

Communication skills

Data entry

Record keeping

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Public Administration, Planning, or related field

Associate degree + equivalent administrative and financial experience

Tools

Munis

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Job description

About the Opportunity

America At Work is assisting our client in identifying aPlanning Administrative & Finance Specialist to provide administrative, financial, and customer service support to the Planning Division.

This position is ideal for an organized, detail-oriented professional with experience in administrative support, financial transactions, municipal operations, planning, zoning, or community development.

The successful candidate will work closely with applicants, developers, engineers, architects, consultants, residents, and City staff while managing financial records, escrow accounts, application processing, invoices, and planning-related transactions.

What You'll Do

• Provide information to applicants regarding planning procedures, application requirements, and processes.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for applicants, developers, and consultants regarding financial matters and escrow accounts.
• Review required documents, plans, fees, and applications and process escrow deposits, application fees, and other planning- and historic-preservation-related payments.
• Process vendor invoices and invoices for payment in accordance with City financial procedures.
• Enter and update financial transactions in the City's financial management system (Munis).
• Maintain escrow account balances and prepare periodic reconciliation reports.
• Coordinate with the Finance Department regarding deposits, reimbursements, account balances, and financial reporting.
• Notify applicants and developers of account deficiencies and coordinate the replenishment of escrow accounts.
• Develop budget reports and track expenditures.
• Prepare weekly and/or monthly reports as required.
• Assist with maintaining planning databases, records, and application tracking systems.
• Log applications into the City's tracking system and maintain application status reports.
• Coordinate application routing to internal departments and the planning commission for review.
• Respond to telephone and email inquiries in a professional and timely manner.
• Maintain effective communication with developers, engineers, architects, consultants, residents, and City staff.
• Attend and participate in meetings, public hearings, official meetings, and events as required.
• Work collaboratively with City departments to support compliance with applicable city, state, and federal regulations, statutes, and ordinances.
• Identify opportunities to improve processes, reduce review turnaround times, and enhance customer service.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Valid Pennsylvania Driver's License.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Public Administration, Planning, or a related field; an associate degree combined with equivalent administrative and financial experience may be considered.
• At least 4 years of experience in administrative, financial, municipal, or office support work.
• Experience maintaining escrow accounts and processing development-related fees.
• Experience with financial software and Microsoft Office applications.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and electronic filing systems.

Nice To Have Qualifications

• Experience working in a municipal planning, zoning, engineering, or community development office.
• Experience with Munis or similar municipal financial software
• Local government or planning-office experience
• Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is an excellent opportunity for an administrative or finance professional who enjoys working at the intersection of customer service, financial administration, planning, and local government.

If you have experience in municipal administration, accounting, planning, zoning, community development, or financial operations—and are looking for a temporary full-time opportunity,we'd like to hear from you.