Public Services Administrative Assistant

City of Kinston•Kinston, NC

About The Position

Performs a variety of responsible administrative and office management duties in support of department operations requiring a comprehensive understanding of the departmental and program rules, regulations, and services. Work includes providing customer service by phone or in person; processing department timesheets for payroll; processing purchase orders and invoices; compiling information and preparing specialized reports; scheduling and attending meetings; maintaining and tracking financial data; coordinating staff travel arrangements; ordering and maintaining office supplies; screening and distributing the mail; providing administrative support to the department director; and establishing and maintaining a variety of departmental records, files and data, including financial records. Employee is responsible for interpreting, applying, and explaining program policies and procedures. Work is characterized by its variety and complexity and requires analytical ability and organizational knowledge of applicable policies, procedures, and programs. Work requires independence and self-initiative and a knowledge of department operations so that the duties can be performed effectively. The employee must exercise judgment, discretion, and initiative in completing assignments and in handling difficult public contact situations requiring considerable tact. Work is performed under limited supervision and is evaluated for proper application of policies and procedures through observation, conferences, and the quality and effectiveness of work completed.

Requirements

Thorough knowledge of modern office practices and procedures including automated office systems such as word processing, database management, spreadsheet design and usage, specialized technology applications, website documents and other related resources.
Thorough knowledge of assigned department, its functions, policies, procedures, practices, and related laws and operations.
Considerable knowledge of City policies, procedures, and practices related to area of assignment and of the organization’s administrative, financial, personnel and purchasing procedures.
Skill in the use of information technology equipment and associated software products such as word processing, spreadsheets and databases used in area of work assignment including the development of forms, form letters, tables, spreadsheets, databases, etc. to compile records and generate reports.
Skill in communicating effectively and in conducting the department’s business in person and by telephone and in customer service problem-solving and conflict resolution.
Ability to plan and organize administrative support and technical activities and tasks.
Ability to handle multiple priorities utilizing sound judgment and based on knowledge of departmental issues and needs.
Ability to do research and gather and compile materials from a variety of sources.
Ability to arrange and place data, statistics, records, reports and files into a proper sequence and develop hardcopy and electronic systems for retrieval and storage of departmental records.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the supervisor, coworkers, City officials, customers and the general public.
Ability to work independently on responsible administrative support, technical and programmatic tasks, some of which may be confidential or sensitive.
Ability to be tactful and courteous while conducting City business.
Ability to complete assigned tasks based on general or limited instructions.
May need the ability to plan, organize, monitor, train, and supervise the work of others.

Nice To Haves

Graduation from a community college and at least two years of considerable secretarial or clerical experience at a journey level; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

Plans and organizes the administrative work flow of the office to accomplish needs; identifies and develops databases, spreadsheets and other records management systems; creates files, notebooks, forms and correspondence based on limited instructions; edits data bases and spreadsheets for custom applications; prepares charts and graphs using spreadsheet and/or presentation software; reviews work for compliance with instructions, proofreads final product.
Provides customer service requiring considerable knowledge of the department’s services, regulations and procedures; answers the telephone and/or greets visitors; directs calls or visitors and provides program and department information based on type of request; selects appropriate materials to answer questions; explains rationale of answer and often resolves problems or complaints without management assistance.
Reviews and verifies records and reports for correct information; identifies potential inconsistencies and resolves discrepancies; researches files, activity reports and other information; compiles data and statistics and prepares reports; creates or updates policy and procedures manuals.
Processes department accounts payable; requests purchase requisitions; collects vendor onboarding documents; codes and processes invoices for payment; obtains price quotes and orders supplies and materials; tracks and maintains department budget expenditures and balances; prepares accounting, purchasing and budgetary materials for the department including financial reports and reconciliations.
Processes payroll for the department; reviews employee timesheets and leave records; ensures accuracy in hours worked, leave, overtime and shift differentials; submit employees hours into the software system.
Serves as a department liaison with human resources; prepares and processes personnel action forms verifying all required fields are accurate; prepares and/or types confidential personnel reports, evaluations, and disciplinary actions.
Receives, sorts, processes and distributes incoming and outgoing mail, documents, and other materials according to general knowledge of the department operations; determines which requires the attention of the department head.
Assists with the administration of the contracted uniform program by coordinating employee uniform requests, exchanges, and returns with the uniform vendor.
Coordinates employee travel arrangements and accommodations for classes, exams, and conferences; assists with processing travel reimbursements.
Assist in departmental budget preparation; compiles information for the budget document; maintains spreadsheets tracking budget expenditures by line item and by program area; prepares reports and reconciliations; may process departmental billings.
Schedules meetings and appointments for department managers and staff; coordinates calendar for department managers.
Communicates with vendors and company representatives to resolve billing discrepancies, verify charges, and ensure proper documentation.
Attends internal meetings and committees; takes meeting notes or minutes, follows up on actions as requested; may arrange rooms and details for meetings including the preparation of agendas and handouts.
Develops and maintains filing systems; compiles information requiring the selection of data from established records or reports; established databases or spreadsheets to store, retrieve and track data.
Maintains inventory of office supplies; orders office supplies; assists department staff with ordering and returning uniforms.
Performs a variety of administrative support duties for the department director.
Performs related duties as required.