Executive Assistant/Legal Assistant

State of North Carolina

1d•$45,431 - $60,141•Onsite

About The Position

The primary purpose of this position is to provide high level legal and administrative support through an approximately 60/40 allocation of responsibilities between the General Counsel’s Office and the Office of the Secretary. In its legal support capacity, the Legal Assistant provides essential day to day administrative assistance to the General Counsel and serves as the central point of coordination for all legal office operations. This includes managing calendars, deadlines, and priority workflows; tracking action items and follow ups; drafting, formatting, and proofreading correspondence and memoranda; and maintaining organized electronic and physical legal files. This position oversees the intake, routing, and tracking of all legal requests, monitors response timelines, maintains logs for advisory opinions and reviews, and manages the agency’s legal services tracking system to ensure all matters are accurately logged and monitored. The role flags overdue, high risk, or stalled items for the General Counsel, generates periodic status reports, and maintains centralized repositories for contracts, MOUs, interagency agreements, and Clearinghouse materials, including tracking execution, renewal dates, and version control. This position requires handling privileged and sensitive information with strict discretion, escalating risks appropriately, and supporting process improvements by maintaining standardized templates, updating procedures, and identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency and accuracy. As the first point of contact for legal office inquiries, the Legal Assistant triages requests, communicates professionally with internal and external stakeholders, and upholds high standards of responsiveness and clarity. In its administrative support role for the Office of the Secretary, the position provides high level office management and executive support, assisting the Executive Assistant with complex requests, special projects, and event coordination, and supporting the Deputy Secretaries. Responsibilities include managing executive scheduling, meetings, travel logistics, and speaking engagements in collaboration with Communications and Fiscal staff, while serving as a primary point of contact for inquiries directed to DOA leadership. The position independently screens calls, emails, and visitors—including those involving confidential or sensitive matters—and ensures smooth daily operations through records management, procurement, and adherence to internal policies and procedures. It also provides backup support for budget functions such as travel authorizations, reimbursements, invoices, and direct pay requests. Additional duties include supporting leadership engagement in departmental initiatives, drafting and proofreading official documents, preparing routine correspondence, capturing meeting minutes, managing incoming correspondence and complaints, and overseeing daily mail processes. The role maintains organized and confidential records related to policies, executive orders, legislation, and departmentwide documentation, ensuring compliance with recordkeeping standards and procedural deadlines.

Requirements

Must stay up-to-date on departmental policies and maintain strong knowledge of program services, applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
Demonstrate considerable knowledge in public and business administration, human resources practices, and foundational legal principles and concepts.
Must exhibit excellent typing skills and strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint for data research, organization, and analysis.
Interpret and apply legal and administrative program information, including conducting research, summarizing legal materials, preparing documents, and applying knowledge of general office technologies.
Exercise sound judgment in planning, prioritizing tasks, and building positive relationships across all organizational levels
Bachelor’s degree, preferably in business administration or a related discipline from an appropriately accredited institution; or Associate’s degree in secretarial science, business administration, or a related discipline from an appropriately accredited institution and two years of progressively responsible legal/administrative/office management experience; or High school or General Educational Development (GED) diploma and four years of progressively responsible legal/administrative/office management experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

Legal administrative coordination: Manages daily operations for the General Counsel’s Office, including legal request intake, tracking systems, calendars, and records. Drafts and reviews legal documents, monitors deadlines and risks, and safeguards sensitive information.
Executive Office management support: Provides high level administrative support to the Office of the Secretary, overseeing executive scheduling, travel coordination, and stakeholder communication. Maintains smooth office operations by screening inquiries, managing records and procurement, and supporting budget tasks.
Communication, documentation and process improvement: Serves as a primary point of contact, handling correspondence, meeting minutes, and confidential documentation. Enhances internal processes by maintaining templates, updating procedures, and identifying efficiency improvements.