Mayor's Office - Executive Secretary (Temporary Position)

Waterloo City; Waterloo (IA); On-site; USD 25,003 - 35,610; Part time

Job summary

The City of Waterloo is seeking a temporary Executive Secretary for the Mayor’s Office. This role requires strong administrative support, excellent communication skills, and the ability to handle confidential matters. The successful candidate will manage appointments, assist community organizations, and provide customer service for the Mayor’s Office.

The position demands experience with Microsoft Word and Excel, an associate's degree is required and a bachelor’s degree is preferred. Work hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with limited overtime.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years’ experience as an executive or administrative secretary or assistant.
• Ability to type at least 50 words per minute.
• Must maintain confidentiality regarding sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative and customer service support to the Mayor’s Office.
• Act as liaison between organizations and City departments.
• Prepare and submit financial documents to relevant departments.

Skills

Secretarial functions

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Communication skills

Customer service

Education

Associate's Degree in secretarial field

Bachelor's Degree preferred

Tools

Personal computer

Standard office equipment

Job description

Executive Secretary (Temporary Position)

DEPARTMENT: MAYOR’S OFFICE

SALARY: $22.00 hourly

FLSA: NON-EXEMPT

BARGAINING UNIT: NON-BARGAINING

GENERAL STATEMENT OF DUTIES

Under the general direction of the Mayor, using independent judgement, and exercising a high level of discretion in dealing with confidential matters, provides administrative, secretarial and customer service support to the Mayor’s Office. Work is performed with limited supervision. No supervisory responsibility. This role is ideal for someone looking for a temporary position.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS (Illustrative only)

These functions are considered essential for successful performance in this job classification.

• First point of contact for most Mayor’s Office inquiries, including answering citizen calls for service or complaints and dispatching appropriately; promotes positive customer service and provides accurate and timely response to telephone inquiries, citizen requests or complaints; forwards/screens calls as appropriate; greets visitors with a positive, helpful attitude and assists visitors in finding their way around City Hall.
• Acts as liaison between community organizations, City department heads, and City Council; schedules appointments for the Mayor and communicates frequently with City Council members and City department heads to arrange meetings and to coordinate special events; prepares meeting and training rooms as needed.
• Develop and implement an integrated communication strategy that connects the public to the community and the city with content-related communications.
• Assists with preparing agendas and typing minutes for ad hoc and standing committees formed by the Mayor; assists colleagues with administrative tasks as needed; performs a variety of ad-hoc administrative duties as requested.
• Prepares and submits to the Finance Department or City Clerk’s Office payment vouchers and other department financial documents.
• Using Microsoft Word and Excel, prepares and types on a personal computer, correspondence for Mayor and City Council members, if requested; composes documents for review including press releases, memos to department heads and employees, and correspondence to other government entities; assists in preparing confidential Mayor’s Office correspondence; edits documents for grammar, punctuation, spelling and language content; may occasionally use a typewriter to complete forms or other paperwork.
• Coordinate communication services and functions carried out by departments and provide guidance on effective strategies to communicate with the public.
• Coordinates City Council agenda items with City Clerk.
• Acts as the LGBTQ+ liaison to the Mayor’s office.
• Attends meetings as the Mayor’s representative, as directed.
• Maintains daily contact with the media and compiles media reports concerning City government activities or issues, as directed.
• Facilitates background research and retrieval of information for various Mayor’s Office projects and citizen requests.
• Maintains all records and files for the Mayor’s Office; maintains the current list of Boards and Commissions and City Council Committees; maintains applications for Boards and Commissions appointments.
• Assists in maintaining the security of the Mayor’s Office.
• Communicates with and maintains effective working relationships with Mayor and Council, the public and other City employees.
• Makes decisions in accordance with department policies and established regulations.
• Works independently and with others with minimum supervision.
• Attends work regularly at the designated place and time.
• Performs all work duties and activities in accordance with City and Mayor’s Office policies, procedures and safety practices.
• Performs all other related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE & ABILITIES

• Thorough knowledge of secretarial functions, terminology, office procedures and equipment.
• Ability to respond to citizen complaints or concerns in a calm, respectful and gracious manner.
• Ability to speak clearly and distinctly, write legibly, prioritize work, produce a quality product within strict timelines and handle multiple tasks.
• Thorough knowledge of and ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other specialized software applications appropriate to assigned duties and responsibilities, enter and retrieve information and update records on the computer.
• Ability to answer questions and provide information to the public, the media, elected officials and other employees in person and over the telephone in a clear, concise and easily understandable manner.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and to make decisions based on the Mayor’s Office and City policies and applicable government regulations.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality regarding sensitive information.
• Ability to work with people from a broad variety of social, economic, racial, ethnic and educational backgrounds.

ACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCE & TRAINING

• Associate’s Degree (two year) in administrative or executive secretarial or closely related field from an accredited college or technical school; Bachelor’s Degree preferred.
• Minimum five years’ experience as an executive or administrative secretary or assistant in an office environment.

OR

Any equivalent combination of experience and training that provides the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the essential functions of the position.

• Ability to type at least 50 words per minute net of errors (verification of typing speed may be required).

ESSENTIAL PHYSICAL ABILITIES

The following physical abilities are required with or without accommodation.

• Sufficient clarity of speech and hearing that permits the employee to communicate effectively with the Mayor, other employees and the public in person or by telephone.
• Sufficient vision and manual dexterity that permits the employee to operate a personal computer and other standard office equipment, handle files and other papers, perform customer service duties and other secretarial responsibilities.
• Sufficient personal mobility that permits the employee to move from one work area or City Hall location to another or to attend functions outside of the office.

MISCELLANEOUS

• The City of Waterloo will conduct a background investigation, including education, employment and criminal history checks on any applicant being considered for this position.
• The City of Waterloo reserves the right to require a physical examination by a physician of the City’s choice to determine if an applicant is capable of performing the essential functions of this position.
• If being considered for the position, you may be required to show verification of Microsoft Word and Excel skills by testing as determined by the Mayor.
• Required to submit to and successfully pass one or more interviews.

WORK SCHEDULE

8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with one-hour unpaid lunch. Limited overtime. May be required to occasionally attend City meetings or other activities outside these hours as City representative.

Minority, female & disabled individuals are encouraged to apply.