Public Affairs and Communications Assistant

Housing Opportunities Commission; Silver Spring (MD); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC) seeks a Public Affairs and Communications Assistant to provide confidential administrative support to the Public Affairs and Communications Division under the VP. The role involves planning, coordinating, and executing high-level secretarial tasks, supporting the division's operations and communications efforts.

The position requires extensive office experience, the ability to handle diverse situations, maintain standard operating

Qualifications

• At least four years of secretarial/clerical experience in an office environment.
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Communication or related field.
• Equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted. Low-income residents in Montgomery County encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

• Plan, initiate and carry to completion executive level secretarial/administrative duties.
• Operate PC and peripheral equipment to produce correspondence, reports, charts and other materials.
• Maintain a supply cabinet with adequate stock; sort and route incoming correspondence and calls.
• Schedule meetings and appointments for the VP and staff; attend team, supervisory and staff meetings.
• Assist in budget submissions, budget tracking and PO tracking; prepare meeting agendas and notes.

Skills

Office management

Communication

Discretion

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or related field

Tools

MS Office Suite

Google Workspace

Job description

Job Description

Public Affairs and Communications Assistant

Public Affairs and Communications Assistant: The Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC) was established in 1974 to better respond to the County’s need for affordable housing. HOC is authorized to acquire, own, lease, and operate housing; to provide for the construction or renovation of housing; obtain financial assistance from any public or private source to assist its housing activities; and arrange for social services, resident services, and daycare. This is a professional providing confidential administrative/secretarial support work for the Public Affairs and Communications Division under the direct supervision of the Vice President (VP) of Public Affairs and Communication. An employee in this class must have extensive experience in office operations and be able to handle a variety of different situations and/or tasks ranging from non-standard to routine. This position independently plans, carries out and performs secretarial/clerical tasks in support of the VP. This position has full responsibility to assure that work quality, processes, etc. conform to standard operating procedures. Guidelines and procedures are available and generally applicable; however, work in this class requires extensive knowledge of the organization and operations of a complicated and busy work environment as well as experience to handle assignments not covered by established procedures. Assigned duties require that the employee be able to resolve difficult problems and situations through the collecting, examining, and analyzing information, and subsequent appropriate action. The work performed in this position has a substantial impact on the workflow of the Division and the Directors in terms of accuracy, coordination and implementation of the directives of the office. Personal contacts include many diverse stakeholders including HOC leaders and staff, HOC Commissioners, Government officials and their staff, outside agencies, business organizations and community at large. These contracts are generally for the purpose of receiving and exchanging information/suggestions, often of a critically sensitive nature, facilitating actions that may affect agency-wide programs, coordinating information and schedules, setting up meetings and communicating information. The work environment is in the normal office setting. Work is sedentary in nature. Production typing may be required. Knowledge of a variety of automated software systems may be helpful.

Example Of Duties

• Plan, initiate, and carry to completion executive level secretarial/administrative duties
• Operate personal computer and peripheral equipment to produce correspondence, expense reports, charts, and other materials.
• Maintains a supply cabinet with adequate stock. Sort and route all incoming correspondence to include letters and telephone calls
• Schedule meetings and appointments for the VP (and staff) as needed
• Attend team, supervisory and all staff meetings
• Assist in the preparation of the Division’s budget submissions, as well as budget and PO Tracking
• Assist the VP in preparing meeting agendas and taking notes during meetings.
• Maintain meeting calendars to include scheduling appropriate date/time, ensuring notice and agenda formation, room reservation and setup, meal orders, and resolving meeting conflicts
• Install new and modify existing divisional procedures to ensure most efficient use of time, labor and accurate output; assemble and summarize information from files
• Proof incoming and outgoing correspondence for VP’s signatures
• Develop and/compose letters, memorandums, special reports, forms, presentations, templates, etc
• Coordinate preparation of Commission packet items and other Commission reports in preparation for Commission meetings, workshops and committee meetings
• Assist in the preparation and coordination of special functions such as luncheons, events, etc
• Attend support staff function meetings and events.
• Serve as Division’s intranet admin, working to ensure all content is up to date.
• Provide full committee support to the Administrative and Regulatory Committee including scheduling meetings, develop packets, taking notes etc

Experience

Minimum Qualifications

• At least four years (4) of secretarial/clerical experience in an office environment

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Communication or related fiel
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted. Low-income residents in Montgomery County with the above qualifications are encouraged to apply

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Extensive knowledge of office management principles and procedures
• Extensive knowledge of large and complex filing systems
• Skill in operating personal computer and peripheral equipment
• Working knowledge of MS Office Suite
• Familiarity with Google (G-Suite) environment for email, file storage, form creation, spreadsheet developments, etc
• Ability to compose concise, accurate correspondence
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Good interpersonal skills with people with varied backgrounds
• Ability to exhibit discretion and sound judgment when dealing with confidential matters

HOC is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender reassignment, citizenship, immigration status, protected veteran status, or any other basis prohibited under applicable federal, state or local law. HOC promotes a drug-free workplace.

HOC conducts criminal background checks, employment reference checks, and where applicable, reviews driving records in determining suitability for employment. Selected applicants will be required to submit to pre-employment drug and alcohol screening. Employment is contingent upon drug and alcohol test results.