Debt Recovery Specialist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Debt Recovery Specialist
Work type: Permanent Full Time
Location: Bellingham, WA
Categories: Business and Financial Affairs
Position Title Debt Recovery Specialist
About the University
Western Washington University, with over 15,000 students in seven colleges and the graduate school, is nationally recognized for its educational programs, students and faculty. The campus is located in Bellingham, Washington, a coastal community of 90,000 overlooking Bellingham Bay, the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades Mountain range. The city lies 90 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia. Western has additional sites in Anacortes, Bremerton, Everett, Port Angeles, and Poulsbo. Western is recognized nationally for its successes, such as being named one of the top public master's-granting institutions in the Pacific Northwest for 25 years in a row by U.S. News & World Report.
Western Washington University is committed to achieving excellence through advancing inclusive success, increasing our Washington impact, and focusing on transformational education grounded in the liberal arts and sciences and based on innovative scholarship, research, and creative activity. Western's greatest strength is the outstanding students, faculty, staff, and alumni/ae who make up its community. Western supports an inclusive governance structure for all and provides a learning and working environment in which everyone can thrive. In pursuit of this excellence, individual employees are expected to establish and maintain productive and effective inclusive working relationships amongst diverse populations including staff, faculty, administration, student, and external constituents. Further, individual employees are expected to have the ability to operationalize sustainability concepts (economic, societal, environmental) into all aspects of performing their job duties.
About the Department The Student Business Office supports Western's mission, which states that together with our students, staff, and faculty, we are committed to making a positive impact in the state and the world with a shared focus on academic excellence and inclusive achievement. We encourage applications from women, people of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and other candidates from underrepresented backgrounds and with diverse experiences interested in this opportunity.
About the Position The Debt Recovery Specialist, under general supervision, supports the institution's efforts to minimize delinquent accounts through work with our Debt Recovery unit in the Student Business Office. This position reports directly to the Student Business Office, Billing Supervisor.
The specialist will counsel current and former students on their repayment options for debts owed directly to the university. They will review, analyze and reconcile accounts. Communicate with a variety of internal and external customers to learn about their financial and repayment needs. The specialist will exercise independent judgment in interpreting and applying rules and regulations to processes and procedures for the purpose of resolving issues and customer concerns around debt collection or repayment. The specialist will deliver a high level of customer service in a professional manner and complete data entry, send, receive, and collect documents from clients. The specialist will preserve client confidentiality and comply with all federal, state, and institutional regulations and pay close attention to detail and apply policies, procedures, and guidelines to a variety of situations.
The State HR classification for this position is Fiscal Specialist 1.
Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Two years of fiscal record keeping experience or equivalent education/experience
• Two years documented customer service experience with problem solving and communication of policies and procedures in a professional office setting
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Proven ability to efficiently organize and prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and work independently despite frequent interruption
• Demonstrated ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion in maintaining confidentiality while remaining calm, professional, and solution-focused in highly stressful situations.
• Demonstrated ability to work with diverse populations
• Proven ability to follow established office policies and procedures working with state and federal regulations
• Demonstrated ability to contribute positively to a team-oriented environment
• Demonstrated strong experience with MS Office Suite including MS Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of State and Federal regulations with respect to higher education
• One year of experience with student financial aid
• One year of professional experience working collection accounts
• Bachelor's degree

Conditions of Employment All employees must comply with our Immunization policies, including Proof of Rubeola Measles Immunity within 60-days of hire. Please reach out to HR@wwu.edu if you need information regarding medical or religious exemption and applicable accommodations.
Salary $4,034 - $5,397/month depending on qualifications and experience. This position is eligible for overtime.
Benefits Information Benefits Overview for Classified Positions
Bargaining Unit This position is part of bargaining unit A and is covered by the collective bargaining agreement with Washington Federation of State Employees.
Application Instructions
Application materials should address your experience related to the position responsibilities and the required and preferred qualifications.
Closing Date Notes Position closes 08/18/2026 at 11:55 pm.
Western Washington University (WWU) is an equal opportunity employer. In compliance with applicable laws, WWU does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, citizenship or immigration status, pregnancy, use of protective leave, genetic status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, creed, religion, veteran or military status, disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal (including a service animal in training) by a person with a disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law, in its programs or activities, including employment, admissions, and educational programs. See WWU's Policies on Prohibiting Discrimination Based on A Protected Class and Prohibiting Discrimination Based on Sex. Inquiries may be directed to the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, Title IX and ADA Coordinator, Western Washington University, Old Main 126 (MS 9021), 516 High Street, Bellingham, WA 98225; 360.650.3307 (voice) or 711 (Washington Relay); crtc@wwu.edu
WWU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. To request this document in an alternate format or to request an accommodation, please contact Human Resources Disability Services, 360.650.3751 or 711 (Washington Relay).
Annual Security and Fire Safety Report: This report is provided pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act ("The Clery Act"). It includes statistics for the previous three calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on Western's campus; in certain off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by Western; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as policies concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. You can obtain a copy of this report in printed or alternate formats by contacting the Office of Student Life at student.life@wwu.edu. The report can be found at: Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
All new employees must comply with the immunization policy and show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service before beginning work at WWU. A thorough background check will be conducted on all new hires which includes a sexual misconduct background check.
Job no: 503119
Advertised: Aug 04 2026 09:00 Pacific Daylight Time
Applications close: Aug 18 2026 23:55 Pacific Daylight Time
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