Administrative Assistant

State of Washington; Olympia (WA); On-site; USD 45,000 - 58,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work schedules

Teleworking

12 paid Holidays & Vacation

Job summary

Washington State Department of Agriculture in Olympia, WA seeks an Administrative Assistant 2 to provide administrative and operational support in the Plant Protection Division. The role manages timekeeping, budgeting, purchasing, and travel coordination for inspectors and staff.

Requirements include a high school diploma or equivalent and at least two years of clerical/administrative experience, with preferred proficiency in Excel, pivots, and data management.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Two years of clerical, office or administrative experience required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct purchasing of goods and services to support program operations.
• Create and submit purchase orders for goods and services and submit for payment.
• Serve as program travel liaison and review travel vouchers.

Skills

Clerical experience

Office administration

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Two years clerical/administrative experience

Tools

Excel

Pivot tables

Job description

AGRICULTURE - A Cornerstone of Washington's Economy

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has been serving the state for more than 100 years. Through service, regulation, and advocacy, we keep agriculture viable and vital in Washington State, while protecting consumers, public health, and the environment. We work extensively with farmers and ranchers, but our responsibilities – from ensuring food safety to environmental protection – touch the lives of millions of people locally, nationally, and abroad.

The agency includes 780 employees approximately and grows close to 1,000 employees at the peak of seasonal work. To learn more and view additional openings, please visit our Employment Page.

The Opportunity

The Plant Protection Division supports the agriculture industry and protects the environment and consumers by protecting agriculture and the environment from insect, weed, and pathogen pests, supporting pollinator and soil health, and testing for proper weights and measures and pesticide use. The WSDA Weights and Measures Program promotes marketplace equity in commercial transactions through testing and inspecting commercial devices, price verification, package inspection, public education, monitoring fuel quality, and investigating complaints. In addition, maintains the standards for mass, volume, and length in order to provide reliable measurement services for government and industry. The Administrative Assistant provides administrative and operational support for the Weights and Measures Program. This position processes employees' timekeeping, monitors budget status, performs program purchasing, acts as the program's travel liaison, compiles device inspection summary reports, and interfaces with the Department of Revenue Business Licensing Service to ensure database accuracy of licensed businesses and registered commercial weighing and measuring devices.

Important Notes

WSDA is recruiting for a full-time permanent Administrative Assistant 2 position within the Plant Protection Division. This position is located in Olympia, Washington. This position is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) Union.

Range 41 Step A $44,856 - Step L $58,392 annually.

Some of what you'll do:

Conduct purchasing of goods and services to support program operations.

• Create and submit purchase orders for goods and services and submit for payment to fiscal accounts payable or Division Coordinator for credit card payment.
• Create and submit purchase approval requests to fiscal accounts payable using Agency Gremlin software system.
• Create and submit additional required documentation to fiscal accounts payable as required by agency policy or procedure.
• Review and approve monthly recurring program expenditures including but not limited to: PC leases, mobile phone bills, fleet vehicle mileage and fuel expenses, and others as required.
• Track purchase requests with fiscal accounts payable and reconcile monthly with DES expenditure reports.

Create and submit routine operational reports to program and division leadership.

• Query program software such as PISCES to download excel spreadsheets and create regular reports on the percentage of businesses and devices inspected by county and region.
• Create other operational reports as required by program manager.
• Perform data validation and reconciliation to ensure report accuracy.

Act as program timekeeper for all inspectors, field supervisors, metrology lab staff, administrative staff and program managers.

• Complete employee timekeeping for program staff.
• Submit biweekly timesheets for all staff to payroll in a timely manner.
• Complete holiday pay processing for all program staff.

Serve as the program travel liaison for travel and reimbursement requests.

• Review and approves program staff travel voucher submissions using the agency's Travel and Expense Management System (TEMS), and forwards to appropriate person for final review or travel desk for payment.
• Provide expert guidance to program staff on agency travel policies and regulations.
• Arrange flights and rental cars for program staff with Central Booking Services for out-of-state travel requests.

Who should apply?

Professionals with:

• High school diploma or equivalent.

AND

• Two (2) years of clerical, office or administrative experience.

OR

• One (1) year of experience as an Administrative Assistant 1.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications:

• Proficient in creating and formatting excel spreadsheets, managing and comparing data sets using basic and advanced formulas, creating and editing pivot tables, creating reports, creating charts and graphs, sorting and filtering data to display desired information.

Employee Benefits

• A healthy work/life balance, which may include flexible work schedules, and teleworking.
• WSDA provides an excellent benefits package beyond traditional benefits. State employment offers Dependent Care Assistance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Deferred Compensation, Employee Recognition Leave; click here for more information.
• 12 paid Holidays & Vacation and Leave Accruals.
• All Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required will be provided by the agency.

Equity at WSDA

The Department of Agriculture recognizes, appreciates, supports, embraces, and respects all cultural identities and backgrounds while we collaborate in authentic ways. We hire amazing people that share in the commitment to our Pro-Equity Anti-Racist (PEAR) strategic plan, our Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act implementation plan, and our unique needs and desires for belonging, respect, and inclusion. We value the growth and development of our team members by providing equitable access to resources and opportunities for continuous learning, improvement, and advancement.

We strive to hire, cultivate, and retain a productive and dedicated workforce that reflects the communities we serve while we are committed to a workplace that celebrates our differences and supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, marital status, families with children (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as an individual with the presence of any sensory, mental, and physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with disabilities or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Contact Us

Should you have any questions regarding this position or the online application, contact the Human Resource Office at [e-mail].

Prior to a new appointment into the Department of Agriculture, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

The Human Resources Division may use referrals from this recruitment to help fill future similar vacancies for up to six months.

Veteran's Preference:

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and wish to claim Veteran's Preference MUST attach a copy of their DD214, or other verification of military service. Please blackout any personally identifiable data such as social security numbers. For additional information on Veteran's Preference and guidance on how to determine if you are eligible, click here.

Persons with a disability, who need assistance with their application or need this announcement in an alternative format, may call 664-1960 or toll free [phone]. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

For more information about the Washington State Department of Agriculture, visit us at www.agr.wa.gov.