Administrative Technician

City of San Mateo; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid leave

CalPERS retirement

Job summary

The City of San Mateo is seeking an Administrative Technician in its Community Development Department. The role supports multiple divisions with data management, document development, and professional communication with stakeholders to aid in financial and personnel matters.

Successful candidates will have at least three years of relevant administrative experience, plus training or degree work in public or business administration. A comprehensive benefits package is offered.

Qualifications

• At least three years of responsible administrative support or technical experience.
• One year of lead supervisory experience is highly desirable.
• Equivalent to an Associate's degree with coursework in public or business administration, accounting, or related field.

Responsibilities

• Provide foundational organizational skills and accurate data management.
• Develop or improve documents, policies, and processes.
• Communicate professionally with stakeholders and support financial and personnel matters.

Skills

Administrative support

Data management

Communication

Budget monitoring

Project coordination

Education

Associate's degree or equivalent

Tools

MS Office (Excel, Word)

Job description

The City of San Mateo Community Development Department is looking for one (1) Administrative Technician.

The Department

The Community Development Department, also known as CDD, is organized into five divisions — Building, Code Enforcement, Housing, Planning and Business Administration. The Administrative Technician position is within the Business Administration division, reporting to the Business Manager, which supports a range of financial, technical, personnel, and high-level administrative needs across the department. CDD has broad responsibilities including, but not limited to, long-range city planning, review of applications for new developments, building permitting, implementation of the City’s housing programs, coordination of several commissions, and community outreach and engagement. You will be joining a talented team in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment dedicated to serving the San Mateo community. The Community Development Department’s core function is to ensure a quality-built environment, healthy neighborhoods, and a strong economic base in the City. Collaboration, innovation, respect, accountability, creativity, transparency, thoughtfulness, and informed risk-taking are attributes and competencies that we are seeking in the candidates.

As the Administrative Technician, you will play a crucial role in supporting the mission of the department and success of the multiple divisions by providing foundational organizational skills, accurate management of data and information, efficient development or improvement of documents/new policies and processes, professional communication with stakeholders, and supporting the department financial management and personnel matters.

The Position

The Administrative Technicians perform technical level administrative duties in support of a City department or program; to research, collect, and analyze data and prepare draft reports; to track and report operational statistics; and to provide technical assistance to management.

The Administrative Technician receives general supervision from higher-level department personnel and may exercise direct supervision over administrative support personnel.

For a complete list of duties, reference our job specifications at www.cityofsanmateo.org

Knowledge and Abilities

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of administrative and/or technical area to which assigned.
• Principles and practices of intermediate analytical research and project coordination.
• Modern office equipment, methods, procedures, and computer hardware and software.
• Principles of budget monitoring.
• Principles and practices of project management.
• Techniques and principles of effective interpersonal communication.
• Principles and methods of business letter and report writing.
• Principles and practices of safety management.
• Pertinent local, State and Federal laws, codes, ordinances, City functions, policies, rules and regulations.
• Research methods and techniques.

Ability to:

• Independently perform a variety of technical duties including research, compilation, and report development in support of assigned department or program.
• On a continuous basis, sit at a desk. Intermittently twist and reach office equipment; write and use keyboard to communicate through written means; run errands; lift or carry weight of 10 pounds or less.
• Intermittently review documents related to department operations; observe, identify and problem solve office operations and procedures; understand, interpret and explain department policies and procedures; explain operations and problem solve office issues for the public and with staff.
• Operate a personal computer utilizing spreadsheet, word processing and database software at an intermediate to advanced level.
• Collect, compile, analyze and present a variety of data in a meaningful way.
• Develop and implement various data collection and reporting systems.
• Interpret, apply and explain laws, rules, code and City policies and procedures.
• Review budget submissions and revisions for mathematical and accounting accuracy.
• Understand and translate City policies and practices into everyday working practices; make sound decisions with solid problem-solving methods.
• Supervise, train, and evaluate assigned administrative support staff.
• Understand and interpret complex policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Review documents and operational procedures; interpret, identify, explain and problem solve issues and recommend corrective action.
• Obtain information through interview; handle multiple project assignments; and deal firmly and courteously with the public.
• Analyze situations quickly and objectively to determine proper course of action.
• Understand the organization and operations of the city and of outside agencies as necessary to assume assigned technical responsibilities.
• Coordinate the development and monitoring of an assigned program project budget; project, track and reconcile expenses.
• Compose professional quality correspondence and letters; write highly technical, detailed and analytical reports.
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality of a wide range of sensitive information when involved with human resource, payroll, or other confidential issues.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

• You possess at least three years of responsible administrative support or technical experience preferably in the subject area to which assigned. One year of lead supervisory experience is highly desirable.
• You have the equivalent to an Associate's degree from an accredited college with course work in public administration, business administration, accounting, or a related field based on area of assignment.
• Comprehensive benefits package including generous paid leave and health benefits
• CalPERS retirement (2% @ 55 for classic members; 2% @ 62 for new members). Classic employees contribute 8.15% to CalPERS and New members contribute 7.50% to CalPERS.
• Participation in the Social Security Program
• Programs: Deferred Compensation plan with City match up to 0.5% of base salary, City will contribute 0.5% of base salary to the deferred compensation plan, and 1% City contribution to a Retirement Health Savings Account.

Application Deadline

Recruitment will close on September 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. or upon receipt of the first 75 applications, résumé (required), and supplemental questionnaires, whichever occurs first.

Examination Process

All applications, résumé (required) and supplemental questionnaires received will be reviewed for minimum qualifications. A fully completed application is required; a résumé does not replace the information required on the employment application, including work history. Applications with "see résumé" as a substitution for the work experience description, those with none or unclear current/past employment information, or those with insufficient information to evaluate possession of minimum qualifications will not be considered; missing information cannot be assumed. A limited number of the most highly qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the examination process, which may consist of an oral panel interview, written exercise, or in the form of a practical demonstration of skill and ability, or any combination of these; a Microsoft Teams oral panel interview is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, September 24, 2026.

An employment list will be established for those who pass the examination process. Current and future vacancies may be filled from this list. The list will remain in effect for at least six months with the possibility of an extension for an additional six months. Once placed on an employment list, and at the time a vacancy occurs, eligible candidates may be contacted by the hiring department and scheduled for additional department interviews.

Date Posted

August 12, 2026

Note: The City of San Mateo reserves the right, at its discretion, to limit the number of qualified candidates invited to the selection process. ALL RESPONSES WILL BE CONDUCTED VIA THE EMAIL ADDRESS PROVIDED IN YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION. Therefore, it is imperative that you provide an email address to which you have access, and it is recommended that you frequently check your email for notices from: [e-mail].

Fine Print

Prior to hire, candidates will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment process, including a driving record review, reference check, and Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks. A conviction history will not necessarily disqualify an applicant from appointment.

The City of San Mateo is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. It is the intent and desire of the City of San Mateo that equal employment opportunity will be provided in recruiting, hiring, training, promoting, wages, benefits, and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, applicants requiring accommodations for any part of the testing or recruitment process must notify [e-mail] or [phone] seven (7) days in advance of the deadline for the part of the process requiring accommodations. Do not upload any documents related to your request for accommodation in CalOpps. The City of San Mateo complies with employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“Together, We Make Our Community Stronger.”