Specialist, Preliminary Notice

Job Summary:

The Preliminary Notice Specialist is responsible for the coordination, administration, and supervision of preliminary notices. This role acts as a safety net and support resource when the outside vendor encounters issues and serves as a dedicated resource for internal and external partners, including subcontractors and suppliers-by providing essential prelim information data and supporting mechanics lien research. While the outside vendor prepares and serves notices, the specialist assists by responding to platform alerts, providing prelim information, and ensuring exceptions are caught and resolved. The role exists to support the preservation of the company's mechanics lien, stop payment notice, and bond claim rights across California and every other state where the company works, ensuring errors do not cost the company its right to get paid.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Gather and verify essential project data, including the owner/reputed owner, general contractor, direct contracting party, construction lender, and APN/parcel details, prior to vendor submission.
• Independently cross-check ownership, lender, and parcel data against county assessor/recorder records, title reports, and contract documents.
• Review the vendor's preliminary notice output to ensure accuracy regarding parties, amounts, project descriptions, and required statutory content.
• Support the tracking of the "first furnished" dates, monitor at-risk deadlines, and confirm the vendor serves each notice within the applicable statutory window.
• Maintain a comprehensive and searchable tracking log, collect and file proofs of service, and log contracts or change orders as necessary.
• Serve as the primary liaison with the preliminary notice vendor, responding to platform alerts, flagging discrepancies, and escalating issues to management or legal.
• Provide dedicated support to the collections team during lien filings by researching properties, responding to counsel questions, and providing bonds around liens.
• Respond to internal inquiries and subcontractor requests for preliminary notice information, distributing details to other departments as needed

Position Requirements (Work Experience, Skills, Licenses, etc.):

• Comprehensive knowledge of preliminary notice rules and mechanic's lien frameworks across multiple states (including California Civil Code * 8000 et seq.), understanding how they preserve lien/bond claim rights.
• Strong data-verification and audit skills, with a high degree of organization and the ability to maintain 98% accuracy in all work products.
• Familiarity with county property records, preliminary service portals, and utilizing the internet/AI to research property information.
• Ability to effectively identify and verify property owners, general contractors, and construction lenders.
• Capability to recognize bonded/public jobs and confidently confirm payment/performance bond and surety details.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts.
• Extensive proficiency in Microsoft Word (document creation) and Excel (graphs, reports, forms, formulas, and functions).
• Operating knowledge of AI tools (such as Gemini prompts and Gems) for research and Excel programming (e.g., writing macros)

Education and Experience:

• Required: Minimum 2+ years of experience in construction credit, lien/notice administration, contracts, or collections.
• Required: Extensive computer knowledge, including experience with internet research, Excel, Word, and AI tools.
• Desired: College Degree preferred.
• Desired: Previous paralegal experience or exposure to construction law.

ACCO Competencies:

• Proactivity/Initiative: Recognizes what needs to be done and accomplishes it in a manner appropriate for one's level/position and with minimal supervision.
• Perseverance: Shows wherewithal to fight for difficult goals despite challenges and to bounce back from adversity.
• Motivation/Dedication: Commits to excellence in pursuing unselfish goals. Initiates action with collective goals, takes responsibility, and shows personal humility.
• Technical Curiosity/Willingness to Learn: Interest in seeking out new experiences, knowledge, and candid feedback; demonstrating an openness to learning and change.
• Insight: The ability to gather and make sense of information that suggests new possibilities.
• Engagement: Shows a knack for using emotion and logic to communicate a persuasive vision and connect with people.
• People Skills: Is approachable and gains the mutual trust and respect of others. Understands people's strengths & weaknesses and actively seeks to understand other perspectives.
• Communication: Fosters open, honest, candid and respectful communication. Effectively assesses, defines and communicates issues in a timely manner, both written and verbal.
• Teamwork: The ability to effectively work toward common goals with others by supporting, encouraging, and sharing information in an authentic and approachable manner.
• Big Picture: Understands and contributes to the organizations' short- and long-term business strategy. On a personal level has independently developed a vision for short- and long-term career success.
• Problem-Solver: Ability to identify, analyze, and solve problems in support of personnel, group, department, or organizational objectives.
• Execution: Effectively takes a vision and translates into action by including the right people. Identify and remove barriers, when possible, to achieve results. Demonstrates appropriate compromise, effective time management, prioritization practices and holds team members (including themselves) accountable for their performance/conduct.
• Professionalism: Respectfully observes and challenges the status quo with intent for improvement. Can take direction, accept feedback, and take full responsibility for their actions. Lead by example through positive influence and ethical leadership with consideration of the entire organization.

Job Responsibility Level:

No direct reports

Travel Requirements:

Travel required 0-5% of the time to other office locations.

Hours:

This is a non-exempt position from Monday through Friday. Work hours begin and end between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm with a one-hour break for lunch and two rest breaks. Eight hours per day is required and other occasional overtime may be necessary for business needs.

Physical Demands:

(The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)

• Must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• Prolonged sitting.
• Frequently required to reach with hands and arms.
• Occasionally required to stand; walk and stoop, kneel, crouch.

Competitive Wages:

$26 hour - $37 hour. Applicants please note that actual compensation is determined by several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, certifications, relevant education or training, and specific work location, among others. The offered wage or salary is only one aspect of an employee's total compensation.

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