Office Assistant III

City of Santa Fe Springs; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 19 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible Office Hours

Remote work possible (with approval)

Job summary

The Lake County Merit System Services is seeking an Office Assistant III to perform highly responsible, specialized, and technical office support activities in the Department of Social Services. The position involves explaining rules and processes, leading a small team, and handling complex clerical tasks with proficiency.

Applicants should have two years of clerical experience and be prepared for background checks.

Qualifications

• Two (2) years of full‑time experience performing clerical duties in an office environment, including one (1) year at the journey level.

Responsibilities

• Explains policies, procedures, and regulations governing program operations.
• Prioritizes, plans, and organizes one's own work.
• Coordinates, distributes, and reprioritizes work tasks to adjust to changing demands.
• Monitors the quality and timeliness of work.
• Provides supervisor with feedback on employees and process improvements.
• Addresses complaints and explains regulations to customers or the public.
• Responds to inquiries regarding departmental functions, services, policies, and procedures.

Skills

General office functions

English grammar

Ability to supervise

Data entry

Tools

Word processing

Spreadsheet

Database

Email

Calendaring

Automated systems

Department computer systems

Job description

Salary Information

$18.55 / hourly, $3,215.33 / monthly, $38,584.00 / annually

Under limited supervision, the Office Assistant III performs highly responsible, specialized, and technical office support activities; explains rules, policies, and operations related to department records, programs, and services; may serve as a lead-worker and provide training and work assignments to a group of office support staff; may conduct initial application screening interview and initiate cases through automated systems; and performs related work as required.

Position Information

Salary Information

$18.55 / hourly, $3,215.33 / monthly, $38,584.00 / annually

Under limited supervision, the Office Assistant III performs highly responsible, specialized, and technical office support activities; explains rules, policies, and operations related to department records, programs, and services; may serve as a lead‑worker and provide training and work assignments to a group of office support staff; may conduct initial application screening interview and initiate cases through automated systems; and performs related work as required.

The Office Assistant III is the advanced journey level in the Office Assistant series. Incumbents either act as lead‑worker to a group of office support staff, perform applicant screening in addition to other primary responsibilities, or exercise a detailed subject matter knowledge of a specific and complex program area or specialized record keeping system.

The Office Assistant III differs from the Screener in Social Services in that the Screener classification is assigned the screening function as a primary responsibility, while the Office Assistant III may have primary responsibility for other advanced clerical functions, and screening duties represent a less significant portion of the overall responsibilities of the position.

Examples of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provides interpretation and guidance to new employees, lower level clerical staff, and coworkers on new or revised policies and procedures.
• Coordinates, distributes, and reprioritizes work tasks to adjust to changing demands.
• Monitors the quality and timeliness of work.
• Assists others with complex or non-routine matters.
• Provides supervisor with feedback on employees and process improvements.
• Addresses complaints and explains regulations to customers or the public.
• Responds to inquiries regarding departmental functions, services, policies, and procedures.
• Obtains information from customers, visitors, or callers to determine appropriate resource, action, document, or staff referral to meet their needs.
• Explains the proper use of forms and documents.
• Operates a variety of standard office equipment.
• Composes correspondence, reports, memos, and other documents.
• Reviews and processes forms/documents in accordance with established guidelines and procedures.
• Monitors and updates manual or electronic files.
• Compiles information to respond to questions or address issues.
• Reviews submitted forms or applications to verify accuracy and completeness.
• Operates automated systems or other department‑specific computer systems.
• Performs related duties as assigned.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS

Knowledge Of

• General office functions, procedures, equipment, and filing systems.
• General goals and purposes of department programs, services, and operations.
• English grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
• Standard formats and vocabulary used in business correspondence.
• Basic supervisory and training and development principles and practices.
• State, County, or Department computer systems.
• Word processing, spreadsheet, database, email, calendaring programs, and automated systems.

Ability To

• Explain policies, procedures, and regulations governing program operations.
• Analyze situations involving complex rules and regulations and demonstrate good judgment when resolving differences.
• Provide effective verbal and written instruction to others.
• Prioritize, plan, and organize one's own work.
• Conduct interviews and record information simultaneously.
• Quickly and accurately enter and retrieve data using an automated data system.
• Identify and correct inaccurate or inconsistent information.
• Interact with individuals from various educational, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds.
• Provide direction to and train subordinate staff.
• Work cooperatively as part of a team.
• Listen attentively and understand oral information provided.
• Maintain flexibility in daily activities and decision making.

Minimum Qualifications

Two (2) years of full‑time experience performing clerical duties in an office environment, including one (1) year at the journey level.

Supplemental Information

Additional Information

• A valid driver's license will be required at the time of interview. Individuals who do not meet this requirement due to a disability will be reviewed on a case‑by‑case basis.
• Positions require pre‑employment screening, including background checks, and fingerprinting
• Government agencies accessing US government information, which include federal tax information must ensure that background investigation requirements for all agency employees and contractors that have access to federal tax information are consistent to the IRS background investigation requirements for access to federal tax information.
• Background checks are required and must be repeated every 5 years. Background requirements consist of three components which include, fingerprinting, citizenship verification and local law enforcement checks.
• Lake County is required to verify Employment and Education if a conditional offer of employment is made to an applicant.
• Lake County offers: Flexible Office Hours available for most positions; Monday - Friday with a variety of schedules between 6:30am - 7:00pm.
• Work remotely from home available for some positions upon Lake County Department of Social Services Approval.

EXAMINATION INFORMATION

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE EXAMINATION - WEIGHTED 100%

The Training & Experience Examination is designed to elicit a range of specific information regarding each candidate’s knowledge, skill, abilities, and potential to effectively perform the duties relative to the classification. Responses to the questionnaire will be assessed based on pre‑determined rating criteria. All applicants must complete the entire examination to receive a score. To obtain a position on the eligible list, candidates must receive a minimum rating of 70% on the examination.

Examination administration and processing time is approximately two weeks after the closing date of the job bulletin.

ELIGIBLE LIST INFORMATION

A departmental open eligible list will be established for the county of Lake. The list will be utilized for 12 months after it is established unless the needs of the service and conditions of the list warrant a change in this period.

RETEST PERIOD

Once you have taken the examination, you may not retest for SIX (6) MONTHS from the established eligibility date.

SPECIAL TEST ARRANGEMENTS

Special testing arrangements may be made to accommodate applicants for disability, military, and religious reasons. If you require such arrangements, please contact CalHR at [e-mail] or 916-909-3701 upon notification that your application has been approved. Documentation from medical, military, school or church officials outlining the accommodation request must be received by our office a minimum of five business days prior to a scheduled examination.

EDUCATION DOCUMENTS

If you are using education to meet the minimum qualifications, you must attach your transcripts to your application. Applicants with foreign transcripts must provide a transcript evaluation that indicates the number of units to which the foreign course work is equivalent. Transcripts and evaluations may be unofficial; official transcripts may be required upon appointment. Please redact birthdates and social security numbers.

GENERAL INFORMATION

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship by the start date of employment.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Merit System Services program is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

About Lake County

Nestled inland and to the north of the San Francisco Bay Area, Lake County is rich with geographic history and landmarks. Lake County is home to Clear Lake, which is said to have been formed more than 2 million years ago and is the largest natural freshwater lake in the state of California. As a neighboring county to Napa, Lake County is renowned for growing premium wine grapes, pears, and walnuts, and as certified by the State's Air Resources Board, has the cleanest air in California. Also found in Lake County is Mount Konocti, which was formed from volcanic eruptions between 100,000 and 600,000 years ago. The local economy is based primarily on agriculture, tourism, and the geothermal power industry.

Merit System Services does not negotiate or determine the benefits or salaries for positions offered by its partners. For more information about benefits or salaries, please visit the listed county or child support office's website or contact their human resources department.