Administrative Assistant III (Public Works Department)

Salary : $58,776.00 - $82,716.00 Annually
Location : City of Santa Cruz, CA
Job Type: Regular Full-Time
Job Number: 26-074
Department: Public Works
Opening Date: 06/11/2026
Closing Date: 6/25/2026 5:00 PM Pacific


The Position

The current vacancy is for Administrative Assistant III in the Public Works Department. This recruitment is open to c andidates who participated in and passed the May 2026 Administrative Assistant III Examination (26-EXAM-01) through the City of Santa Cruz.

The Public Works Department is the largest City department and is organized into seven major divisions: Administration; Engineering; Operations; Parking; Resource Recovery; Transportation Engineering; and Wastewater. The primary goals of the department are to efficiently deliver a broad range of municipal services to residents, businesses, and visitors of Santa Cruz in a manner that is a safe, professional, sustainable, and cost-effective, with a focus on community responsiveness and customer service.
The Administration division supports all department divisions. A key function to the Administration division is providing customer service to the residents of Santa Cruz, providing accurate information about Public Works programs and projects, and connecting the community to the appropriate resources. The Administration division leads the Transportation and Public Works Commission and the Downtown Commission. Administration leads the department budget process, supports expenditure control, project reimbursements. The Administration division also provides administrative support for human resources functions. The typical schedule for this position is Monday-Friday from 7am-3:30pm.
The eligible list that was established from the Administrative Assistant III examination (26-EXAM-01) is valid for up to one year from the date it was established unless the list is extended or abolished by the Human Resources Director.


Recruitment #26-074
APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS:

The following process may be changed as deemed necessary by the Human Resources Director. The information contained within this announcement may be modified or revoked without notice and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

Who is eligible to apply: Candidates who participated in and passed the May 2026 Administrative Assistant III Examination (26-EXAM-01) through the City of Santa Cruz are eligible to apply and submit an application.

• On Thursday, 06/25/26 recruitment will close. All application materials must be received by the Human Resources Department by 5:00 pm; postmarks are not accepted. To apply, submit:
  1. Application - online application only. Resumes are not accepted in lieu of filling out the application form completely. Click the Apply button to begin the online process.
  2. Response to supplemental questions - will be a primary tool in the evaluation of your qualifications for this position. Any work experience described here must also be included in your employment history on the main application.
• Week of 06/29/26: Qualified candidates who have successfully passed the application process and Administrative Assistant III Examination will have their applications competitively screened based on the minimum qualifications and supplemental questions for this position. Candidates will be notified of their status in the recruitment by 07/03/26.
• Week of 07/06/26: Interviews will be tentatively scheduled for top candidates. The examination process will include an interview and may include a written and/or performance exercise.

Basic Function

Under general supervision of Department Director or assigned manager, performs a full range of both clerical and administrative support functions for the Department Director or assigned manager, includes performing responsible, confidential, and complex clerical work, including but not limited to assisting with the departmental budget, processing personnel, payroll and other relevant records, and coordinating the work of other departmental clerical staff as assigned or needed.
Distinguishing Characteristics
Positions in this class are distinguished from the Office Assistant and Administrative Assistant I/II classes by the more difficult, complex, responsible, confidential and sensitive duties. Work involves a high degree of independent judgment requiring a thorough knowledge of department programs, procedures and policies, applicable legal statutes and the ability to choose among a number of alternatives in determining procedures, interpreting policies, and performing a variety of assignments without instruction. Incumbents may lead a small number of subordinate clerical positions.
Typical Duties


(May include, but are not limited to, those duties listed below.)

• Prepares various departmental materials from meetings, drafts, and/or machine dictation.
• Answers telephone and in--person inquiries for the Department Director and staff.
• Interprets City policies, procedures, and regulations; exercises discretion in determining the nature of inquiries and how they may be most appropriately expedited.
• Coordinates appointments and itineraries for the Department Director and management staff.
• Makes logistical arrangements for advisory bodies, committees and other meetings; notifies all participants including any public noticing requirements as required by State Law and/or the Municipal Code; prepares agendas, coordinates the production and distribution of agenda packets.
• Maintains procedures that comply with legal statutes and the Santa Cruz Municipal Code.
• Independently composes correspondence and reports relative to routine departmental business.
• Takes notes of open meetings as required; and prepares final minutes of meetings.
• Processes and manages filing systems for various department records including personnel, legal, safety, and technical materials; maintains the security of confidential files as required.
• Researches, collects, and provides records for Public Records Requests.
• Enters staff reports into the City's document management system for City Council meetings.
• Prepares, processes, and maintains all personnel and payroll records for department staff.
• Orders, issues and maintains departmental supplies and equipment; maintains inventory controls.
• Coordinates facility/building maintenance and repairs.
• Organizes, assigns, and reviews the work of other department clerical staff as assigned.
• Assists in preparing the departmental budget and controlling expenditures, coordinates the processing of purchasing documents.
• Responds to inquiries of a complex and technical nature requiring personal discretion and some familiarity with the subject matter.
• May prepare administrative reports by researching, assembling, and summarizing information and data.
• May perform any of the duties of an Administrative Assistant II including updating department websites and social media.
• Performs other related duties that may be reasonably expected as part of this classification.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Position requires prolonged sitting, standing, walking, reaching, twisting, turning, kneeling, bending, squatting and stooping in the performance of daily activities. The position also requires grasping, repetitive hand movement and fine coordination in using a computer keyboard. Additionally, the position requires far and near vision when reading and using a computer. Acute hearing is required when providing phone and personal service. The need to lift, drag and push files, paper and documents weighing up to 25 pounds is also required. Some of these requirements may be accommodated for otherwise qualified individuals requiring and requesting such accommodations.

Minimum Qualifications
The minimum qualifications for Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are the following:

Education and Experience

• High school graduation or tested equivalent and,
• Four years of increasingly responsible clerical experience.

OR

• High school graduation or tested equivalent and,
• Successful completion of two years of college-level course work (60 semester units) in Business or Public Administration or a directly related- field and,
• Two years of clerical experience.

Knowledge :

• Standard office procedures, practices, and equipment.
• Proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and business correspondence format.
• Modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment and applications, including word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications.
• Principles and practices of data collection and report preparation.
• Filing and record-keeping systems.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service to public and City staff, in person and over the telephone.

Skills :

• Type 55 words per minute or better.
• Effectively compose correspondence, assemble routine administrative reports, and edit the work of others.
• Effectively develop and coordinate office systems, arrange meetings and itineraries, and to work under pressure to meet deadlines.

Abilities :

• Perform responsible administrative and clerical support work with accuracy, speed, and minimal supervision.
• Communicate information clearly and concisely, orally and in writing.
• Organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical time deadlines.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Understand and carry out oral and written directions.
• Analyze situations appropriately and adopt effective courses of action.
• Frequently exercises independent judgment and in the absence of specific instruction.
• Effectively organize, direct and review the work of other clerical staff.
• Interpret and apply legal statues, municipal code administrative and departmental policies and procedures.
• Compose correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions, maintain records and databases.
• Establish and maintain effective working relations with City staff, City officials, outside agencies, and the public.
• Take and transcribe comprehensive minutes and other notes during meetings or from recorded dictation which involve technical information and terminology.
• Establish and maintain a variety of filing, record-keeping, and tracking systems.
• Operate desktop and laptop computers.
• Learn specialized software application programs, including programs for updating website and social media.
• Enter and retrieve data from a computer with sufficient speed and accuracy to perform assigned work.
• Make routine mathematical computations accurately.
• For positions assigned to the Police Department, successfully pass a law enforcement background investigation.

Licenses and Certificates

Possession and continued maintenance of a valid California Class C driver's license.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bilingual in Spanish, based on assignment.
• Experience providing administrative support within a municipal or public sector environment, including work aligned with departmental practices, procedures, and service delivery needs such as safety coordination, regulatory compliance, customer service operations, and other department-focused initiatives.
• Experience using Microsoft 365 applications, or other similar platforms, including SharePoint, to manage documents, track workflows, and support team collaboration.

Career Ladder

• Administrative Supervisor
• Executive Assistant to the City Manager
• Administrative Assistant III
• Administrative Assistant I/II

SALARY - This classification belongs to the Service bargaining unit. The current salary range for this position is posted on the City website. See the on the City website for details on pay rates and practices.
UNION REPRESENTATION - This classification belongs to the Service Employees' bargaining unit. All employees within this unit are represented by the Service Employees' International Union.
APPOINTMENT - Any candidate selected by the appointing department may be required to pass a pre-employment medical exam administered by a City-selected physician before hire to non-sedentary positions. Prior to starting work, all newly hired employees will be fingerprinted, to check conviction history. A conviction history will not necessarily disqualify an applicant from appointment Candidates must present documentation verifying authorization to work in the United States and take a loyalty oath as required by the State of California at the time of hire. Appointments to regular positions are subject to a six-month probationary period (unless specified as 12-month by Service Employees MOU) which is considered a part of the selection process. Probationary employees may be terminated without recourse during this period. Positions which are covered by the Department of Transportation regulations are required to submit to a pre-employment drug test and to random drug and alcohol testing.


LEAVE

Vacation - 80 hours/year up to 5 years, 120 hours/year 6-10 years, plus 8 hours for each year after 10 years up to a maximum of 160 hours/year.

Sick - 12 days/year

Holidays - up to 11 days/year
Floating Holidays - 24 hours per year - prorated for part-time
INSURANCE - (available to employee and eligible dependents)

Medical - Depends on plan selected; City generally pays 95% of the cost of coverage (pro-rated for part-time).
Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program - City currently pays full cost of employee and family coverage (pro-rated for part-time). Plus an additional $29.50 per pay period.

Life - City provides a $20,000 life insurance policy.

Long Term Disability - City provides a long term disability plan.
RETIREMENT

All new regular employees become members of PERS. Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) 2% @ 62 (3 year average). Prior PERS membership may affect retirement formula. Employees contribute 9.75% of their salary to PERS on a pre-tax basis. An employee is vested after 5 years of membership. No Social Security is withheld.
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS (not all inclusive)

457 Deferred Compensation Plan

Accident Protection Insurance

Bilingual Pay if required by position

Cancer and Critical Illness Insurance

Direct Deposit

Discount Bus Pass Program

Flexible Spending Plans for Health & Dependent Care

Longevity Pay (after 10 years and 15 years)

In lieu Medical Reimbursement of $200 /month (if not participating in City offered Medical Plan)

Shift Differential

Supplemental Life Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement


The information included in this listing is subject to change and does not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Leaves and most Insurance contributions are pro-rated for part-time benefited employees.
01


PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: The following supplemental questions are designed to obtain specific information regarding your work experience. Please answer each question as thoroughly as possible, as your responses will be utilized to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this position. For applicants who meet the minimum qualifications, these responses may also be used as an evaluation tool in later stages of the competitive process to determine which applicants will be invited to continue in the examination process. All experience described here must correspond to employers listed in the Work Experience section of your application to receive credit. Please refrain from using AI or computer-generated responses. Applicants are responsible to clearly, completely, and accurately describe their qualifications. You may attach a resume, but this cannot be used in lieu of completing an application. Failure to complete all required questions and/or providing incomplete responses may result in an incomplete application. Do not answer any question with "see resume" and if you do not have any experience and/or education in a given area, please write "N/A."

• I acknowledge that I have read and understood these instructions

02


Candidates who participated in and passed the May 2026 Administrative Assistant III Examination (26-EXAM-01) through the City of Santa Cruz are eligible to apply. Have you taken and received a passing score for the May 2026 Administrative Assistant III Examination?

• Yes
• No. I understand I am not eligible and will not move forward in this recruitment.

03


Please select the option that best describes how many years of clerical experience that you have. This experience must be reflected in the work experience portion of your application in order to receive credit.

• At least 2 years, but less than 3 years
• At least 3 years, but less than 4 years
• 4 or more years

04


Based on your answer above, please describe your clerical experience, such as knowledge of standard office practices, procedures, and equipment; handling confidential and sensitive information; scheduling appointments; filing and record keeping; budgetary and invoicing support; and composing correspondences and reports independently. Be sure to specifically discuss how your clerical responsibilities have increased over time, and include the employers where experience was obtained and duration of experience.
05


Desirable Qualification: Please select how many years of experience providing administrative support in a municipal or public sector environment that you have. The experience selected here must be reflected in the work experience portion of your application in order to receive credit.

• No experience
• Less than 1 year
• At least 1 year, but less than 2 years
• At least 2 years, but less than 4 years
• 4 or more years

06


Based on your answer above, please describe your administrative support experience in a municipal or public sector environment, including the agency, department(s) supported, and primary administrative responsibilities. If you do not have work experience providing administrative support in a municipal or public sector environment, please write "N/A."
07


Please select how many years of experience you have providing customer service to the public in a clerical or administrative capacity. The experience selected here must be reflected in the work experience portion of your application in order to receive credit.

• No experience
• Less than 1 year
• At least 1 year, but less than 3 years
• 4 or more years

08


Based on your answer above, please provide a brief example of your experience providing customer service to the public, both in person and over the telephone, in a clerical or administrative capacity. Include how you maintained a high level of professionalism, communication, and customer service while assisting the public, and how you met the service delivery needs of customer service operations, such as responding to inquiries, resolving issues, processing requests, or ensuring timely and accurate service.
Required Question