Senior Secretary Economic Development

City of Danville•Economic Development & Tourism Offices, VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Provide advanced administrative operational, and compliance-focused support for the Office of Economic Development and Tourism (OEDT). The Senior Secretary serves as the department’s primary coordination and intake point for internal and external inquiries and provides direct administrative support to the Director and other members of the OEDT. The role is responsible for preparing, editing, and quality-controlling departmental correspondence and records; coordinating meetings and calendars; supporting payroll, personnel, procurement, and fiscal documentation; and maintaining systems to ensure continuity of operations, policy compliance, and audit readiness. The position is differentiated from the Secretary by the performance of more complex clerical duties, the provision of support directly to the director, and/or the independence of action and responsibility for one or more administrative processes of the department. The City retains the discretion to add to or change the duties of the position at any time.

Requirements

Associate degree, or equivalent from a college, vocational, business or technical school, and at least three to five years of experience.
An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of the specific requirements listed above.
Valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record according to City criteria.
Intermediate knowledge to perform most work in normal situations.
Comprehension of standard situations and includes knowledge of most of the significant aspects of the subject.
Advanced Reading: Ability to read literature, books, reviews, scientific or technical journals, abstracts, financial reports, and/or legal documents.
Advanced Writing: Ability to write editorials, journals, speeches, manuals, or critiques.
Intermediate Math: Ability to deal with system of real numbers; practical application of fractions, percentages, ratios/proportions and measurement.
Decisions regarding interpretation of policies may be made.
Contact may involve stressful, negative interactions requiring high levels of tact, and the ability to respond to aggressive interpersonal interactions.
Elements of persuasion may be necessary to gain cooperation and acceptance of ideas.
Normally performs the job by following established standard operating procedures and/or policies.
There is a choice of the appropriate procedure or policy to apply to duties.
Performance reviewed periodically.
Work requires a comprehensive, practical knowledge of a technical field with use of analytical judgment and decision-making abilities appropriate to the work environment of the organization.
No budgetary/fiscal responsibility.
No responsibility for the direction or supervision of others.
Sedentary physical effort, exerting up to 10 lbs. occasionally or negligible weights frequently; sitting most of the time.
Constant sitting, reaching, handling, fine dexterity; adequate vision, hearing, talking to use computer, telephone and communicate effectively with others.
Occasional standing, walking, crouching, twisting.
Rare lifting, carrying, pushing/pulling, kneeling, bending, climbing, balancing.
Responsible for appropriate use and maintenance of City equipment, tools and other resources, including work time.
Regular and predictable attendance is expected.
Frequently experiences time pressure, emergency situations, frequent change of tasks, performing multiple tasks simultaneously, working closely with others as part of a team, tedious or exacting work, noisy/distracting environment.
May rarely experience irregular work schedule/overtime.
Typically requires use of standard office equipment and telephone, and related software and hardware; and any other equipment as appropriate or as assigned.
This work is performed in an office environment where there may be rare exposure to communicable diseases.
The employee must wear appropriate protective equipment as apparent and assigned, if any.

Responsibilities

Provides advanced administrative and operational support for the OEDT by serving as the primary front-line contact for visitors, callers, and external inquiries; exercising discretion to triage, route, respond to, or escalate time-sensitive and confidential matters; and ensuring professional, accurate, and timely communication.
Maintains official departmental records and filing systems in accordance with City and State record retention requirements; prepares, edits, and quality-control correspondence, reports, agendas, and meeting materials; identifies and safeguards confidential information; and maintains shared department calendars and resource schedules.
Manages departmental and leadership calendars, with primary responsibility for the Director’s schedule; coordinates meetings, appointments, and related logistics; tracks deadlines, approvals, and follow-up actions; and independently prioritizes administrative workflows to ensure continuity of operations, including during leadership absences.
Utilizes word-processing, spreadsheet, database, collaboration, and document management systems to produce accurate and professional materials; develops and maintains tracking tools to support budgets, procurement, renewals, records management, and recurring operational processes; and communicates effectively with City staff, elected officials, boards, authorities, regional partners, prospects, and the public.
Coordinates travel arrangements for staff and authorized external guests; reviews travel documentation for policy compliance; submits required forms and supporting materials to Finance; maintains travel records; and tracks reimbursement submissions and supporting documentation.
Processes and maintains confidential personnel documentation, including personnel action forms and payroll records; collects, reviews, verifies, and submits departmental payroll information in accordance with Finance and HR requirements; tracks deadlines and follow-up actions to ensure timely and accurate payroll processing; and serves as a key institutional resource regarding applicable HR and City policies.
Provides administrative fiscal support by monitoring budget balances and expenditures; reviewing invoices for accuracy and proper coding; coordinating invoice, procurement, and purchase order documentation; reconciling City-issued credit cards in accordance with policy; maintaining complete, organized, and audit-ready financial records; and supporting budget preparation and tracking as requested.
Performs research and completes special projects as assigned, including grant and compliance documentation, development and maintenance of procedures and training materials, onboarding and training support for interns or temporary staff, coordination of recurring meetings, and administrative support to boards or authorities as assigned.
Coordinates communication with the Director on issues that need immediate attention when Director is out of the office or on official leave.
Attend meetings and training sessions as required.
Attends meetings, training sessions, and professional development activities as required.
Performs additional duties to support departmental operational requirements as assigned.