Executive Assistant - Community Services Job at County of Santa Barbara in Santa

Description

Join Our Team as an Executive Assistant in Community Services! Are you an organized, detail-oriented professional ready to make a meaningful impact? The Community Services Department in Santa Barbara is seeking a dynamic Executive Assistant to provide administrative and secretarial support to our Department Director.
This full-time role, categorized under the Administrative Professional classification, offers an opportunity to thrive in a collaborative environment while supporting vital community-focused initiatives. If you work well independently and strive for efficiency and excellence, we'd love to hear from you! Be part of something bigger-join the Community Services team today!
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS: Employees in this classification perform confidential and sensitive executive secretarial duties requiring considerable independent judgment for a Department Director. Supervisory skills may be required in some positions but is not the focus of the position.

This is an at-will position, exempt from Civil Service provisions, who serves at the pleasure of the Department Director.

The Ideal Candidate possesses:

• Experience with calendar management for multiple executive members
• Experience with agenda and minute preparation, recording minutes, and other record-keeping responsibilities
• Experience with developing and implementing process improvement strategies
• Experience managing and coordinating multiple projects simultaneously
• Strong organization, time management, and customer service skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to interact with all levels of internal and external customers
• Proficiency in proofreading, grammar, English usage, MS office products, and Smartsheet
• Ability to remain professional with the utmost level of diplomacy and integrity

BENEFITS: For more information on County benefits, please visit here. In addition, applicants from other public sector employers may qualify for:

• Retirement reciprocity
• Time and service credit towards an advanced vacation accrual rate

Examples of Duties

• Coordinates and facilitates the Department Director's calendar; arranges appointments, meetings, and conferences; makes travel arrangements and processes travel reimbursements; plans and coordinates large events and meetings.
• Relieves the Department Director of certain administrative matters by reading and screening incoming correspondence and reports, making preliminary assessments of the importance of materials, organizing documents and handling some matters personally by making referrals to appropriate staff and keeping informed of pertinent activities and deadlines; researches, compiles and processes information including confidential and sensitive information; briefs the Department Director regarding content of referrals, correspondence and reports.
• Drafts and produces a wide variety of finished documents from notes, printed materials or brief instructions using Word and other Microsoft Office products; initiates correspondence independently for the Department Director's signature; articulates the Department Director's vision and directives by matching tone and content with the Department Director's intended message in oral and written communications; reviews finished materials for completeness, accuracy, format compliance with policies and procedures, and appropriate English usage; develops presentations and reviews presentation materials (slides, graphs, letters and reports) for proper layout and flow.
• Prepares meeting agendas; takes and prepares minutes for various executive and public meetings.
• Coordinate and compile board agenda documents and contracts.
• Receives screens and directs visitors and telephone callers; determines which are priority matters and alerts the Department Director accordingly.
• May supervise, train, review and evaluate the work of office support staff.

Employment Standards

In order to be considered for this position, applicants must provide detailed information on their application to demonstrate how they meet the employment standards listed below:

• Four years of secretarial experience that included coordinating and facilitating a manager/executive's calendar to arrange appointments, meetings and conferences, acting as a liaison between a manager/ executive and subordinates or others that required making assessments of the importance of the caller or issue and responding appropriately, and independently composing and producing professional letters and memoranda for a manager/executive; OR,
• A combination of training, education, and experience that is equivalent to one of the employment standards listed above and that provides the required knowledge and abilities.

Completion of college level course work in English or a related subject is desired and may be substituted for one year of the required experience.

Additional Qualifications: Some positions may require a specific typing speed and California Class C Driver's License.

Knowledge of: business English, spelling, grammar syntax and punctuation; of business phone etiquette; and ability to use Microsoft Word to produce professional materials and Outlook.

Ability to: write clear and concise reports and correspondence; compose correspondence from brief or minimal directions to specific situations; proofread and detect errors in spelling, grammar, syntax and punctuation; listen attentively to obtain and relay key information; organize and articulate information; speak clearly and concisely; identify problems, solve them, act decisively and show good judgment; take action without being prompted; take personal responsibility for actions; anticipate and meet department head, customer and staff's needs; maintain confidentiality; work effectively in spite of changes in priorities and unanticipated problems/solutions; multitask; establish, communicate and model performance and behavior standards and hold self and staff accountable for meeting those standards; deal diplomatically with customers and staff; work well under stressful circumstances and pressing deadlines; interact effectively with various levels of management staff within and outside the Department and County.

Supplemental Information

Application & Selection Process

• Review application and supplemental questionnaires to determine those applicants who meet the employment standards.

Candidates who are successful in the selection process will have their names placed on the employment list. The hiring department will conduct interviews with highly desirable candidates.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS:
The County of Santa Barbara is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to applicants. Qualified individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation during the application or selection process should contact the recruiter listed on the job posting. We require verification of needed accommodation from a professional source, such a Medical Provider or a learning institution.

Recruiters will communicate with applicants by e-mail during each step in the recruitment process. Applicants are reminded to check spam filters continuously during the Recruitment & Selection Process steps listed above to ensure they do not miss required deadlines.

Conditional Job Offer: Once a conditional offer of employment has been made, candidate will be required to successfully complete a background investigation, which includes a conviction history check, and satisfactory reference checks. Appointee may be subject to a post-offer medical evaluation or examination.

Disaster Service Worker: Pursuant to Governmental code section 3100, all employees with the County of Santa Barbara are declared to be disaster service workers subject to such disaster service. Activities as may be assigned to them by their superiors or by law.

Statement of Commitment
The County of Santa Barbara is dedicated to cultivating and sustaining an environment that exhibits equity and inclusion everywhere, and at all levels of our organization. The County believes equity is a fundamental principle that must be imbedded in policies, institutional practices and systems. The County recognizes the negative impacts of systemic racism and is committed to eliminating the barriers affecting Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, and socioeconomically disadvantaged community members, as well as people of other diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. We envision a world where society and its systems (e.g. education, criminal justice, and health care, housing, the economy) are just, fair, and inclusive, enabling all people to participate and reach their full potential.

We celebrate community and employee diversity, strive for inclusion and belonging, and promote empowered participation. We aspire to build a workforce that is reflective of these values and the communities we serve. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will resolutely uphold federal, California state law and/or Santa Barbara County ordinances.

We believe equity and inclusion are vital to fulfill the County's mission and to embody a culture of "One County, One Future." Expanding the full range of employee talent allows the County to deliver our best to all our community members.

We believe in the dignity and humanity of all people. We strive for a healthy and prosperous society that promotes all people having equitable access and opportunity.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, December 6, 2024, at 4:59 p.m. PST, postmarks not accepted. You can view job postings and apply online 24 hours a day at www.sbcountyjobs.com.

Chanel Y. Turner, Talent Acquisition Analyst, cturner@countyofsb.org