Executive Assistant (Administrative Associate)

Fairfax County•Fairfax (Ej27), VA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

This position serves as a highly organized, resourceful, and experienced professional providing high-level executive and administrative support to the department director in a fast-paced, complex environment. The role is a key member of the director’s office, acting as a trusted resource and working closely with deputy directors, senior leadership, county officials, departmental staff, external partners, and community stakeholders. Responsibilities include managing complex scheduling and executive workflow, coordinating meetings and special assignments, preparing and reviewing correspondence and briefing materials, conducting research, tracking high-priority matters, and ensuring timely follow-up. The successful candidate will anticipate needs, establish priorities, manage competing demands, and exercise sound independent judgment. This role regularly handles confidential, sensitive, and time-critical information, requiring exceptional discretion, professionalism, attention to detail, and judgment. The individual must work independently while maintaining strong collaborative relationships across all levels of the organization. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong organizational and problem-solving abilities, sound judgment, initiative, adaptability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities with accuracy and professionalism are essential. The environment may involve shifting priorities and assignments that are confidential, complex, politically sensitive, or high-profile. Success requires composure under pressure, discretion, follow-through, and responsive, professional support. The assigned functional areas include executive assistance, office management, executive correspondence, records management, and senior management event coordination.

Requirements

Associate degree and five years of experience providing administrative support in the assigned functional area(s).
Ability to understand basic statistical concepts.
Intermediate skills in the use of applicable Microsoft Office Suite software.
Intermediate skills in the use of agency specific software applications.
Ability to write concise and understandable appropriate documents.
Ability to independently gather, integrate, and analyze complex data.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with both external and internal contacts.
Ability to perform data entry into Purchasing/Logistics Enterprise Resource Planning systems and/or Financial Enterprise Resource Planning systems in at least 10 functions.
Ability to troubleshoot Human Capital Management Enterprise Resource Planning system problems.
Ability to operate keyboard-driven equipment.
Ability to communicate verbally and in writing.
Sufficiently mobile to attend meetings at various locations and make presentations to county staff and community.
Completion of a criminal background check to the satisfaction of the employer.
Work schedule and worksite may require flexibility based on the operational needs of the Director's Office, senior leadership, meetings, and special assignments.
Occasional work outside normal business hours may be required.

Nice To Haves

Five (5) or more years of progressively responsible administrative experience, including at least three (3) years providing direct administrative support to an executive-level position such as an agency head, department director, deputy director, executive leadership team member, or equivalent senior-level position.
Three (3) or more years of experience independently managing the calendar of an executive-level position, including scheduling and prioritizing meetings, resolving scheduling conflicts, coordinating meetings with multiple participants, and making changes based on competing or changing priorities.
Three (3) or more years of experience preparing, editing, and coordinating written materials for executive-level review or approval, such as executive correspondence, briefing materials, reports, presentations, meeting materials, or responses prepared for senior leadership, elected officials, boards, or commissions.
Three (3) or more years of experience coordinating executive-level meetings involving multiple internal and/or external participants, with responsibility for scheduling, meeting logistics, preparation and distribution of materials, and coordination of required follow-up.
Three (3) or more years of experience managing and tracking multiple time-sensitive assignments on behalf of executive-level leadership, including responsibility for monitoring deadlines, obtaining information or input from others, coordinating approvals, and ensuring completion of required follow-up.
Three (3) or more years of experience serving as a primary administrative liaison for an executive-level office and regularly coordinating with at least three of the following: executive leadership; other departments or agencies; elected officials or their staff; boards or commissions; external government agencies; or community organizations/stakeholders.
Three (3) or more years of experience working in a position with responsibility for maintaining, processing, or controlling access to confidential or restricted records or information on behalf of executive-level leadership.
At least two (2) years of direct supervisory experience that included responsibility for assigning and reviewing employees' work, establishing work priorities or deadlines, providing performance feedback, and completing or contributing to formal performance evaluations.
Three (3) or more years of experience using Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint as part of regular job responsibilities, including experience using Outlook for calendar management and PowerPoint for preparation or modification of executive-level presentations.
Bilingual in English and another language.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted advisor and central point of coordination for the director’s office, exercising strong judgment and discretion based on a thorough understanding of countywide and departmental policies, procedures, priorities, and operations.
Manage and coordinate Board-related and executive-level materials, ensuring accuracy, completeness, relevance, and compliance with applicable standards and requirements.
Conduct research and analysis on complex or sensitive issues; collect and interpret data; and prepare clear, concise findings, recommendations, reports, executive summaries, briefing materials, and presentations.
Act as a liaison between the director, senior management, county offices, external agencies, community partners, and other high-level stakeholders, fostering effective communication and collaboration.
Lead or support special projects and initiatives assigned by the director and/or deputy directors.
Handle confidential, politically sensitive, and non-routine matters that require initiative, sound judgment, discretion, and independent action.
Manage a complex and frequently changing executive calendar, including resolving scheduling conflicts, determining priorities, coordinating with senior-level participants, preparing necessary materials, and anticipating logistical or informational needs in advance of meetings and events.
Develop financial reports and data analyses for use by analysts/managers.
Monitor and test computer systems that maintain department financial records.
Analyze budgets and develop recommendations for division/department.
Authorize journal and/or budget entries.
Approve/authorize wire transfers.
Perform unique accounting functions that have countywide impact.
Identify need for new funding sources and/or modifications to contracts.
Provide needs assessments and interact with staff to identify fund sources and develop a plan for purchases.
Identify exceptional purchases (e.g., sole source justification), obtain special approvals (e.g., agency approval for budget deviation) and insure competitive billing process.
Purchase items, applying complex and conflicting regulations without consultation, using multiple fund sources and determining appropriateness of expenditures.
Resolve disputes with vendors (except for precedent-setting actions outside policy).
Ensure staff is trained and follows department/County policies and/or procedures.
Make decisions involving the functional area that are highly confidential and politically sensitive.
Act on executive/work unit head's behalf on issues related to standard and nonstandard department business operations.
Take actions that require originality and thorough historical and political understanding of the functional area.
Use discretion and an understanding of the sensitive issues within the functional area to make decisions and resolve problems.
Act as a resource regarding policies, procedures and precedents of the functional area in the development of programs and policies within the functional area.
Attend meetings on behalf of the executive/work unit head, gather information and prepare concise, accurate reports.
Actively participate in management meetings.
Gather data and compose concise executive summaries.
Write technical and non-technical correspondence, and/or presentation materials.
Research, coordinate, develop historical/political framework of issues and make recommendations to executives/work unit head.
Write non-technical content of reports and edit text.
Answer inquiries from the public on highly publicized or sensitive issues.
Inform internal and external staff, as well as the public, regarding executive/work unit head's decisions regarding procedural issues and provide the reasons for those decisions.
Actively participate in the long range, comprehensive planning of the functional area (e.g., human resources, space, and budget).
Provide information and participate in the development of in-house policies within the functional area.
Independently review and resolve problems on executive/work unit head's behalf.
Read documents and attend meetings in order to maintain a working knowledge and understanding of the functional area.
Serve as liaison with the public, county, state, federal, private organizations, and high level professional peers of the executive/work unit head.
Independently determine which items are to be forwarded to executive/work unit head or redirected to other staff and prepare background information.
Analyze administrative procedures & policies to recommend corporate systems/software changes/modifications.
Write report on issues regarding operational efficiencies and/or program operations affecting multiple functions within the Department or topics for which there are no precedents.
Research and analyze information to identify trends, draw conclusions, make recommendations.
Implement new county policies & procedures.
Oversee payroll operations for multiple departments/agencies.
Serve as subject matter expert on payroll policies/procedures for multiple departments/agencies.
Audit personnel actions and PARs in multiple departments/agencies for accuracy.
Research and create complex payroll reports regarding countywide issues.
Manage HR and personnel administrative activities as a part of the department management team.
Serve as point of contact for all personnel related activities (e.g., appeals panel, grievances) including providing advice and information to employees and managers.
Analyze changes in county policy to determine effect on department.
Draft or revise department policies to conform to county, federal and state rules and guidelines.
Draft personnel letters for the Director or other senior managers.
Analyze equity and consistency issues related to classification, selection and compensation actions and make recommendations to management.
Provide advice to Director & other high level managers regarding HR issues.
Compose non-professional and/or professional position descriptions using information obtained from employee, supervisor, evaluations and samples.
Develop diversity plan.