Administrative Assistant

City of Petaluma; Petaluma (CA); On-site; USD 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental & Vision insurance

Life insurance & Long-Term Disability

Employee Assistance Program

Wellness Benefit

Paid Parental Leave

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Job summary

The City of Petaluma is seeking an Administrative Assistant in the Community Development Department. The role may be used to fill future vacancies across other City departments over the next 12 months.

Provide varied secretarial and office administrative support to the Assistant City Manager or a division head and related staff. Duties include handling visitors, filing, drafting documents, organizing meetings, taking minutes, and processing payments.

Qualifications

• Equivalent to graduation from high school; college, business, or secretarial school training is highly desirable.
• Three years of secretarial or office support experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide varied secretarial and office administrative assistance to the Assistant City Manager or a division head and associated supervisory and professional staff.
• Receive and screen visitors and telephone calls, assist the public with forms and information.
• Type and draft documents, prepare reports, and maintain files.
• Schedule meetings, organize agendas, take minutes, and coordinate activities.
• Process cash, checks, and other payments and reconcile transactions.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Three years of secretarial or office support experience

Job description

Administrative Assistant

The City is currently recruiting for one (1) Administrative Assistant position in the Community Development Department. This recruitment may also be used to fill future Administrative Assistant vacancies in other City departments that arise within the next 12 months.

SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE

• SALARY: $63,356.80 - 77,043.20(+2% COLA in July 2027)
• FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING:
  • MEDICAL INSURANCE: Choice of a variety of CalPERS Health Plans. City pays ~95% of the Bay Area Kaiser premium for employee & eligible dependents; or alternative option to receive Medical Cash Back (if you have medical coverage elsewhere). Please see the 2026 Health Plan Contribution Memo.
  • DENTAL & VISION INSURANCE: Coverage for employees & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
  • LIFE INSURANCE: Competitive life insurance & Long-Term Disability benefits. Option to purchase additional life insurance.
  • EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Support and benefits, for you & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
  • WELLNESS BENEFIT: $500 annual allowance (subject to the annual budget approval process and may change in the future)
• FOR YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE:
  • CALPERS RETIREMENT PACKAGE
    • 2% at 60 for Classic CalPERS members
    • 2% at 62 for PEPRA CalPERS members
  • DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN: voluntary participation in your choice of three plan offerings.
• FOR YOUR WORK / LIFE BALANCE (annual amounts):
  • Vacation: 80 Hours, increasing with years of service
  • Sick Leave: 96 hours
  • Holidays: 13 fixed days
  • Personal Leave: 20 hours (per fiscal year)
• Other Benefits:
  • Paid Parental Leave – up to 8 weeks of paid time for qualifying family bonding
  • Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Employer

For more information regarding the benefits associated with this position, please visit our website and look at the Unit 3 Memorandum of Understanding and Employee Benefits.

Summary

Provide varied secretarial and office administrative assistance to the Assistant City Manager, or a division head, and associated supervisory and professional staff.

Class Characteristics

General supervision is provided by a higher level supervisor or manager; responsibilities may include the indirect supervision of support staff.

This class is distinguished from other City office support classes in that the Administrative Assistant provides secretarial and office administrative services for the Assistant City Manager or a designated division head and related supervisory or professional staff. General guidelines for action are normally established by the unit manager; however, day-to-day activities may require the use of initiative and independent judgment, particularly when prioritizing work from several staff members or when dealing with a variety of City staff and representatives of the public. This class is distinguished from Senior Administrative Assistant in that the latter provides complex and sensitive secretarial assistance to a department director and associated managerial and professional staff.

The duties, skills, and demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with a disability to perform the essential duties, skills, and demands.

Receive and screen visitors and telephone calls, assist the public in completing and filing applications and other forms, and provide factual information which may require the interpretation of policies and procedures; take messages or refer the caller to the proper person.

Research and compile a variety of informational materials from sources both inside and outside of the office; open and sort mail and attach pertinent back-up materials.

Type and draft a wide variety of finished documents from stenographic notes, brief instructions, or printed materials; may use word processing equipment; input and retrieve data and prepare reports using an on-line or personal computer system; initiate specified correspondence independently for signature by appropriate management, supervisory, or professional staff; review finished materials for completeness, accuracy, format, and compliance with policies and procedures, and appropriate English usage.

Organize and maintain various office files; follow up on projects, transmit information, and keep informed of unit activities; schedule and arrange for meetings; organize own work, set priorities and meet critical deadlines; may arrange for meetings, including preparing and distributing agenda materials and taking and producing minutes of actions or proceedings.

Collect fees, handle cash, credit, and check transactions, and issue receipts for various services; reconcile cash, credit, and checks processed.

Specified positions may require skill in taking dictation by hand or stenographic machine at a rate of 80 words per minute and transcribing it accurately.

Prepare meeting agendas and distribute materials; attend meetings to take minutes; prepare and distribute minutes; compile, edit, package, and track reports.

Perform related duties as assigned.

Knowledge of:

Standard office administrative and secretarial practices and procedures, including business letter writing.

City’s policies, rules, administrative regulations, and procedures.

Record keeping, report preparation, and filing methods.

Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary.

Standard business arithmetic.

Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, and databases.

Education and Experience

Education:

Equivalent to graduation from high school; college, business, or secretarial school training is highly desirable.

Experience:

Three years of secretarial or office support experience.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use the computer keyboard and mouse, use hands to finger, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms, talk or hear, stand, walk, and stoop, or crouch. Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Requires the ability to work in an office environment where the noise level is usually moderate.