Administrative Assistant

Houston-Galveston Area Council; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Houston-Galveston Area Council is seeking an organized administrative professional to support the Director and departments. The role includes managing calendars, coordinating agendas, handling purchasing, and assisting with onboarding, committee activities, and community engagement within the Metropolitan planning region.

The position offers opportunities to streamline processes, improve records management, and support executives, staff, and external partners across multiple departments.

Qualifications

• Strong organizational, time-management, communication, and customer-service skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently and collaboratively.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to prepare professional correspondence, reports, presentations, agendas, and meeting records.
• Knowledge of office administration, purchasing, records management, and meeting/event coordination.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.

Responsibilities

• Director and Department Support: manage calendars, meetings, travel, correspondence, and follow-up activities.
• Purchasing and Financial Administration: coordinate purchases, invoices, and related records.
• Employee Onboarding and Staff Support: coordinate onboarding/offboarding, workspace access, and training.
• Committee and Subcommittee Support: coordinate meetings, agendas, minutes, and records.
• Community Engagement Support: assist with engagement activities across the division.

Skills

Organizational skills

Time management

Communication

Customer service

Attention to detail

Professionalism

Discretion

Procurement procedures

MS 365 proficiency

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Post-secondary education (preferred)

Tools

Microsoft 365

Outlook

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

SharePoint

Teams

Job description

About Houston-Galveston Area Council

The Houston-Galveston Area Council is one of the largest regional planning commissions in the country with a diverse service area of 13 counties and more than 7 million people. We are the pulse of our region addressing issues that cross city limits and county lines every single day. We make decisions that affect our transportation system, ensure the safety and well-being of our seniors, connect people to jobs, help families recover from natural disasters, preserve water quality for our children, and so much more. We work to make the region a great place to live, work, and thrive.

What will I be doing?

Director and Department Support

• Manage the Department Director’s calendar, meetings, travel, correspondence, and follow-up activities.
• Prepare and coordinate agendas, reports, presentations, correspondence, meeting materials, and other departmental documents.
• Track assignments, action items, deadlines, and decisions.
• Coordinate department meetings, workshops, training, staff events, and other activities.
• Maintain departmental calendars, records, contact lists, shared files, templates, and procedures.
• Respond to routine inquiries and route requests to appropriate staff.
• Handle confidential information professionally and support special projects and administrative process improvements.

Purchasing and Financial Administration

• Coordinate departmental purchases, registrations, memberships, supplies, equipment, and services.
• Process purchase requests, invoices, expense documentation, reimbursements, travel authorizations, and related records.
• Coordinate with Finance, Procurement, vendors, and staff to resolve purchasing and payment issues.
• Maintain purchasing and expenditure records and assist with basic budget tracking and reconciliation.
• Help ensure transactions comply with budgets, procurement procedures, documentation requirements, and internal controls.

Employee Onboarding and Staff Support

• Coordinate department-level onboarding and offboarding for employees, interns, temporary staff, and contractors.
• Work with HR, IT, Facilities, and other departments to coordinate workspace, equipment, system access, credentials, orientation, and training.
• Maintain onboarding materials, staff directories, organizational charts, and related administrative records.
• Assist with professional development, conferences, training, and employee recognition activities.

Committee and Subcommittee Support

• Provide administrative and logistical support for committees, subcommittees, and working groups.
• Coordinate meeting schedules, invitations, notices, locations, virtual platforms, attendance, and meeting materials.
• Prepare and distribute agendas, presentations, minutes, handouts, and action-item summaries.
• Maintain committee rosters, records, calendars, historical files, and track follow-up activities.
• Coordinate in-person, virtual, and hybrid meetings and communicate with committee members, elected officials, partner agencies, consultants, and the public.

Community Engagement Support

• Provide administrative and logistical support for community engagement activities across the Metropolitan Planning and Analysis Division.

Key Qualifications

• Strong organizational, time-management, communication, and customer-service skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and work independently and collaboratively.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to prepare professional correspondence, reports, presentations, agendas, and meeting records.
• Ability to exercise initiative, sound judgment, professionalism, and discretion.
• Knowledge of office administration, purchasing, records management, and meeting/event coordination.
• Ability to learn and follow organizational procurement, financial, records, and administrative procedures.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.
• Ability to work professionally with staff, executives, elected officials, agencies, vendors, community organizations, and the public.
• Basic knowledge of transportation planning, metropolitan planning organizations, public agencies, or local government operations preferred.

Core Competencies

• Administrative excellence and attention to detail
• Organization, planning, and follow-through
• Customer and public service
• Written and verbal communication

Do you have…

• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Less than a year of experience working with local government, nonprofit programs, schools, or in job-related duties

Preferred experience

• Any Post Secondary education.
• More than one year of experience working with local government, nonprofit programs, schools, or in job-related duties
• Experience supporting a director, department head, executive, or senior management team.
• Experience in local government, a regional council, metropolitan planning organization, transportation agency, nonprofit organization, or other public-sector setting.
• Experience processing purchases, invoices, travel documentation, reimbursements, or procurement records.
• Experience supporting committees, working groups, public meetings, or community engagement activities.
• Experience preparing meeting minutes and maintaining official or public records.
• Experience working with diverse communities and regional stakeholders.

All employees of H-GAC are required to reside within the agency’s region of service to support our commitment to excellence in service of our region.

H-GAC is an equal opportunity/ADA employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, or protected veteran status.