Administrative Assistant I at City of Oakland

The Position

The City of Oakland is an equal opportunity employer that values workforce diversity, inclusion, and equity. Oakland has a long history of activism around issues of justice and equity. Both oppression and this resistance to oppression have shaped the city’s historical roots and the lives of its residents to this day. As public servants in one of the most diverse cities in the nation, we strive to develop employees who understand the harm and impacts of systemic inequity to create lasting, meaningful outcomes for everyone. Oakland strives to establish an environment that embraces the richness of culture, community, and individualism of employees.

Why join the City of Oakland?
Situated at the heart of the Bay Area, the City of Oakland is a vibrant, diverse, and exciting place to work. It is easily accessible by transit, on the forefront of Race and Equity work, and a full-service organization with many innovative community services, established businesses, and start-ups.

This is a fantastic time to join our team! The City of Oakland is currently recruiting to fill Administrative Assistant I vacancies in the following departments: Oakland Fire Department (OFD), Public Works (OPW), Animal Services (OAS), Human Services (HSD), Public Works (OPW), and Housing and Community Development (HCD).

Under direction, the Administrative Assistant I performs a variety of complex clerical and office administrative support duties. The City of Oakland promotes staff development and wellness. You will have the opportunity to develop holistic administrative skills that can serve as a foundation for higher level administrative work. Additionally, this experience will contribute to your overall development so that you have a strong base of transferable skills relevant to City government.

We are looking for someone who is:

• Detail-oriented. You will need to focus on the details of work content while balancing multiple assignments and priorities in a dynamic environment.
• A professional and skilled communicator. You will proactively obtain and share information with City employees and members of the public.
• Proficient in modern office software. You will be responsible for typing, editing, and proofreading a variety of memoranda, correspondence, reports, and documents including City Council, Committee, and/or Commission reports, fliers, agendas, spreadsheets and statistical charts that require you to use various software.
• Accommodating and versatile. You will need to positively respond to dynamic priorities and modify your work as required in different situations.
• A team player. You will need to understand and follow written and oral direction and you will need to collaborate with coworkers to achieve common goals.
• Customer-service oriented. You will need to fully understand the needs of members of the public and work within your assigned team to resolve issues or facilitate understanding.
• Passionate about the benefits of a diverse workplace. You will interact with a wide variety of people who reflect the diversity of Oakland.

What you will typically be responsible for:

• Acting as the first point of contact for visitors and callers, ensuring people are directed to the right resources or individuals for assistance.
• Keeping electronic and paper files organized and up to date.
• Ensuring that items received by mail are complete and digitizing and filing those records into internal databases.
• Preparing documents for mailing via USPS and documenting the mailing of notices and other correspondence.
• Proofreading and reviewing documents, datasets, and reports to ensure that the information is accurate and complete.
• Creating and maintaining calendars, setting appointments, and reserving City facilities
• Attending meetings, drafting meeting minutes, and taking notes during both public and internal meetings and hearings.
• Retrieving and interpreting data from various systems.
• Supervising and training assigned clerical staff.

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A few reasons you might love this job:

• You will learn A LOT about city government, and you will have excellent opportunities to expand and develop your public administration skills and abilities.
• You will collaborate with other departments and grow your network.
• You will positively impact the City’s ability to provide critical public services to a diverse, dynamic, and exciting community.
• You will work with a dedicated and passionate team of professionals who are committed to improving the quality of life in Oakland.

A few challenges you might face in this job:

• You will have competing priorities during your workday, so you will need to be adaptable and open to shifting direction.
• You will navigate a wide range of personalities; customer service can have challenging moments.
• You will be expected to learn a wide range of tasks as quickly as possible.

Competencies Required:

• Critical Thinking: Analytically and logically evaluating information, propositions, and claims
• Reading Comprehension: Understanding and using written information
• Professional & Technical Expertise: Applying technical subject matter to the job
• Adaptability: Responding positively to change and modifying behavior as the situation requires
• Attention to Detail: Focusing on the details of work content, work steps, and final work products
• Informing: Proactively obtaining and sharing information
• Listening: Fully comprehending spoken communication
• Oral Communication: Engaging effectively in dialogue
• Writing: Communicating effectively in writing
• Customer Focus: Attending to the needs and expectations of customers
• Valuing Diversity: Appreciating the benefits of varied backgrounds and cultures in the workplace
• Teamwork: Collaborating with others to achieve shared goals
• Leveraging Technology: Applying technology for improvements in organizational efficiency and effectiveness

Minimum Requirements for Application

This is a public contact position. The City highly encourages all bilingual candidates to apply! Some positions may require bilingual skills in Spanish, Cantonese, or Mandarin. Under the authority of Civil Service Rules Section 5.03, if a position requires bilingual language skills, only those candidates who have indicated they are bilingual in the required language(s) will be referred. Bilingual candidates will be required to successfully pass a language proficiency test if selected for hire.
Desired Qualifications:
Prior experience as an Administrative Assistant in a governmental agency.

Supplemental Information

The City of Oakland works with a Civil Service system. Applicants apply online, and HR staff reviews their experience, education, and training listed on the application against the “minimum qualifications” listed for each position.

Candidates who demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements are then invited to participate in an assessment process (or testing) to measure their knowledge, skills, and abilities in job-related areas.

Candidates who do not demonstrate that they meet the minimum qualification requirements will have an opportunity to request a final review. Candidates must request a final review within 5 business days of being notified that they did not meet the minimum qualifications.

In the final review, candidates may clarify information already provided on their application. No additional work history, education, or certifications will be accepted. Any decisions made during this review process will be final.

For this recruitment, all qualified applicants will be invited to take an online multiple-choice test. You’ll have 7 days to complete the test once the link is sent to your email. This is tentatively planned to launch during the week of February 20th.

For some recruitments, more than one type of assessment may be used. Depending on the number of candidates who pass the first assessment (multiple-choice test) you may be asked to complete a secondary assessment before the recruitment is finalized. If a secondary assessment is scheduled, you will be notified by email with specific details. If a secondary assessment is not scheduled, department hiring interviews will occur during this time frame.

Candidates who pass each stage in the process will be placed on an eligible list. Some candidates may receive extra points, for example, if you are a Veteran with an honorable discharge, or if you are a current City of Oakland resident. If you’re applying to a “restricted” posting and you are eligible as a current City employee, you may also receive additional points for your City service. Extra points are only applied to passing scores, so if you do not pass every element of the testing process, you cannot use extra points to pass.

The City of Oakland reserves the right to modify the selection process and date of examination as necessary to conform to administrative or business necessity. The information contained in this announcement is subject to change and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

What’s in it for you?

• Work/Life Balance: 37.5 hour work weeks, and a flexible/hybrid remote schedule (hybrid schedules vary by Department)
• 15 paid holidays
• Vacation: 2 weeks per year minimum with the ability to accrue more depending on public sector years of service
• Retirement: CalPERS (California Public Employees’ Retirement System) with a pension formula of 2.5% @ 55 (for Classic CalPERS members) and 2% @ 62 for new CalPERS members. Classic Employees contribute 8% of pre-tax wages. The City of Oakland does not participate in Social Security
• Health: The City of Oakland pays the full cost of employee and eligible dependent coverage at the Kaiser rate. Other plans include Anthem, Blue Shield, United Health Care, and other HMO and PPO plans
• Dental: Delta Dental full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Vision: VSP full premium for employees and eligible dependents
• Sick leave: Employees accrue 12 days per year
• Deferred Compensation: 457(b) pre-tax plan and an after-tax ROTH 401(k)plan
• Other benefits include a Flexible Spending Account, Wellness Program, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Reimbursement, Life Insurance up to $200k & Employee Training.

Applicants are required to submit criminal history information upon request after receiving a conditional offer of employment. If the requested information is not furnished in a timely manner, applicants will not qualify for further consideration and will be removed from the eligible list.

Disaster Service Workers
All employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.