he Mitigation Research Specialist is responsible for investigating and resolving utility billing issues to mitigate account disconnection. This role also involves conducting root cause analysis, engaging with utility vendors to request late fee waivers and negotiating payment extensions. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, analytical, and skilled in vendor negotiation and cross-functional (internal) communication.

• Review prior balances and balance forwards on utility bills.
• Disconnects and Late Notices Review and Resolution
• Contact utility vendors to request delayed invoices to mitigate service disconnection.
• Negotiate with vendors to waive late fees and secure payment extensions.
• Coordinate with the BillPay team and client-facing teams on issues that require client involvement to resolve, ensuring timely and accurate communication.
• Coordinate with client-facing teams on issues that require immediate payment to outstanding balances to avoid service disconnection.
• Maintain detailed logs of vendor communications and resolution steps.
• Provide regular updates and reports on late fee waivers, mitigation activities and outcomes.
• Mentor peers on root cause analysis from missing bills team (Vendor Account Specialist I)

Required: 

• Any bachelor’s degree, diploma or college level
• High school diploma with 3 – 5 specific experience
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven ability to negotiate and influence vendor decisions.
• Proficiency in Salesforce Ticket Management is a plus.
• Reporting skills and data analysis (MS Excel, PowerBI or SQL) is a plus.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES 

Required:

• Investigative and proactive mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Communication Skills – Strong verbal and written skills for effective utility vendor interaction and problem-solving.
• Critical Thinking – Ability to assess issues logically and develop strategic solutions.
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively across teams.

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle or feel objects, tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; talk or hear. The employee must have the ability to operate a personal computer and express or exchange ideas by means of the spoken word. May be required to sit and/or stand for long periods of time. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. May be required to lift or move 10+ pounds.