Executive Assistant

Department: Mayor & City Manager Office

Position Type: Full-Time

Salary: $40,000–$45,000 annually, based on experience

Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Position Summary

Under the administrative direction of the Mayor of Mt. Vernon and the City Manager, this position performs responsible and confidential administrative support functions for the Mayor, City Manager, and City Council. The position manages a variety of administrative tasks, provides office support, and assists with daily operations and communications.

Responsibilities include receiving visitors and phone calls on behalf of the Mayor, City Manager, and City Council, as well as assisting with administrative duties as directed. The position requires extensive knowledge of the City’s programs, policies, and procedures and the ability to exercise independent judgment when explaining established policies and procedures to the public.

This position also coordinates with members of the public in the implementation of community projects authorized by the Mayor and City Council.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides all clerical functions for the Mayor and City Manager with full accountability for results produced; provides clerical assistance to members of the City Council as directed
• Reads and routes incoming mail
• Takes and transcribes complex dictation in shorthand or by voice recordings, to include memorandums, reports, letters, and related documents
• Prepares and types correspondence from oral and written instructions
• Prepares responses to general correspondence and composes standard letters in response to routine inquiries for the Mayor, City Manager, and City Council
• Prepares and organizes agenda for City Council Meetings; coordinates with City Attorney and department heads for agenda documents and the final disposition of agenda documents
• Prepares Proclamations and Resolutions for the Mayor and City Council.
• Answers, screens, and places telephone calls for the Mayor, City Manager, and the City Council; arranges conference calls; monitors and follows up on messages, and refers callers to appropriate parties
• Organizes and maintains the file system, files correspondence and other records; maintains confidential records and files; and handles confidential correspondence and records.
•  Provides general information and directs inquiries and questions to the appropriate City department as necessary; receives citizen complaints or concerns and refers them to the appropriate City officials for resolution.
• Coordinates the Mayor’s and City Manager’s schedules
• Coordinates and arranges meetings, prepares agendas, reserves and prepares facilities for the Mayor, City Manager, and City Council
• Schedules appointments, meetings, and conferences, and makes travel arrangements, including reservations
• Maintains records and files for City commissions and the terms of their members in conjunction with the City Clerk’s Office
• Maintains related records and files such as City Council reports and agendas, departmental reports, budget reports, and related documents
• May provide secretarial assistance to various City Departments and Commissions as directed.
• Prepares and distributes fact sheets, news releases, and photographs as directed.
• Researches, tabulates, and summarizes information of routine, periodic, or special reports.
• Develops spreadsheets to explicate numerical data.
• References information in the City Revised Code of Ordinance Book and Illinois Compiled Statutes.
• Handles cash and negotiable instruments.
• Prepares purchase requisitions, personnel action records, check requests, and related documents as directed.
• Orders and maintains supplies, and arranges for equipment maintenance
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Supervisory and Administrative Responsibilities

• Knowledge of proper telephone etiquette and ability to effectively communicate in a courteous, tactful, and diplomatic manner
• Ability to prepare and compile departmental data for use in various types of reports.
• Ability to work independently, confidentially, and efficiently without direct or continued supervision
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with the general public and fellow employees; requires the ability to act in a courteous, tactful, and diplomatic manner in dealing with the general public, City officials, and City employees on a one-to-one basis
• Requires strict confidentiality in daily duties and the ability to prepare and maintain confidential records and reports
• Ability to type a minimum of 55 (net) words per minute, ability to take and transcribe dictation accurately
• Ability to operate modern standard office machines accurately and efficiently.
• Requires proficient knowledge of computers, specifically the Windows Operating System, and computer programs, such as Microsoft Office, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, the Internet, and e-mail programs
• Requires the ability to successfully pass a background security check.

Qualifications

Education

• Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to the completion of four years of high school.
• Requires the ability to pass the Adult Basic Education Test

Experience

• Preferred minimum of five years of responsible secretarial experience, three of which include significant public contact responsibilities
• Knowledge of business English and modern secretarial procedures and practices, including transcription skills
• Requires knowledge of the function, organization, and operation of City Government.
• Requires the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously
• Requires the ability to organize duties and produce results in a timely manner.
• Requires excellent communication skills, written and verbal
• Requires extensive knowledge of modern office procedures and practices
• Requires proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Requires knowledge of the operation of modern office equipment

Work Schedule

Working shift is from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday with a one- (1) hour lunch period, forty (40) hours per week.

Physical Requirements

• Occasional walking, reaching, bending, and lifting or carrying objects under 25 pounds requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time.
• Use written sources of information, e.g., reading reports, procedural documentation, reference materials
• Perform detailed work requiring visual acuity
• Use non-verbal auditory sources of information, e.g., alarms, beepers, pagers    

Residency Requirement

All employees shall reside in either Jefferson County or a County adjacent to Jefferson County, including any of the following: Marion, Wayne, Hamilton, Franklin, Perry, or Washington, as their principal place of residence, within six (6) months of hire, and thereafter at all times during the time of their employment by the City.

Additional Information

FSLA Classification

Non-Exempt

Pay Schedule

Biweekly (every other Friday)