Human Resource Assistant

City of Portsmouth • Portsmouth, VA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Under general supervision, this position is responsible for assisting professional human resources staff and providing administrative support in various human resources functional areas such as benefits, recruitment, employee relations, classification & compensation, performance management, and training. Reports to the Director or Assistant Director of Human Resource Management.

Requirements

• Considerable knowledge of the principles and practices of human resources.
• Considerable knowledge of federal, State, and local laws, rules and regulations governing human resource administration.
• Considerable knowledge of the city's organization and operational policies and procedures.
• Considerable knowledge of human resource and management principles, practices and techniques as they relate to benefits, manpower and planning, personnel law, employee relations, and related personnel and management functions and services.
• Considerable knowledge of organization, functions and programs of municipal government.
• Considerable skill in the collection and analysis of descriptive data and report writing.
• Experience working with computers.
• Considerable knowledge of the current literature, trends and developments in the fields of human resource administration and human resource management law.
• Able to exercise tact and courtesy in frequent contact with employees, staff and citizens.
• Able to understand and follow oral and written instructions.
• Able to explain orally and in writing Human Resource Management policy and procedures to individuals or groups.
• Able to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
• Maintains high standards of accuracy in exercising duties and responsibilities.
• Exercises immediate remedial action to correct any quality deficiencies that occur in areas of responsibility.
• Maintains high-quality communication and interacts within department and division, and with co-workers and the general public.
• Maintains effective and efficient output of all duties and responsibilities as described under "Essential Functions."
• Assumes responsibility for doing assigned work and meeting deadlines.
• Completes assigned work on or before deadlines in accordance with directives, administrative policies, standards, and prescribed procedures.
• Accepts accountability for meeting assigned responsibilities in the technical, human and conceptual areas.
• Attends work regularly and adheres to city policies and procedures regarding absences and tardiness.
• Provides adequate notice to higher management with respect to vacation time and time-off requests.
• Maintains an enthusiastic, self-reliant and self-starting approach to meet job responsibilities and accountabilities.
• Strives to anticipate work to be done and initiates proper and acceptable direction for completion of work with a minimum of supervision and instruction.
• Exercises analytical judgment in areas of responsibility.
• Identifies problems or situations as they occur and specifies decision objectives.
• Identifies or assists in identifying alternative solutions to problems or situations.
• Implements decisions in accordance with prescribed and effective policies and procedures and with a minimum of errors.
• Seeks expert or experienced advice and researches problems, situations and alternatives before exercising judgment.
• Accepts supervisory instruction and direction and strives to meet the goals and objectives of it.
• Questions such instruction and direction when clarification of results or consequences are justified, i.e., poor communications, variance with city policy or procedures, etc.
• Offers suggestions and recommendations to encourage and improve cooperation between all staff persons within the department.
• Shares knowledge with supervisors and staff for mutual and departmental benefit.
• Contributes to maintaining high morale among all department employees.
• Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships with department employees, staffers and managers in other departments, representatives from organizations, and the general public so as to maintain good will toward the department and project a good departmental image.
• Tactfully and effectively handles requests, suggestions and complaints from other departments and persons in order to maintain good will within the city.
• Interacts effectively with fellow employees, Director of Human Resource Management, City Manager and the general public.
• Plans and organizes daily work routine.
• Establishes priorities for the completion of work in accordance with sound time-management methodology.
• Avoids duplication of effort.
• Estimates expected time of completion of elements of work and establish a personal schedule accordingly.
• Attends meetings, planning sessions and discussions on time.
• Implements work activity in accordance with priorities and estimated schedules.
• Maintains a calendar for meetings, deadlines and events.
• Adheres to all safety and housekeeping standards established by the city and various regulatory agencies.
• Sees that the standards are not violated.
• Maintains a clean and orderly workplace.
• Plans, directs and uses information effectively in order to enhance activities and production of the department.
• Knows and understands the expectations of the city regarding the activities of the division and works to see that these expectations are met.
• Designs and formulates ways, means and timing to achieve the goals and objectives of the department and the division.
• Within the constraints of city policy, formulates the appropriate strategy and tactics for achieving departmental and city objectives.
• Organizes work and that of subordinate staff well.
• Ensures that staff members know what results are expected of them and that they are regularly and appropriately informed of all town and department matters affecting them and/or of concern to them.
• Works with other City officials and management to select and recommend employment of personnel for the department and City who are qualified both technically and philosophically to meet the needs of the department and the city.
• Personally, directs the development and training of division personnel in order to ensure that they are properly inducted, oriented and trained.
• Provides a work environment that encourages clear and open communications.
• Have a clear and comprehensive understanding of the principles of effective leadership and how such principles are to be applied.
• Provides adequate feedback to staff so that they know whether their performance levels are satisfactory.
• Commends and rewards employees for outstanding performance yet does not hesitate to take disciplinary action when necessary.
• Exercises enthusiasm in influencing and guiding others toward the achievement of department goals and objectives.
• Provides a work environment that is orderly and controlled.
• Coordinate audits and controls manpower and financial resources efficiently and effectively.
• Coordinate audits and controls the utilization of materials and equipment efficiently and effectively.
• Has a clear and comprehensive understanding of city standards, methods, and procedures.
• Assigns additional duties to staff as necessary and/or appropriate in order to meet department goals, enhance staff abilities, build confidence on the job and assist staff members in personal growth.
• Has confidence in staff to meet new or additional expectations.
• Uses discretion and judgment in developing and implementing courses of action affecting the department.
• When a particular policy, procedure or strategy does not appear to be achieving the desired result, moves decisively and definitively to develop and implement alternatives.
• Regularly seeks new and improved methodologies, policies and procedures for enhancing the effectiveness of the department.
• Employs imagination and creativity in the application of duties and responsibilities.
• Is not adverse to change.
• Strives to develop and maintain good rapport with all staff members.
• Listens to and considers suggestions and complaints and responds appropriately.
• Maintains the respect and loyalty of staff.
• Has a clear and comprehensive understanding of city policies regarding the department and city function.
• Adheres to those policies in the discharge of duties and responsibilities and ensures the same from subordinate staff.
• Keeps abreast of changes in operating philosophies and policies of the city and continually reviews division policies in order to ensure that any changes in city philosophy or practice are appropriately incorporated.
• Also understands the relationship between operating policies and practices and department morale and performance.
• Works to see that established policies enhance it.
• Requires a high school diploma, associate’s degree preferred, and 1-3 years of related administrative and human resources experience.
• Considerable knowledge of computer system and standard software applications; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• An acceptable general background check to include a local and state criminal history check.
• A valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.
• Must be physically able to operate a variety of machinery and equipment including a computer, copier, calculator, etc.
• Must be able to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects.
• Physical demand requirements are those for Sedentary Work.
• Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural or compositional characteristics (whether similar or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
• Requires the ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments or directions to subordinates or assistants; and receiving instructions, assignments or directions from superiors.
• Requires the ability to read a variety of reports, surveys, memos, forms, etc.
• Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, forms, and statistical analyses.
• Requires the ability to prepare EEO reports using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style.
• Requires the ability to speak before groups of people with poise, voice control and confidence.
• Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems; to deal with nonverbal symbolism in its most difficult phases; to deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables; to comprehend the most abstruse classes of concepts.
• Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions.
• Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in standard college-level English.
• Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; interpret graphs and compute percentages and ratios, etc. and apply the theories of descriptive statistics.
• Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.
• Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using office equipment and various hand tools.
• Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment and hand tools.
• Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.
• Does not require the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.
• Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions.
• Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.
• Requires the ability to talk and hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words. Hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear.)
• Must be able to communicate via the telephone.

Nice To Haves

• Associate’s degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Interacts with the public and others outside the work unit to obtain and provide information and assistance in a variety of circumstances; may screen and respond to inquiries and complaints; provides information on policies and procedures; performs other similar types of administrative support activities; and responsible for establishing, coordinating, and/or maintaining filing and record systems.
• Assists with the administration of personnel programs.
• Performs administrative support work such as typing correspondence, scanning documents, data entry and retrieval, creating spreadsheets and file maintenance; reviews forms, data and other information to ensure accuracy and conformance to established procedures and policies; and completing forms, reports, questionnaires and coordinates all incoming and outgoing mail.
• Serves as a first point of contact to assist employees, applicants, and other external customers; screens and responds to general inquiries; provides general information to departments on policies and procedures or refers to appropriate staff member; and responds to inquiries and ascertains nature of the inquiry and refers to appropriate individual or provide assistance based on knowledge of the situation.
• Purchases supplies, equipment and services which may include contacting vendors, entering and processing receipts, requisitions, and purchase orders; monitors and tracks small purchases.
• Performs other related work as required. Individual assignments will be determined by supervisor based on current workload and department needs.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree