What are the responsibilities and job description for the DEPUTY CITY CLERK position at City of Portsmouth?
General Statement of the Job & Essential Functions
Under general supervision, this position prepares and maintains official municipal records, and provides information and support to the department. Reports to City Clerk.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Assists with the preparation of City Council agendas and packets, legal advertisements, and public hearing notices as directed.
Assists other City departments and citizens by providing information on the history of the City and City Council actions.
Greets visitors, answers telephone, performs routine office tasks such as typing correspondence and invoices, scanning document, filing, faxing, emailing, ordering supplies, and photocopying.
Performs administrative support work such as word processing, creating spreadsheets, data entry and retrieval, and functions that may require interpretation, judgment and determining appropriate processes to be used; reviews forms, data and other information to ensure accuracy and conformance to established procedures and policies.
Serves as a Notary and be aware of applicable state laws relating to that function. Certifies copies of legal documents to guarantee record conformity with appropriate signatures complying with City Council session.
Performs other related work as required. Individual assignments will be determined by supervisor based on current workload and department needs.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Knowledge of Job: Has some knowledge of the policies, procedures, rules and regulations of city government. Is able to use common office machines. Is able to conduct legal research and analysis. Is able to compile technical information from a variety of sources and prepare clear and concise reports. Is able to exercise considerable initiative and independent judgment in analyzing and applying standards to a variety of situations. Is able to exercise considerable tact, courtesy and discretion in contact with Members of Council, other elected and appointed official, and the general public. Is able to exercise considerable discretion in handling confidential files. Is able to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
Quality of Work: 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.
Quantity of Work: Maintains effective and efficient output of all duties and responsibilities as described under "Essential Job Functions."
Dependability: Assumes responsibility for doing assigned work and meeting deadlines. Completes assigned work on or before deadlines in accordance with directives, city policy, standards and prescribed procedures. Accepts accountability for meeting assigned responsibilities in the technical, human and conceptual areas.
Attendance: 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.
Initiative and Enthusiasm: 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.
Judgment: 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.
Cooperation: Accepts supervisory instruction and direction and strives to meet the goals and objectives of same. 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.
Relationships with Others: 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, program clients, Director of Social Services, professionals and the general public.
Coordination of Work: 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.
Safety and Housekeeping: 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.
Education, Experience & Special Requirements
Requires any combination of education (above high school graduation) equivalent to an associate’s degree with emphasis in Business Administration or closely related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
An acceptable general background check to include a local and state criminal history check and sex offender registry check.
A valid driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.
Must be willing to coordinate duties with continued education to become Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) with the International Municipal Clerks Association.
Must be able to work evenings, weekends, holidays when required to meet operational needs.
Required to work hours in excess of required normally scheduled hours in response to department needs and/or citywide emergencies.
Physical Demands
Physical Requirements: Must be physically able to operate a variety of computers and their peripheral equipment, and common office machines such as typewriters, copier, calculator, etc. Must be able to exert up to 40 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds of force frequently and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Physical requirements are those for Sedentary Work.
Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.
Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments and/or directions to subordinates or assistants.
Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, records, forms, statistical summaries, policy manuals, etc. Requires the ability to prepare reports, correspondence, records, forms, etc., 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.
Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatical form; deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
Verbal Aptitude: 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 using Standard English.
Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas, to add and subtract, multiply and divide. Must be able to utilize decimals and percentages; interpret graphs.
Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.
Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using automated office equipment.
Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items, office equipment, control knobs, switches, etc. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.
Color Discrimination: Does not require the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.
Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under minimal levels of stress when confronted with persons acting under stress.
Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and/or hear: (talking - expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words; hearing - perceiving nature of sounds by ear).
