Public Works Administrative Assistant

City of St Joseph; Spring Lake (MI); On-site; USD 40,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

City of St. Joseph, Michigan, is seeking a detail-oriented administrative specialist to support the Department of Public Works. Under DPW Director supervision, you will coordinate scheduling, records, purchasing, and public communications for infrastructure initiatives.

You will work with DPW staff, residents, and other village/township departments to advance projects, manage records, assist with budget preparation, and provide excellent customer service in a public setting.

Qualifications

• Strong interpersonal skills and professional interaction with residents.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and department-specific applications.
• Clear verbal and written communication abilities.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and workloads.
• Knowledge of municipal government operations and procedures.
• Ability to learn and adapt in a dynamic environment.
• Organized, with capacity to maintain clerical records.
• Ability to collaborate with Village and Township officials and residents.

Responsibilities

• Perform clerical duties in a public setting, maintaining records and reports.
• Collaborate with departments on current construction projects.
• Maintain expenditure files and verify invoices for payment authorization.
• Handle inquiries via phone, in person, and written correspondence.
• Assist with scheduling training for departmental staff.
• Assist with creation, distribution, tracking, and completion of work orders.
• Assist with right-of-way permit administration.
• Manage the park reservation system.
• Create and maintain digital department records and GIS integration.
• Assist with records integration into GIS software.
• Support metering infrastructure and customer portal software.
• Apply policies and procedures to improve department operations.
• Use metering software to troubleshoot consumption and notify the public.
• Maintain schedules and logs; may schedule appointments.
• Create project content for newsletters and reports.
• Plan public engagement activities for DPW.
• Maintain inventory and purchase supplies.
• Assist with budget preparation.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Organization

Public interaction

Tools

Microsoft Office

GIS software

Job description

Under the general supervision of DPW Director, this position performs administrative, technical, and operational support functions for the Department of Public Works. This position assists with utility coordination, scheduling, recordkeeping, purchasing, and public communication efforts related to infrastructure and operational initiatives.

This position works closely with DPW staff, residents, and other Village and Township departments to support the execution of public works projects and programs.

1. Performs a wide variety of skilled clerical duties in a public contact setting, including maintaining records, files and reports.
2. Collaborates with departments on current construction projects within the Village and Township.
3. Maintains expenditure files and checks invoices for receipt of items and payment authorization.
4. Handles phone, in-person, and written inquiries, providing information, delivering customer service, and directing individuals to the appropriate departments.
5. Assists with and schedules the training of departmental staff members as directed.
6. Assists with the creation, distribution, tracking, and completion of work orders.
7. Assists with the application, and administration of right-of-way permits.
8. Manages the park reservation system.
9. Creates, organizes, and maintains digital department records such as drawings, notes, and maps.
10. Assists with the integration of existing and new records into GIS software.
11. Assists with automated metering infrastructure and customer portal software.
12. Utilizes policies and procedures to improve operations and function of the department.
13. Utilizes metering software to troubleshoot consumption concerns and provide public notification.
14. Maintains various schedules and logs; may be required to schedule appointments.
15. Create DPW project related content for newsletters, correspondence, reports, memoranda, and other materials, including public education content.
16. Schedules, plans, and participates in public engagement activities for the Department of Public Works.
17. Maintains inventory and purchases supplies as needed.
18. Assists with preparation of the budget.
19. Performs other duties and related work as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively and professionally with a wide range of people.
• Knowledgeable of computers and electronic data processing – specifically skilled and familiar with Microsoft office and other department specific applications to prepare reports, create spreadsheets, utilize databases, etc.
• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to effectively adapt to various shifts in priorities, workloads, and tasks.
• Knowledge of municipal government operations, Village and Township departments, regulations and procedures.
• Ability to learn and adapt to a changing work environment.
• Organized with the ability to maintain clerical records and prepare correspondence and reports.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Village and Township officials, consultants, and residents.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described are representative, but not limited to, those encountered while performing essential functions of this job classification. While performing the functions of this job, the employee works primarily in an office setting with some time in the field. While in the field, the employee is frequently exposed to outside weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment can be potentially loud in field situations.