Administrative Assistant II Confidential

City of San Luis Obispo; San Luis Obispo (CA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of San Luis Obispo is seeking an Administrative Assistant II – Confidential who supports both the Finance and Human Resources Departments with calendar management, document processing, and confidential recordkeeping. This role serves as a dependable point of contact for staff and the public, contributing to efficient departmental operations.

Key responsibilities include supporting HR processes, payroll-related tasks, and financial recordkeeping, while maintaining discretion with

Qualifications

• Handles confidential information with discretion and tact.
• Schedules appointments and meetings for department leadership.
• Provides frontline customer service to staff and the public.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and process correspondence, reports, and documents for HR and Finance.
• Maintain confidential personnel and medical files following records retention policies.
• Greet visitors and answer department main phone lines with professional, accurate information.
• Coordinate meeting logistics, agendas, and minutes for management meetings.
• Assist with pay-related reports, invoicing, and expense tracking under supervision.
• Support website updates and department communications as needed.

Skills

Customer service

Calendar management

Document preparation

Record management

Communication

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Two years of office support/clerical experience

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Microsoft Excel

Job description

The City of San Luis Obispo is seeking an Administrative Assistant II – Confidential who brings strong organization, clear communication, and genuine customer service to both the Finance and Human Resources Departments. This shared role supports employees and the public as a dependable point of contact and assists department directors with calendar management, meeting coordination, and everyday administrative work that keeps the departments running smoothly.

The Administrative Assistant II – Confidential works across both departments by handling scheduling, document preparation, record management, customer service, and routine administrative processes. The position requires strong attention to detail along with the ability to shift smoothly between Finance and Human Resources needs throughout the workweek.

Human Resources Responsibilities

• The Human Resources portion of the role includes serving as the welcoming presence of the department, stationed at the front desk to greet employees, job applicants, and visitors, and to answer the department’s main phone line. Responsibilities include maintaining personnel files, supporting records retention efforts, assisting with responses to Public Records Act requests, and coordinating training assignments for employees across the organization. The role also prepares pay day reports, provides administrative support for risk management activities, and processes notices from the Employment Development Department. In addition, the position supports general HR operations through employee communication, assistance with department projects, and careful maintenance of accurate and confidential records.

Finance Responsibilities

• The Finance portion of the role includes providing general administrative support to the department, including answering and directing calls on the department’s main phone line, making updates to the department’s website, preparing expense reports, managing the department’s record retention efforts, and calendaring for the Director of Finance. The Administrative Assistant will prepare the agenda and minutes for the City’s Investment Oversight Committee and will also serve as the clerk for those meetings. As needed, the position will also provide support to the Financial Plan Steering Committee meetings. The position will also provide support as needed to the department’s various divisions, particularly the Revenue team during annual business license renewals by answering business operator questions by phone or email. The position may also sit at the front counter to provide backup to the department’s Cashier when other staff are unavailable.

Interview Details

If you are selected for interviews, they are expected to take place in person on Thursday, November 12, 2026, so please tentatively hold that date.

If you have questions about the role or would like more details, our hiring managers are available and happy to connect:

• HR Director - Nickole Domini

• Finance Director – Emily Jackson

JOB SUMMARY

Performs a variety of responsible and confidential administrative support activities; prepares, processes, and maintains reports, documents, and records related to assigned activities; provides factual information to staff and the public; performs standard clerical tasks in support of departmental operations; supports activities associated with labor relations, labor negotiations, and employee grievances; performs related work as assigned.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS

This is the journey-level classification in this series, capable of performing a wide variety of clerical and administrative tasks to ensure smooth day-to-day operations and high-quality customer service for the assigned department. Responsibilities include performing work independently in routine situations, with supervisory guidance available for complex or unusual matters. The work may require applying departmental policies, procedures, and regulations, as well as maintaining records, preparing standard reports, and interacting with the public, internal customers, and external groups.

Administrative Assistant II (Confidential) is distinguished from Administrative Assistant II in that the former provides highly sensitive and confidential administrative support related to employee grievances and other labor relations matters.

This class is distinguished from Administrative Assistant III (Confidential) by the lesser degree of complexity, independence, and policy interpretation required.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Receives general supervision from departmental management, supervisory, professional, or higher-level office support staff, depending upon the department to which assigned. May provide direction, work instruction, and/or review to less experienced, part-time or volunteer staff on a project basis.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prepares and processes correspondence, reports, forms, and documents, often related to confidential personnel and employee relations matters; proofreads materials for accuracy, completeness, and correct formatting and English usage.
• Provides confidential administrative support to management staff related to employee grievances and other sensitive personnel matters, including gathering, reviewing, organizing information, and drafting preliminary correspondence.
• Acts as receptionist; receives and screens visitors and telephone calls; provides factual information requiring the application and explanation of rules, policies, and procedures and maintains discretion when handling confidential inquiries.
• Establishes and maintains office files, including confidential personnel and medical files, following an established records management system; complies with legal request for copies of files; purges files as required.
• Organizes and maintains administrative, confidential, and reference files; may assist with tasks such as receiving official personnel-related documents.
• Assists with preparation of meeting agendas, confidential materials, and minutes for management-level or personnel-related meetings; coordinates schedules, logistics, and materials.
• Attends to a variety of office administrative details, such as keeping informed of departmental activities, transmitting information, ordering and coordinating supply orders and arranging for equipment purchase and maintenance.
• Provides high-level customer service to internal and external customers; explains policies and procedures and responds to inquiries involving a high degree of tact, patience, and judgment.
• Performs arithmetic calculations, prepares basic statistical summaries, and may assist with department fiscal tasks such as invoicing or expense reporting under direction.
• Schedules appointments, meetings, and meeting rooms.
• Processes and distributes incoming and outgoing mail for the office or department.
• Operates standard office equipment, including job-related computer hardware and software applications, facsimile equipment, multi-line telephones, and department specific systems as required.
• May prepare meeting agendas and minutes for departmental and/or specified committee or advisory body meetings; may serve on a variety of departmental or City‑wide project teams or committees.
• Performs related duties similar to the above in scope and function as requested.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of

• Standard office practices and procedures, including filing, records management, and operation of office equipment.
• Departmental and City functions, policies, procedures, and applicable laws, rules, and regulations.
• Confidential records handling, retention practices, and procedures related to sensitive personnel information.
• Business letter writing and standard formats for reports and correspondence.
• Computer applications, including word processing, spreadsheet, database management, and website applications.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service to staff and the public.

Ability to

• Perform varied office support duties using independent judgment within established guidelines.
• Apply and explain departmental and City policies, procedures, and regulations, including those involving confidential or sensitive matters.
• Prepare clear and accurate correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions.
• Maintain confidentiality and exercise tact, discretion, and sound judgment when handling sensitive personnel information.
• Make accurate arithmetic and basic statistical calculations.
• Communicate effectively in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
• Compile information from various sources, maintain accurate records, and follow retention and confidentiality requirements.
• Organize own work, set priorities, meet deadlines, and handle multiple objectives.
• Work with diverse populations and maintain an inclusive environment.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Administrative Assistant II (Confidential)

Equivalent to graduation from high school;

and

Two years of responsible office support, secretarial, or general clerical experience.

or

An equivalent combination of education and experience.

One year of college or technical school training in office managementor a field related to the work (30 semester units or 45 quarter units) may be substituted for one of the two years of total required experience.

Experience in dealing with the public and working in a public agency setting is desirable.

Word processing speed of at least 45 w.p.m. is preferred.

THIS POSITION WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING BEFORE A FINAL OFFER IS MADE

• Live Scan Fingerprinting (DOJ & FBI)