Administrative Assistant

Great Plains Tribal Health; Rapid City (SD); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Great Plains Tribal Health in Rapid City, SD seeks an Administrative Specialist to support day‑to‑day operations with high‑level administrative and customer service duties. You will be the front‑line contact, providing reliable coverage and cross‑training to ensure continuity and respectful service to tribal communities.

The role blends reception duties with independent judgment, budget support, scheduling, and document preparation in a culturally mindful workplace based in Rapid City, SD.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or GED and 1 year of experience.
• Notary Public Commission within six months if required.
• Valid South Dakota driver’s license and clean driving record.
• Must pass criminal background check and pre-employment drug screen.

Responsibilities

• Greet visitors and manage access to the organization.
• Screen calls, maintain the supervisor’s calendar, and respond to inquiries.
• Prepare agendas, minutes, and meeting materials.
• Draft correspondence and reports with attention to detail.
• Assist with budget preparation, purchasing, and expense tracking.
• Coordinate travel arrangements for department staff.
• Maintain files, records, and information sources.
• Onboard departmental employees and support needed equipment.
• Gathers information, analyzes documents, and supports cross‑team communication.

Skills

Customer service

Front desk

Administrative support

Communication

Education

High School diploma or GED

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Job Summary

The Administrative Specialist position exists to support the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategic priorities by providing higher-level administrative and customer service support that contributes to effective day-to-day operations. This role serves as a skilled front desk professional and provides reliable backup coverage and cross‑training support, ensuring continuity of operations. The position combines reception duties with increased responsibility, independent judgment, and operational support to maintain efficient, professional, and culturally respectful office operations.

Essential Functions

• The following functions are fundamental to the position and are required of all incumbents, with or without reasonable accommodation. These functions define the role and are not an exhaustive list of all duties.
• Greets visitors and determines access to appropriate parties; builds and maintains customer satisfaction;
• Documents complaints and develops an appropriate course of action; and, reports problems to appropriate individual.
• Screens the supervisor’s telephone and personal calls; determines which matters can be handled independently; refers some to another office or person to handle; responds to inquiries without advice or direction; maintains appointment calendar.
• Prepares meeting agendas, notifications, and assembles packets of materials; records and prepares meeting minutes; processes post meeting documents.
• Provides liaison with supervisor’s contacts within and outside the organization; obtains and disseminates information; conveys supervisor’s directions to subordinates and department staff. Obtains, compiles, and presents in suitable form a variety of materials related to the supervisor’s work; completes special assignments as assigned.
• Creates, composes, edits, produces and/or distributes varied correspondence, reports, meeting minutes, notices and other materials, drafts or general instructions; obtains, organizes, and plans suitable presentation of content; reviews work for format consistency, grammatical construction, and typographical accuracy; presents finished materials for review, or distributes.
• Organizes budget preparation efforts; ensures all phases of the budget process are completed, submitted timely, and in the correct format; assists with maintaining internal budget tracking data to include budgeted amounts, costs to date, and other specific information as needed.
• Prepares disbursement requests to process invoices for payment; tracks and prepares expense reimbursement requests for payment; prepares purchasing requests.
• Opens, sorts, and distributes correspondence, including email, faxes, and postal mail; reads and analyzes to determine significance; routes to appropriate personnel in a timely and efficient manner; prepares replies independently when necessary.
• May track and verify time records, gets information to the Finance Department in a timely fashion. Provide payroll processing. Answer questions regarding payroll.
• Establishes and maintains files, records, and other information sources related to work; keeps suspense file on recurring and other scheduled requirements for replies and reports.
• Inputs data into computer database systems; retrieves, verifies, and corrects information from the computer system.
• Obtains, compiles, and presents in suitable form a variety of materials; completes special assignments, as assigned; develop and utilize historical information; provide retrieval of information.
• Assists with the on-boarding of departmental employees; may check references of a potential employee; will determine and complete necessary pre-hire activities to include ensuring the employee has the equipment they need prior to their first day of work.
• Controls, monitors, and maintains departmental supplies, inclusive of preparation of related purchase requisitions and disbursement forms for all equipment and supplies as well as receipt of the material.
• Gathers or searches for information from various documents; records information; makes adjustments or corrections; compares or verifies information; compiles data from source documents; computes numerical data.
• Makes arrangements and coordinates travel schedules and reservations for meetings, training, and travel away from main work site location for department personnel.
• Performs related work as required.
• Performs the core responsibilities of the position accurately, timely, and in accordance with established standards.
• Maintains regular and reliable attendance consistent with the position’s schedule and operational needs.
• Communicates effectively with internal and external stakeholders as required by the role.
• Adheres to all applicable policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Utilizes required systems, tools, and technology necessary to perform the job.

Requirements

• Participates in Core Connections training and applies GPTLHB Core Connections concepts and practices in their work.
• Exemplify excellent customer service with tribal stakeholders, health board colleagues, program partners, service recipients, visitors and guests.
• Foster a work environment of wellness, courtesy, friendliness, helpfulness and respect.
• Relate well and work collaboratively with coworkers and all levels of staff in a professional manner.
• Familiarity and/or experience working with American Indian populations and respect for and knowledge of traditional, cultural and spiritual practices of diverse American Indian communities, as well as an ability to work with other culturally and ethnically diverse populations.
• Consistently demonstrate respect for and acceptance of differing capabilities, cultures, gender, age, sexual orientation and/or personalities.
• Maintain and ensure organizational privacy and confidentiality.
• Must be able to handle crisis and tolerate stress professionally.
• Must be self-directed and take proactive initiative to assist others.
• Possess the ability to resolve issues with other departments and coworkers without direct supervision.
• Able to exercise flexibility to alter plans/routines when situations require and continue to perform without projecting stress/frustration that would adversely affect the work environment.
• Ability to maintain a flexible work schedule, including evenings, weekends and overnight or extended travel as necessary.
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to community members, consumers and other employees of the organization.
• Proficiency with computer programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and other Internet technologies.
• Valid driver’s license must be kept current, and certificates, credentials or licenses must be kept current and consistent with regulations required by applicable federal, state and/or grant regulations.
• Ability to promote an alcohol-, tobacco- and drug-free lifestyle.
• Embrace modes of appearance and attire that reflect a professional presence.
• Adhere to GPTLHB policies and procedures.

Education/Experience/Certificates/Credentials

• High School diploma or GED and one (1) year of experience.
• Possession of or ability to obtain Notary Public Commission from the State of South Dakota within six months if required for assigned area.
• Possession of or ability to readily obtain a valid driver’s license issued by the State of South Dakota with a clean driving record.
• Must successfully pass a criminal and background check, and a pre-employment drug screen.

The GPTLHB is a tribal organization which follows tribal preference laws. It is our policy to give preference to qualified Indian/Tribal candidates over qualified non-native candidates in hiring decisions, if all other qualifications are equal.

Employment is contingent upon the outcome of all required criminal background checks.

Compliance with our Employee Health Procedure is a condition of employment. You are required to agree that you will comply with all job-related employee health screening and immunizations prior to your first day of employment. Jobs require that you have documentation that you have completed the following immunizations prior to your first day of employment: MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella, Varicella (Chicken Pox), Hepatitis B, Influenza, T-dap (Tetanus - Diphtheria - Pertussis), and COVID-19 vaccination is required.