DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT I (ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT)

at  City Of Coachella

KNOWLEDGE OF:

• Modern office administrative support practices and procedures, including the use of standard office and computer equipment.
• Computer applications related to the work, including word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications.
• Applicable codes, regulations, policies, technical processes, and procedures related to the department to which assigned.
• Principles and procedures of financial record keeping and reporting.
• Principles and practices of data collection and report preparation.
• Business letter writing and the standard format for reports and correspondence.
• Business arithmetic and statistical techniques.
• Record keeping principles and procedures.
• Alphabetical and numerical filing methods.
• English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively dealing with the public, vendors, contractors and City staff.

Ability to:

• Perform responsible administrative support work with accuracy, speed, and general supervision.
• Provide varied and responsible office administrative work requiring the use of tact and discretion.
• Understand the organization and operation of the City and of outside agencies as necessary to assume assigned responsibilities.
• Interpret and apply administrative and departmental policies and procedures.
• Respond to and effectively prioritize multiple phone calls and other requests for service.
• Compose correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions.
• Understand and carry out oral and written directions.
• Make accurate arithmetic, financial, and statistical computations.
• Enter and retrieve data from a computer with sufficient speed and accuracy to perform assigned work.
• Establish and maintain a variety of filing, record-keeping, and tracking systems.
• Organize and prioritize a variety of projects and multiple tasks in an effective and timely manner; organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical time deadlines.
• Operate and maintain modern office equipment, including computer equipment and specialized software applications programs.
• Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
• Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy, procedural, and legal guidelines.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and harmonious working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:
Department Assistant I: Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth (12th) grade and one (1) year of varied administrative support experience preferably involving some public contact.

Management reserves the right to add, modify, change or rescind the work assignments of different positions and to make reasonable accommodations so that qualified employees can perform the essential functions of the job.

• Performs a wide variety of routine to complex administrative duties to support departmental/ divisional operations, including filing, preparing records and monthly reports, accounts payable, cashiering duties, and ordering and maintaining office and other related supplies.
• Performs skilled word processing, data entry, and transcription using independent judgment and discretion in preparing correspondence and reports.
• Copies, compares, or compiles data to produce monthly statistical reports for managers by checking data, making necessary corrections, and producing data in final form.
• Researches records within areas of responsibility to prepare and provide follow-up information to customer and staff inquiries.
• Gathers, assembles, updates, and distributes a variety of department-specific information, documents, forms, records, and data as requested; prepares and maintains a variety of databases and reports.
• Assists in providing telephone and/or counter support to the public and staff; responds to inquiries by explaining procedures; provides general information; distributes forms and other documents as requested; provides detailed review of forms to assure completeness; refers callers/visitors to the appropriate department; takes and relays accurate messages; transfers callers to voicemail when necessary.
• Responds to the public and staff inquires regarding department and/or City policies, procedures, and timelines; explains and applies policies and procedures as required to assure timeline compliance; monitors timelines; resolves problems of a moderate complexity within areas of responsibility.
• Types, originates, formats, proofreads, and distributes a wide variety of reports, letters, and memoranda, including agenda items, bid documents, regulatory submittals, and documents associated with departmental projects and programs; types from rough drafts or verbal instructions; checks drafts for punctuation, spelling, and grammar; makes or suggests corrections to drafts.
• Organizes and maintains various administrative, reference, imaging, and follow-up files; purges files in accordance with the records retention policy.
• Assists in the records management and retention function, including scanning, editing, and indexing all official City documents, paperwork, and records; assists with the destruction of records in compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations; receives and assists with public requests for information and records.
• Receives payments and fees from the public in the form of cash and check; issues receipts; posts information to departmental, fiscal, or other records; collects and submits data for reports pertaining to assigned functions.
• Checks and tabulates standard arithmetic or statistical data; may summarize such information and prepare periodic numerical reports.
• Verifies and reviews forms and reports for completeness and conformance with established regulations and procedures; applies departmental and program policies and procedures in determining completeness of applications, records, and files.
• Assists in planning, organizing, and coordinating City-sponsored events.
• Operates a variety of standard office equipment, including job-related computer hardware and software applications, copiers, postage meters, facsimile machines, and multi-line telephones; may operate other department-specific equipment.
• Maintains accurate records of work performed.
• May participate in department-specific complex technical and specialized programs, processes, and procedures, including business licensing, code enforcement, building and safety, permit issuance, records management, and related services; may serve as back-up for department technical staff.
• Maintains management staff calendars and schedules appointments.
• Assists with processing incoming and outgoing mail; receives shipments; compares packing slips with received goods; matches invoices with packing slips to assure accuracy.
• Performs duties of a disaster services worker in event of an emergency.
• Performs related duties as assigned.