This position is a grade 117- Placement range= $24.50 to $28.01 per hour.

Summary

Performs specialized secretarial and administrative support duties, including (but not limited to) support to district-wide administrative projects, programs, and student services such as but not limited to functional areas of special education, educational services, teaching and learning, and business.

Distinguishing Career Features

The Senior Administrative Assistant represents a senior level in a multi-tiered career path encompassing advanced administrative and secretarial support of a visible nature requiring knowledge of and skill at working with legal/contractual documents and processes. This position usually reports to a cabinet-level administrator whose position involves substantial programs and projects, dealing with legal and vendor/student-centered confidential dialog. The Senior Administrative Assistant requires competencies such as the ability to independently carry out projects that involve other departments and sites, coordinate information gathering for reports and special studies, prepare and monitor professional services contracts, conduct research, and disseminate and maintain information designated for wide distribution. Senior Administrative Assistants may be required to demonstrate bilingual/bi-literate competency.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Incumbents at this level are qualified and capable of performing all of the essential duties but may focus on or be specialized in certain aspects that are reflective of the administrative division being supported.
• Provides support to one or more senior administrators. Completes work assignments by applying in-depth understanding of the functions and procedures of the division and a basic understanding of the functions and procedures of other divisions.
• Prepares, organizes, and maintains a variety of comprehensive employee and/or student
• files and records. Receives, handles, and stores the confidential, private, and sensitive information pertaining to education services, special education, and curriculum.
• Performs special projects as assigned. Conducts research of file libraries, education-related cases, official proceedings, contracts, and trends, etc., to compile reports for administration or to regulatory or governing agencies.
• Assists with periodic analytical reports requiring research, estimates, and presentations that integrate text and graphics. Prepares reports for state and local agency requirements.
• Prepares technical documents such as agreements and contracts for services used by and/or provided by the department. Processes documents for editing and approval and distributes executed contracts.
• Provides administrative support to inter-departmental committees and other special processes including and not limited to curriculum, student-centered individual education plans, and discipline. Prepares forms, revisions, and final documents to support proceedings. Provides translation to/from a second language in those proceedings.
• Assists with the preparation of budget proposals, maintaining communications with work
• sections on information needs. Maintains approved budgets, transaction records, including those for capital outlay, special projects, and grant-funded activities.
• Reconciles expenditures and initiates budget allocation changes and reassignments of
• funds to and from various accounts, coordinating with accounting staff to assure compliance. Prepares requisitions and claims for reimbursement.
• Schedules appointments and arranges meetings. Prepares schedules and informs participants, confirming dates and times. May initiate travel and conference reservations.
• Prepares board agenda items, agreements, and contracts for services/facilities used by and/or provided by the division. Processes contract documents and sets up internal routines for monitoring performance.
• Prepares routine documents such as and not limited to requisitions and purchase orders.
• Orders merchandise and services from pre-approved purchase orders and within authorized spending limits.
• Performs other duties as assigned that support the overall objective of the position.

Qualifications

Knowledge and Skills

Requires working knowledge of modern office practices, procedures, and equipment, including filing systems, receptionist and telephone techniques, and letter and report writing. Requires working knowledge of District and department operations, policies, procedures, and calendars. Requires working knowledge of Education Codes applicable to curriculum, student affairs, business practices, and special education. Requires a working knowledge of, and skill at using personal computer-based software programs that support this level of work, including but not limited to word processing, spreadsheets, basic presentation graphics, special applications used by the organization unit, and data entry onto custom databases. Requires sufficient math skills to perform financial and statistical record-keeping. Requires sufficient knowledge of proper English usage grammar, spelling, and punctuation to prepare professional correspondence. Requires well-developed human relations skills to work productively and cooperatively with diverse teams, initiate and advance employee relations and engagement strategies, exercise patience when dealing with internal and external customers, and convey technical concepts.

Abilities

Requires the ability to independently perform all of the duties of the position. Requires the ability to accurately take and transcribe notes and/or meeting minutes/recollections from private meetings, conferences having legal implications, and collective bargaining processes. Requires the ability to learn, interpret, explain, and apply knowledge of District and organization unit services, operations, programs, functions, special terminology used in the organization unit, and labor agreements to relieve others of a variety of administrative details. Requires the ability to prepare spreadsheets, graphs, and charts, and enter, import, and export data to and from databases. Requires the ability to plan, organize,e and prioritize work in order to meet schedules and timelines. Requires the ability to communicate with administrators, students, staff, and the community using patience and courtesy and in a manner that reflects positively on the organization unit.

Physical Abilities

The position incumbent must be able to function indoors in an office environment engaged in work of primarily a sedentary nature. Requires ambulatory ability to sit for extended periods of time, to utilize microcomputers and peripheral equipment, accomplish other desktop work, and to move to various District locations. Requires the ability to use near vision to read printed materials. Requires auditory ability to carry on conversations in person and over the phone. Requires the ability to retrieve work materials from overhead, waist, and ground-level files. Requires manual and finger dexterity to write, use a pointing device and keyboard at an acceptable rate that meets District deadline and accuracy standards, operate microcomputer, and use other standardized office equipment, almost constantly requiring repetitive motions.

Education and Experience

The position typically requires a high school diploma plus post-secondary coursework in secretarial science or related business profession and 5-8 years of experience in an educational or legal environment. Additional higher education may substitute for some experience.

Licenses and Certificates

May require a valid driver's license. May require bilingual/bi-literate certification.

Working Conditions

Work is performed indoors where minimal safety considerations exist.

This job/class description describes the general nature of the work performed, representative duties as well as the typical qualifications needed for acceptable performance. It is not intended to be a complete list of all responsibilities, duties, work steps, and skills required for the job.