Elderly Services Program Assistant

City of Danbury; Danbury (CT); On-site; USD 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Danbury is seeking an Elderly Services Program Assistant to provide operational support for senior programs, events, and services. This role includes clerical duties, front desk backup, and assisting with breakfast programs and recreational activities.

Qualifications include a high school diploma (or equivalent), 1–3 years' experience with older adults, and bilingual English/Spanish proficiency; a valid driver's license is required.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; 1–3 years with older adults preferred.
• Bilingual English/Spanish required.

Responsibilities

• Provide quality customer service to senior center members and visitors.
• Greets visitors and provides orientations and program information.
• Maintain a visible presence and address client needs and safety concerns.
• Perform routine clerical duties: copying, filing, data entry, calendaring.
• Provide backup coverage at the front desk as needed.
• Assist with special projects and program operations.

Skills

Customer service

Bilingual English/Spanish

MS Office

Data entry

Public interaction

Organizational skills

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Associate's degree (optional)

Tools

MS Office

Internet

Job description

The City of Danbury is announcing an Open Competitive Exam for the position of Elderly Services Program Assistant

Statement of Duties

This position is responsible for providing operational support to ensure programs, events, and services run smoothly. This employee may be assigned special projects and will perform clerical duties.

Supervision Required

Employee works under the general supervision of the Director of Elderly Services. The employee is familiar with the work routine and uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments independently with specific instruction. The supervisor provides additional, specific instruction for new, difficult, or unusual assignments, including suggested work methods. The employee is expected to recognize instances which are out of the ordinary and which do not fall within existing instructions; in such cases, the employee is expected to seek advice and further instructions. Reviews and checks of the employee’s work are applied to an extent sufficient to keep the supervisor aware of progress, and to ensure that completed work and methods used are technically accurate and that instructions are being followed.

Supervisory Responsibility

Employee is not regularly required to supervise other employees.

Confidentiality

Access to some confidential information, not department-wide, that is obtained during performance of essential functions.

Accountability

Consequences of errors or poor judgment may include missed deadlines, adverse public relations, and/or monetary loss.

Judgment

Numerous standardized practices, procedures, or general instructions govern the work and, in some cases, may require additional interpretation. Judgment is needed to locate, select, and apply the most pertinent practice, procedure, regulation, or guideline.

Complexity

The work consists of a variety of duties which generally follow standardized practices, procedures, regulations or guidelines. The sequence of work and/ or the procedures followed vary according to the nature of the transaction and/ or the information involved, or sought, in a particular situation.

Work Environment

Work Environment: everyday discomforts typical of indoor environments such as office settings, with occasional exposure to outside elements when assisting with specific programs. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant.

Nature and Purpose of Relationships

Relationships are primarily with co-workers and the public involving frequent explanation, discussion, or interpretation of practices, procedures, regulations, or guidelines to render service, plan or coordinate work efforts, or resolve operating problems. Other regular contacts are with service recipients and employees of outside organizations such as community partners and volunteers. Extraordinary courtesy, tact, and diplomacy may be required to resolve complaints or deal with uncooperative or uninformed persons.

Occupational Risk

Duties generally do not present occupational risk with only occasional exposure to risk or stress.

Essential Functions

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. Omitting specific duty statements does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• 1. Provide quality customer service to senior center members, visitors, community partners, volunteers, and program participants
• 2. Greets visitors and members and provides orientations, membership information, and assistance with programs and services
• 3. Maintains a visible presence throughout the facility and utilizes situational awareness to identify and respond to client needs and safety concerns
• 4. Physical demands of effort and setup that fit program format and event or daily demands, including daily lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, crouching, kneeling, stooping and/or moving up to 25 pounds - tables, chairs, bins, sewing machines, etc.
• 5. Assist with the operation of the Senior Center free breakfast program
• 6. Leads occasional recreational programs and activities
• 7. Performs routine clerical duties such as, but not limited to: copying, filing, database entry, calendaring, etc.
• 8. Provides backup coverage at the front desk as needed
• 9. May be assigned special projects
• 10. May perform other related tasks

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience: Must have a high school diploma or equivalent and up to and including one (1) to three (3) years of experience working with an older adult population OR an Associate's degree and one (1) year of experience working with an older adult population.

Experience working in a human services, social services, or healthcare environment preferred.

Bilingual English /Spanish required.

Special Requirements

Valid Driver's License

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills Required

Knowledge: Working knowledge of computer programs including MS Office software. Knowledge of the Internet in support of department operations.

Abilities

• Ability to interact appropriately with the public and an aging population to respond to inquiries and requests, and to prioritize tasks.
• Ability to access the Internet to obtain information in support of department operations.
• Ability to interact with the public with tact and diplomacy
• Ability to maintain professionalism under stressful situations
• Ability to present information in a clear and concise manner
• Ability to speak in front of groups
• Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• Organizational and time management skills

Skills

Skills: Intrapersonal skills, customer service skills, bilingual Spanish / English

Physical and Mental Requirements

Physical Skills: Work requires agility and physical strength, such as moving tables and chairs. Work is performed primarily indoors with occasional work on outdoor surfaces, with standing or walking most of the work period.

Motor Skills: Duties are both mental and physical, assisting with data tracking and data entry, lifting and moving tables, chairs, and bins.

Visual Skills: Position requires routine reading of documents, spreadsheets, blueprints, and computer screens for analysis and understanding. The employee is rarely required to determine color differences.

The physical 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 disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.