Administrative Assistant - Planning Services & Building Services

at  City of Kingston

OPENING STATEMENT

The City of Kingston is grateful to experience the traditional territories of Anishinabek (Ah-nish-nah-beg), Haudenosaunee (Ho-den-o-show-nee) and Huron-Wendat (huron-wen·dat). Kingston is a smart, livable city in the heart of eastern Ontario. Its stable and diversified economy includes global corporations, innovative start-ups and all levels of government.
At the City of Kingston, we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential elements of a thriving workplace. We value the unique perspectives and experiences that each individual brings to our team. As we continue to grow, we are dedicated to creating an environment where all employees feel welcomed, respected, and empowered to contribute their best work. The City of Kingston views diversity as its strength and we encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented communities.
As staff, you play a pivotal role in enhancing people’s lives by delivering exceptional, customer-centered services of the highest quality. Within our highly ethical environment, you’ll embrace accountability by consistently going above and beyond, actively listening to our customers, creatively addressing their needs, and maintaining unwavering respect for all individuals you serve. As a result, you’ll become an integral part of our qualified and dynamic team, recognized for its compassion, excellence, integrity, inclusivity, and adaptability.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Administrative Assistant performs general office management duties and is essential in contributing to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the departments, and is responsible for providing confidential administrative, technical, and logistical support to the Director, Planning Services and Director, Building Services Services, and their management team and may support other areas of the Growth & Development Services Group on an as-needed basis. They will provide operational leadership in coordination, alignment and upkeep of corporate and departmental processes. The highest regard for confidentiality and diplomacy are required for all aspects of this position.
The Administrative Assistant supports the overall success of the departments and performs a variety of administrative support and coordination functions that are guided by the goals and objectives of the City’s strategic plan, mission, vision, values and Council priorities.

QUALIFICATIONS, COMPETENCIES

2-year diploma from a post secondary institution
Degree in Business Administration or Public Administration, considered an asset
3 years of recent and related experience
Experience with Microsoft SharePoint
Experience working in a municipal setting, considered an asset
Must demonstrate corporate competencies: Customer Focus, Results Orientation, Integrity, and Teamwork

SKILLS, ABILITIES, WORK DEMANDS

Basic knowledge of corporate strategic planning process, annual budget process and financial reporting/forecasting
Highly professional, adaptable and anticipatory with excellent oral and written communications skills
Excellent interpersonal, collaborative and customer service skills and ability to respect & maintain a high level of confidentiality
Must possess strong organizational and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritize workload efficiently
Demonstrated attention to detail and accuracy
Experience taking meeting notes and preparing meeting agenda and items of correspondence
Intermediate level skills in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word and Outlook, including mail merging, document templating and calendar management, preferred
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data management and query techniques, preferred
Highly professional, adaptable and anticipatory with excellent oral and written communications skills, preferred
Ability to work outside regular business hours
Required to obtain and maintain a satisfactory criminal record check

Provides administrative support and assistance to the departmental management teams, preparing confidential correspondence and reports, conducting research, arranging meetings, etc. to support the efficient operations of the teams:
o Prepares regular draft correspondence, reports, legal documents, presentations and forms, summaries and information/statistical/financial reports
o Records, prepares and distributes agendas and minutes, ensuring the quality of all outgoing material meets standards
o Conduct research (legislation, best practices, procedure/policy) regarding report or meeting subject
o Schedules in person and virtual meetings, maintaining appointment schedules and composing routine correspondence from brief oral/written instructions for signature
o Utilizes Cascade to ensure that departmental progress with respect to completion of strategic priorities is up to date
o Organizes departmental meetings to ensure that the departmental workplans are up to date
o Supports the preparation of council and committee reports, including report tracking, accessibility compliance, editorial review and compliance with formatting requirements and corporate templates
Maintains the department’s confidential files and records using MS SharePoint in accordance with Corporate Records Management bylaws and protocols to ensure files and records are easy to access and organized:
o Organizes and maintains records/files/manuals
o Maintains confidential employee appraisal/recruitment documentation
o Attending confidential meetings, taking and maintaining notes
o Oversees the file structures and file management of the department, including the use and implementation of office technology and software as well as the tracking of corporate priorities, council motions and key projects in a centralized tracking software
Support Management Team with creating and maintaining budget documents annually, and monitoring budget to actual financial transactions throughout the year
Provides financial management support for efficient operation of the Team:
o Track time & attendance for teams
o Facilitates staff inquiries on finance issues, verifying and relaying information, such as budget timing, ensuring confidentiality
o Reviews internal documents submitted to the department for completeness
Acts as a department resource on programs and services, advising other staff within and outside the department on procedural matters to support consistency across the organization
Other duties as assigned