Executive Secretary - Public Defender

County Of Lehigh Pennsylvania•Allentown, PA

About The Position

An Executive Secretary provides typing, organizational, and related support to the highest-level elected executives or members of the Judiciary. This role offers traditional secretarial support services and substantive assistance in the organization and implementation of management or judicial functions, ensuring the effective accomplishment of these support functions. The position may involve individual responsibility for substantive processing of particular functions and/or oversight of other clerical positions, but the primary focus remains on providing traditional secretarial support services. This role is distinguished by the executive or judicial nature of the work supported and the incumbent's greater responsibility and accountability for the orderly and efficient accomplishment of assistance provided. An Executive Secretary reports directly to an elected executive or judicial official.

Requirements

GED or High School Diploma
Five years clerical experience in a government or judicial setting
Three years of clerical experience performing secretarial work at the full performance level
Comprehensive knowledge of procedural and processing requirements governing record keeping, documentation, and similar office functions in governmental or judicial offices.
Comprehensive knowledge of English usage, grammar, spelling, and punctuation as used in clerical-processing assignments in governmental or judicial offices.
Thorough knowledge of administrative clerical methods and techniques used to manage and coordinate meetings, workflow, and similar functions.
Thorough knowledge of the organizational and functional relationships within the County, the Court, and related organizations.
Skill in gathering information from and explaining procedural and/or processing requirements to visitors, callers, clients, members of the public, and officials of public and private organizations.
Skill in operating typewriting, word-processing, copying, and other office equipment, as required by work assignment.
Ability to use word-processing, spreadsheet, database, graphics, and/or similar computer programs, when required by work assignment.
Ability to take accurate notes of discussions and dictated material in order to produce draft and/or final correspondence, documents, and other items, when required by work assignment.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates, callers, visitors, clients, representatives of other offices, and members of the public.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual in Spanish is preferred.

Responsibilities

Evaluates efficiency and effectiveness of existing office procedures and workflow; develops new, or changes in, processing, order of work accomplishment, nature and/or extent of verifications, and similar office workload activities.
Coordinates efforts with individuals in offices affecting work accomplishment.
Works with management, technical and/or other clerical personnel to improve timeliness, completeness, and effectiveness of work accomplishment.
May oversee work of other office clerical staff.
Maintains calendar for executive or judge; schedules appointments and meetings; reminds individual of such commitments on a daily basis.
Places telephone calls to secure and provide information on executive's or judge's behalf.
Schedules conferences, coordinating participants' schedules.
Develops agenda from information in records, prior agenda, or canvassing attendees for input.
Makes arrangements for meeting room, equipment, or other support.
Prepares summaries of background information for use in conferences.
Makes or arranges for copies of meeting materials.
Attends meetings and conferences; takes stenographic or other notes of discussion, decisions reached, and assignments made.
Writes and distributes minutes of main points of meetings.
Reviews incoming mail; determines priority and nature of material, procedural action required, and need for personal review by executive or judge.
Determines existence of related topics or activities and assembles available records and correspondence.
Attaches related materials or prepares summaries for others' use and forwards to appropriate individuals, both within and outside of the office.
Greets visitors and callers and determines the nature of business.
Explains circumstances, decisions, activities underway or anticipated, approvals, and/or status of items being handled by the executive or judge.
Assists or refers visitors, callers, officials, and representatives of other County, Court, local, and private agencies to a more appropriate office or individual for further assistance.
Types correspondence, memoranda, reports, opinions, petitions, agreements, contracts, and similar narrative and statistical material from recorded dictation, stenographic or other notes, handwritten drafts, or other source material.
Proofreads typed work and corrects errors.
May take stenographic or other notes of dictated correspondence, documents, and other items.
Composes routine correspondence such as cover letters, responses to invitations, and referrals.
Establishes and maintains office files and other record-keeping systems.
Performs related work as required.