Administrative Assistant (Public Works Department-Parks/Landscape)

Position Information

The City of Pittsburg seeks qualified candidates for the position of Administrative Assistant for the Public Works Department.

The City of Pittsburg is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Administrative Assistant to support the Landscape Division within the Public Works Department. This vital role provides administrative, clerical, and customer service support to help ensure the efficient day-to-day operations of the division responsible for maintaining the beauty and safety of Pittsburg’s parks, medians, and public grounds. Duties include answering phones, data entry on a computer, providing information to customers in a courteous and responsive time frame, taking customer complaints, filing, entering work orders, reviewing and preparing reports, ordering supplies, and reviewing online portal requests. Incumbents are expected to use professional judgment and skill in the performance of assignments, which are subject to review, by supervisors. An experienced individual with exceptional customer services skills and strong office and computer skills is desirable.

An Ideal Candidate For Administrative Assistant Possesses The Following

• The ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain cooperative and effective relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
• Great customer service skills on the phone, in person, and in writing.
• Possess exceptional management and organizational abilities to adhere to time sensitive situations and meet deadlines.
• Great interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with other City Departments/Divisions, other governmental agencies, community organizations and the public.
• Desktop computer applications related to the work such as Word, Excel, Outlook and other related programs and work order systems.
• Relevant office skills to use a variety of equipment such as computers, fax, and software programs.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion
• Able to work in a team environment.
  
  

About the Public Works Department

The Public Works Department is responsible for the operation and maintenance of City facilities and infrastructure and includes the following divisions: Engineering, Street lighting, street concrete maintenance, tree maintenance, graffiti removal, storm drains, landscape and park maintenance, building maintenance for City-owned properties, fleet maintenance, and Water Treatment. The Public Works Department's mission is to maintain the physical assets of the City to the highest level possible within fiscal limitations, utilize the financial resources provided to the department in the most cost-effective manner possible, and thereby contribute to the quality of life of the residents of the City of Pittsburg.

About Pittsburg

The City of Pittsburg is a culturally rich and diverse community of over 74,000 residents and expected to grow to 90,000 in the next 20 years. Pittsburg is located in the Bay Area Region of Northern California and is perfectly situated for easy access to San Francisco, Napa Valley, Sacramento, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and Lake Tahoe. Pittsburg City Hall is also conveniently located a short walk from the Pittsburg Center Station of the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART), making a commute from cities throughout the Bay Area very easy. Pittsburg has waterfront homes, a performing arts theater, a variety of seasonal events, an extensive park system, a large public-school system, and a variety of shopping centers. The recently renovated Marina is also an ideal place to visit and is located within steps of the Old Town shopping district and downtown living, with nearly 600 boat slips, a free public boat launch, fuel dock, café, bait shop, and the Pittsburg Yacht Club. Pittsburg has featured such events as the Seafood and Music Festival, car shows, movies in the park, kayaking, and fishing derbies. With its commitment to a quality community environment, Pittsburg is an ideal city in which to live, work and recreate.

The City of Pittsburg is a full-service city following the council-manager form of government. We have about 290 full time employees and about 350 employees total (depending on the season). Pittsburg is currently organized into the following departments: City Management, Community and Economic Development (Building, Economic Development, Code Enforcement, and Planning), Community Services (Housing Authority, Pittsburg Power Company, and the Successor Agency to the former Redevelopment Agency), Recreation, Human Resources, Finance, Police, and Public Works (Engineering, Operations/Maintenance, Utilities, Facilities, Parks, and Water Treatment). Fire Protection services are provided by the Contra Costa County Consolidated Fire Department.

Benefits for regular employees include location, CALPERS retirement, medical/dental insurance, paid life insurance, retirement health saving account, deferred compensation plan with employer match, paid time off, tuition reimbursement, wellness activities, employee assistance program, employee development courses, and career opportunities.

Check out Pittsburg's Facebook Page to see more about what the City offers: https://www.facebook.com/CityOfPittsburgCa/

Join Team Pittsburg to do meaningful work that will shape the community and make a positive difference.

Examples of Duties

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

• Perform the full array of duties assigned, including organize and coordinate work; set priorities and meet critical deadlines; oversee or perform a variety of office administrative tasks such as purchasing requisitions, processing timecards, ordering materials and supplies, monitoring supply budgets, processing accounts payable and keeping current reference materials and files.
• Data processing drafts and a wide variety of finished documents from notes, brief written or oral instructions; compile and maintain complex and extensive records and prepares reports; input, retrieves and references various computer data management systems such as financial and/or budget systems.
• Make appointments and maintain a calendar; maintain tickler file; schedules and arrange meetings and make travel arrangements; organize meetings by notifying participants, make room arrangements, and prepare required informational materials.
• May attend board and commission meetings and record and transcribe minutes; draft reports, sort and distribute mail received by departmental staff.
• Provide follow-up and research information on inquiries and problems which require knowledge of services and programs of the City; resolve problems and respond to special assignments which require interdepartmental or staff communications.
• Review finished materials for thoroughness, accuracy, format, compliance with policies and procedures, and appropriate English usage; organizes and maintains various administrative, reference and follow-up files.
• Demonstrate a full understanding of applicable policies, procedures and work methods associated with assigned duties; respond to questions and concerns from the general public; provide information as is appropriate and resolve complaints; receive and screen visitors and telephone calls; provide information which requires the use of judgment and the interpretation of City policies and procedures.
• Accept payments for services, licenses, permits, fees and rentals; may explain billing procedures and other regulatory policies to customers.
• May operate radio equipment to communicate with inspectors, maintenance and services personnel.
• Represent the City with dignity, integrity, and the spirit of cooperation in all relations with staff and the public.
• Foster an environment that embraces integrity, service, inclusion and collaboration.
• Be an integral team player, which involves flexibility, cooperation, and communication.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other City employees and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Perform related duties as assigned.
  
  

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Education

Any combination of education, experience, and training that would provide the best qualified candidates. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade. Course work in record keeping or office automation, business, office administration, public administration or related field is desirable.

Experience

Two years of administrative and secretarial experience similar to Office Assistant with the City of Pittsburg.

Special Requirements

Possession at the time of hire and continued maintenance of a valid, class C California driver’s license is required.

Other Requirements

Physically and mentally capable of performing the functions of the job, including but not limited to those summarized in Examples of Duties.

Knowledge Of

• Modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment including relevant software programs.
• Oral and written communication skills; business English including vocabulary, spelling, and correct grammatical usage and punctuation.
• Safe work practices.
• Principles and practices of excellent customer service.
  
  

Ability To

• Understand and carry out oral and written instructions and prioritize workload to meet deadlines.
• Read, write and comprehend the English language at a level necessary for effective job performance exercising correct English usage, vocabulary, spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Communicate effectively, tactfully and positively in both oral and written form.
• Operate and use modern office equipment and technology, including computers and applicable software.
• Maintain regular attendance and adhere to prescribed work schedule to conduct job responsibilities.
• Utilize appropriate safety procedures and practices for assigned duties.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Contribute effectively to the accomplishments of City goals, objectives and activities.
• Perform a variety of complex work with speed and accuracy; perform basic mathematical skills or business arithmetic.
• Work independently and use good judgment; organize and prioritize work assignments. Keyboard at a rate of at least 40 net words per minute.
• Learn and use departmental computer system; compose routine correspondence from brief instructions.
• Responds to request and inquiries from the general public
• Exercise sensitivity and confidentiality in response to situations and needs.
  
  

Selection Process

Applications should be submitted online at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/pittsburg. The City of Pittsburg utilizes a merit-based selection system. Such a system is competitive and based on broad outreach efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to take part in a process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Although, a resume and cover letter provide helpful added detail in reviewing qualifications, the job application may be rejected if the sections are considered to be incomplete. You will be notified of the next steps in the process via email! In the meantime, Let’s stay in touch through social media. Follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

What Happens Next?

• We will review your application and all supplemental materials to select the best qualified applicants to continue in the process. Screening will include a review of qualifications, application appraisal rating of education, training and experience and relevance of background qualifications related to the target job as well as supplemental questions if applicable.
• Applicants selected to move forward in the process may be asked to participate in any combination of the following (at any phase of the selection process): a written examination, job related exercise, physical test or job simulation, phone interview, in-person or video interview(s), and/or web-based testing.
• All offers of employment are conditional and new hires are subject to complete a pre-employment background screening that will consist of reference checks, livescan/fingerprint check and a civil check. Some positions require a medical examination, psychological examination, credit check, polygraph, drug testing, and full background investigation depending on the job characteristics. All new hires are required to show that they are eligible to work in the United States. All of these processes must be successfully completed before employment begins.
• The final phase of the selection process is the probationary period, which in most cases is twelve months.
  
  

Reasonable Accommodations

The City of Pittsburg is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and provides equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, creed, age, physical or mental disability, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws in its employment actions, decisions, policies and practices.

The City of Pittsburg Human Resources Department will make reasonable efforts in the selection process to accommodate disabled applicants. Individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation in the process must inform the Human Resources Department by the final filing date.

Regular employees receive benefits. For benefit information please review the Benefit Matrix or AFSCME Miscellanous-A Labor Agreement.

01

Your supplemental questionnaire will be reviewed to determine your qualifications for the position. The questions are designed to gain specific information regarding your experience. Supplemental responses that correspond to your work history should correlate with your employment application. Please provide concise, yet detailed responses to each question. Failure to complete all of applicable questions or incomplete responses may result in disqualification. Your work history must be current on your application. Multiple positions held at one employer must be listed separately. Do not answer any question with "see resume" and if you do not have any experience and/or education in a given area type "N/A". I understand that my application and supplemental responses will be screened to determine if I move forward in the recruitment and selection process.

• Yes
• No
  
  

02

Have you completed specialized secretarial/office support/administrative training or college level coursework related business, office administration, public administration or a related field?

• Yes
• No
  
  

03

If yes to question #2, please list college level courses below or where you completed the secretarial/office support/administrative training.

04

Describe your work experience performing administrative or office support. In your response include:

• Software/computer applications (including any specialty software) used to perform tasks including the reason why it was used
• Internal and external customer service provided
• Special project assignments
• Working with various levels (departments/divisions) in an organization *Confidential support provided
  
  

05

Describe your experience preparing documents and reports that require high accuracy for processing.

06

Do you have any experience in work orders and/or a work order system? If yes, for what type of work and what system?

07

Do you have experience reconciling credit cards and paying invoices? Please describe.

• Required Question