Executive Secretary - Confidential (Open & Promotional)

The County of San Mateo's Human Services Agency (HSA) is seeking a creative and versatile individual with strong administrative and interpersonal skills for the position of Executive Secretary – Confidential. The Executive Secretary reports to the Director of the Human Services Agency. This position performs varied, complex and often confidential secretarial and office administrative work in support of the Director, and as assigned for other associated management, professional and supervisory staff. Strong customer service, excellent oral and written communication and proofreading skills, as well as knowledge of public government processes are additional characteristics critical for success.
The ideal candidate will have:

• 4 years of experience providing secretarial or administrative support to management staff, including senior or executive level management.
• Demonstrated experience in a similar role, preferably in a human services agency or related public agency.
• Proficiency in managing the administrative needs of a board of directors, commission or committee.
• Ability to work collaboratively as part of team, take initiative and work independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to prioritize multiple functions and tasks while maintaining attention to detail and meeting deadlines.
• Demonstrated commitment to providing positive, professional, and proactive customer service to staff, visitors, partners and the public.
• Ability to communicate and work congenially and effectively with all staff, visitors, partners, general public, community leaders and elected officials.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills to prepare, proofread, and edit various documents such as letters, memorandum, emails, reports, agenda and minutes.
• Exceptional scheduling and organizational skills to manage calendars, meeting appointments and room reservations.
• Strong critical thinking and effective problem-solving skills with an ability to exercise judgment appropriately and know when to seek consultation.
• Proficiency in computer systems and applications, such as Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office Suite, and systems used by the Agency.
• Knowledge of confidentiality requirements and ability to handle sensitive information appropriately.
• Motivation to continuously improve professional skills.
• Awareness and understanding of cultural diversity and inclusion.

Examples Of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Initiate correspondence independently for signature by the Agency Director or appropriate management staff; review finished materials for completeness, accuracy, formatting, compliance with policies and procedures and appropriate English usage.
• Type, copy and revise drafts, and a wide variety of finished documents from notes or a white board, brief instructions, or printed materials; use word processing applications such as Microsoft Word and input or retrieve data and prepare reports from an on-line or personal computer system.
• Use computer systems and applications including Office 365, Outlook, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and County software such as ATKS for timekeeping, Workday for personnel transactions, SIRE/Granicus for Board of Supervisors agenda item preparation, ServiceNow for ISD tickets, cardkey coordination and Learning Management System.
• Manage mailing and e-mailing lists used by the Agency Director and coordinate distributions and mailings.
• Prepare, process and file confidential materials related to labor and employee relations.
• Prepare agenda, minutes and staff reports for meetings.
• Write reports and resolutions and circulate for review and approval within designated time frame.
• Relieve the Agency Director of certain administrative matters by following up on projects, transmitting information and keeping informed of department activities. Examples include tracking and coordinating information for timely performance evaluations due and training objectives.
• Receive all requests submitted to the Agency under the California Public Records Act requests, coordinate response with County Attorney and communicate status and updates to the Agency Director.
• Perform human resource administrative support functions such as creating positions, requisitions, job announcements, reviewing applications, scheduling interviews, conducting interviews, hire/rejection letters and other functions as needed.
• Provide back-up support for Agency Administration functions as needed.
• Organize own work, set priorities and meet critical deadlines; ensure that such deadlines are met by other staff.
• Answer emails and phones, receive visitors, schedule or help schedule meetings, reserve rooms, prepare meeting spaces and breakdown meetings.
• Handle complex inquires, resolve complaints and/or perform initial assessments of calls and emails to refer to the appropriate staff for response.
• Organize and maintain meeting materials and recordings and other various administrative, reference and follow-up files; purge files as required.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Typing Requirement:
Ability to type accurately at a rate of 50 net words per minute from printed copy.
Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is two years of secretarial experience which has included providing office and administrative support to management staff.
Knowledge of:
Office administrative and secretarial practices and procedures, such as business letter writing and the operation of common office equipment, including a word processor and personal or on-line computer; basic organization and function of public agencies, including the role of an elected Board of Supervisors and appointed boards and commissions; record keeping, report preparation, filing methods and records management techniques; correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary; standard business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals; basic supervisory principles and practices; and basic budgeting principles and practices.
Skill/Ability to:
Provide varied, responsible, and often confidential secretarial and office administrative assistance to high-level management and other associated supervisory and professional staff; plan, direct and review the work of assigned staff, and instruct staff in work procedures; interpret, apply and explain complex policies and procedures using tact, discretion, initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines; analyze and resolve office administrative situations and problems; research, compile, and summarize a variety of informational materials; compose correspondence independently or from brief instructions; establish and maintain effective working relationships; and organize work, set priorities, meet critical deadlines, and follow up on assignments with a minimum of direction.

Application/Examination

Open and Promotional. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, Confidential and Management extra-help/limited term, and SEIU or AFSCME represented extra help/limited term positions prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination. A supplemental application form must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. Resume or CV will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.
The examination will consist of an interview (weight: 100%) which may include the evaluation of a written or performance exercise given immediately preceding the interview. Depending on the number of applications a screening committee may select those applicants whose education and/or experience appear to best meet the needs of the position based solely on the information provided in the application documents. Because of this screening process, all applicants meeting the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org to apply. Online applications must be received by the Human Resources Department before midnight on the final filing date.
TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Final Filing Date: Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. PST
Application Screening: Monday, April 1, 2024
Combined Panel Interview: Tuesday, April 16, 2024