Front Office Assistant

Maryland Court Reporters; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

The Front Office Assistant at the Office of the Legislative Counsel (HOLC) in Washington, DC, serves as the first point of contact for visitors and callers and supports the staff with administrative tasks. The role includes answering general questions, routing requests to attorneys or paralegals, and maintaining office schedules and records.

The position is non-supervisory, reports to the Front Office Supervisor, and offers telework up to one day per week after an initial 90 days at the

Qualifications

• U.S. citizen and bachelor’s degree required.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including late evenings and occasional weekends.
• Ability to be impartial on matters of politics and public policy.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary representative providing friendly, professional customer service to visitors and callers.
• Develop and maintain knowledge of HOLC practices and the legislative process.
• Ensure adequate in-office presence and phone coverage during business hours.
• Assess and distribute client requests to attorneys and paralegals by phone and email.
• Maintain the HOLC general inbox and prompt correspondence with internal and external individuals.
• Manage Front Office staff schedule and leave records.
• Coordinate general office services, supplies, and the office library.
• Coordinate requests with other House offices.

Skills

Customer service

Multitasking

Communication

Impartiality

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Record management systems

Job description

Front Office Assistant

Office Description: The Office of the Legislative Counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives (HOLC) transforms the policy goals of Members and committees of the House into clear, concise, and legally effective legislative language to help ensure that the legislation introduced and debated in Congress, and the enacted laws of the United States, clearly express congressional intent. HOLC carries out this mission by providing expert legislative drafting services and related legal services on a non-partisan, impartial, and confidential basis.

The HOLC Front Office serves as the initial point of contact for the Office by providing assistance to clients, welcoming visitors to the Office, answering general questions, and referring requests received by the Office to the appropriate attorney, drafting team, or paralegal.

Position Description

The Front Office Assistant works with a team who provide essential administrative and clerical support services to the staff within HOLC. The Front Office is the initial point of contact for the Office, providing assistance to clients, welcoming visitors to the Office, answering general questions, and referring requests received by the Office to the appropriate attorney, drafting team, or paralegal. The position is located in the Ford House Office Building in Washington, DC.

The Front Office Assistant may work on special projects at the request and under the direction of the Legislative Counsel.

The Front Office Assistant is a non-supervisory position and will report to the Front Office Supervisor.

After an initial 90-day period, the Front Office Assistant is eligible to telework up to one day per week, at the discretion of the Legislative Counsel.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

The duties of a Front Office Assistant include the following:

• Serving as a primary representative of HOLC by providing friendly, professional, and helpful customer service to office visitors and callers, including by addressing general and routine inquiries and forwarding messages as appropriate.
• Developing and maintaining general working knowledge and understanding of HOLC’s practices and the legislative process.
• Together with a team, ensuring that the Front Office has adequate in-office presence and phone coverage during official business hours and after hours, as necessary.
• Carefully assessing and distributing client requests to attorneys and paralegals by phone and email.
• Maintaining the HOLC general inbox and ensures prompt and accurate HOLC correspondence with internal and external individuals.
• Maintaining the schedule for Front Office staff and keeps accurate and up-to-date the schedule and leave records of all HOLC staff.
• Coordinating miscellaneous general office services, including ordering office furnishings, materials, and supplies, and maintains the office legal library.
• Coordinating requests and projects on behalf of the Office that involve communication with other House offices.

Successful candidate will demonstrate the following

• An ability to maintain decorum in high stress situations and exhibit a high standard of customer service.
• An ability to work effectively alone and with others, an ability to work well under pressure, and an ability to maintain effective working relationships with colleagues and clients.
• An ability to provide administrative support, including assessing and disseminating requests, scheduling meetings, and managing records, an ability to provide friendly, professional, and helpful customer service.
• An ability to switch rapidly between multiple tasks during busy periods while maintaining a strong attention to detail.
• Knowledge of, and an ability to use, various automated office systems and software programs, including record management systems, Microsoft Office, and Adobe Acrobat.
• An ability to analyze problems and recommend appropriate solutions or changes.
• An ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with tact and maintain impartiality in judgment and in action.
• An ability to communicate, orally and in writing, in a professional and effective manner with clients, colleagues, and other people.
• Willingness to learn, including a willingness to initiate learning and ask questions.

Qualifications

• To be eligible for the position of Front Office Assistant, an applicant must (1) be a U.S. citizen, and (2) have a bachelor’s degree.
• In addition, a successful applicant must (1) have a willingness to work a flexible schedule, including late evenings and occasional weekends, given the varying demands of the congressional schedule, and (2) have an ability to be impartial, in appearance as well as in fact, on matters of politics and public policy.

Salary: $60,000

All applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex (including marital or parental status), disability, or age. Employment is contingent upon satisfactorily completing a criminal history records check (or other applicable security clearance). Subchapter I of chapter 131 of title 5, United States Code, requires certain House employees to file Financial Disclosure Statements. For information, please visit http://clerk.house.gov/public_disc/index.aspx