Clerk Secretary

Rhode Island Department of Education; Providence (RI); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Rhode Island Department of Education seeks a highly organized Clerk Secretary to provide comprehensive administrative support in a fast-paced educational environment. This role serves as a key contact for staff, families, and community partners, handling correspondence, scheduling, records, meetings, and department communications.

Ideal candidates demonstrate strong clerical and technology skills, attention to detail, and professionalism, with fluency in Spanish and English.

Qualifications

• A thorough knowledge of office methods, practices, procedures and terms.
• Ability to perform complex data entry and word processing functions with reasonable speed and accuracy.
• Ability to generate reports, documents, letters and other materials using appropriate software.
• Ability to organize data and formulate methods for data presentation.
• High initiative and judgement; follow complex written or oral instructions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as private secretary to a director or assistant director of a state department or agency.
• Handle correspondence, arrange conferences, and coordinate appointments.
• Prepare and review letters, memoranda, forms and records for content and policy compliance.
• Perform routine office tasks and maintain confidential files.
• Conduct data entry and generate reports using software applications.

Skills

Office methods

Data entry

Word processing

Report generation

Communication skills

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Tools

Excel

Access

Job description

Rhode Island Department of Education Rhode Island Department of Education - Providence , Rhode Island Open in Google Maps

Clerk Secretary

Job Details

Job ID: 5912879

Application Deadline: Sep 28, 2026 11:59 PM (UTC)

Posted: Sep 17, 2026 12:00 AM (UTC)

Starting Date: To Be Determined

Job Description

The Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (RIDE) is seeking a highly organized and customer-focused Clerk Secretary to provide comprehensive administrative support for a fast-paced educational environment. This position serves as a key point of contact for staff, families, and community partners, ensuring efficient office operations through the management of correspondence, scheduling, records, meetings, and departmental communications. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong clerical and technology skills, attention to detail, professionalism, and fluency in Spanish and English. Success in this role requires excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to prioritize multiple tasks, and a commitment to supporting initiatives that advance high-quality teaching and learning for all students.
GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES: To serve as a private secretary to a director or assistant director of a state department or agency; to relieve such official of important administrative details; to handle correspondence and other routine matters; and to do related work as required.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED: Assignments and instructions are given in broad outline with specific instructions only in unusual or unprecedented situations; only important and/or complicated assignments are reviewed upon completion.
SUPERVISION EXERCISED: May supervise and review the work of a small clerical staff, but normally this class will serve in an advisory or consulting capacity to this staff.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES OF WORK PERFORMED:
To serve as a private secretary to a director or assistant director of a state department or agency.
To relieve such official of important administrative details such as: arranging his conferences and meetings with other state officials as well as representatives of other public, private, professional organizations; answering all types of verbal and written inquiries of an administrative nature which do not involve complex interpretations of departmental or agency policies and procedures; and reviewing correspondence, memoranda, statements, forms and records for content and compliance, with administrative policies and procedures, signing all such documents as authorized on his behalf.
To be responsible for routine office matters such as: composing, independently, all kinds of correspondence not requiring administrative judgement and interpretation of the policies and rules and regulations of the department or agency and signing such correspondence; obtaining information or material needed by the department or agency head in answering correspondence, conducting telephone conversations, preparing speeches or in formulating new methods or procedures; initiating and receiving personal and telephone contacts with the responsibility of making appointments, answering requests for administrative information, interviewing callers and referring them through the proper channels and conferring with other employees in the department or agency to solve problems relating to coordination of work and other matters in order to relieve the administrative official of as much detail as possible; and maintaining confidential departmental or agency files.
To perform complex word processing and data entry functions utilizing sophisticated word processing software programs including but not limited to, Excel, Access, and other advanced word processing programs and data entry methods and procedures.
To generate reports, documents, letters and other materials using appropriate software applications.
To organize data and formulate methods for data presentation based upon needs and requirements.
As required, to supervise and review the work of a small clerical staff or act in an advisory or consulting capacity to this staff.
To perform other routine clerical tasks incidental to the work of the office.
To do related work as required.

Position Type: Full-time

Job Categories

Support Staff > Clerical

Job Requirements

• REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS FOR APPOINTMENT:
  KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS AND CAPACITIES: A thorough knowledge of office methods, practices, procedures and terms; a thorough knowledge of business English; a working knowledge of commercial arithmetic; the ability to perform complex data entry/word processing functions with reasonable speed and accuracy* ; the ability to generate reports, documents, letters and other materials using appropriate software applications; the ability organize data and formulate methods for data presentation; to the ability to handle, independently, routine but important administrative details including the composition of important letters and memoranda; the ability exercise a high degree of initiative and judgement; the ability to understand and follow complex written or oral instructions; the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with other state departments or agencies, public and private organizations and departmental or agency personnel; and related capacities and abilities.
  EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
  Education: Such as may have been gained through graduation from a senior high school, including or supplemented by courses typing, word processing and business practices; and
  Experience: Such as may have been gained through employment in a responsible secretarial position including difficult or complex clerical duties and the independent handling of important but minor administrative details.
  Or, any combination of education and experience that shall be substantially equivalent to the above education and experience.
• At least 5 year(s) of relevant experience preferred.
• High School/Trade School degree preferred.
• Citizenship, residency or work visa required

Contact Information

• Kayla Duarte , Executive Associate
• 255 Westminster Street
• Office of Human Resources
• Providence , Rhode Island 02903
• Phone: [phone]
• Fax: [phone]
• Email: [e-mail]