Administrative & Clerical Support Series

Salary: See Position Description
Location : City Hall, Costa Mesa, CA
Job Type: FULL-TIME
Job Number: 0019:04/26
Department: ALL DEPARTMENTS
Opening Date: 04/09/2026


Description
The City of Costa Mesa is seeking detail oriented, customer-focused individuals for our Administrative & Clerical Support Series. These vital positions perform tasks and behind-the-scenes coordination & support that help keep City operations running efficiently. Join our team and grow your career in public service!
There is currently one (1) full-time Administrative Assistant vacancy in the Economic & Development Services Department.
The eligibility list established from this recruitment may be used to fill future full-time and part-time vacancies in any classification in the series that may occur during the life of the list.
WHY WORK FOR COSTA MESA:
The City of Costa Mesa, with the motto "City of the Arts", is one of California's most eclectic and vibrant cities. Located just one mile from the Pacific Ocean and in the heart of Orange County, Costa Mesa is a great place to live, work and play. The City offers exceptional employee benefits, opportunities for training and development, and prides itself on its Core Values of Integrity, Sustainability, Compassion, Innovation, Inclusion and Collaboration.
ADMINISTRATIVE & CLERICAL SUPPORT SERIES* SALARY RANGES:
Office Specialist: $48,456 - $64,944 annually ($23.30 - $31.22 per hour)

Office Specialist I: $53,580 - $71,784 annually ($25.76 - $34.51 per hour)
Office Specialist II: $57,732 - $77,364 annually ($27.76 - $37.19 per hour)


Office Specialist II (Confidential): $58,608 - $78,532 annually ($28.18 - $37.76 per hour)
Administrative Assistant: $66,600 - $89,244 annually ($32.02 - $42.91 per hour) (current vacancy)
Administrative Assistant (Confidential): $67,584 - $90,564 annually ($32.49 - $43.54 per hour)
Executive Assistant: $73,260 - $98,160 annually ($35.22 - $47.19 per hour)
Executive Assistant (Confidential): $74,364 - $99,660 annually ($35.75 - $47.91 per hour)

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS:
Applications must be completed and submitted online. Candidates are requested to provide specific information on their education and experience as it relates to the position/s by completing all fields of the application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.
The first application review date is Monday, April 27, 2026

The initial application screening and invite to written exam will be based upon answers to the Supplemental Questions only. Prior to placement on the eligibility list, answers to the Supplemental Questions will be verified against information provided in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the employment application.
It is recommended you use a personal email address on your application instead of a work email address. Notifications during this recruitment will be sent by email only (regardless of the notification preference selected during the online application process).
The selection process will include the following components: application review and evaluation, written examination, typing certification review (if applicable), and selection interviews. The written examination date/s are to be determined. Please notify the Human Resources Division 72 hours in advance of the test date if you have a disability which requires accommodation for the testing process.
All employment offers made by the City are contingent upon establishing proof of a prospective candidate's legal authorization to work in the United States and successfully passing all components of the pre-employment process which may include, but is not limited to: comprehensive background investigation, reference check, criminal history check (Live Scan fingerprint check), polygraph examination, and post-offer medical evaluation.
*ADMINISTRATIVE & CLERICAL SUPPORT SERIES:

Please note the following regarding this series (may not be applicable to all classifications/assignments):

• Office Specialist positions may be filled at either the Office Specialist, Office Specialist I or Office Specialist II level depending on the qualifications of the candidate.
• To be considered for the positions in the series (excluding Office Specialist), candidates must be able to type at a speed of 40 wpm net (corrected) or better. Instructions for submitting verification of typing speed will be provided at a later date if selected to proceed in the selection process.
• Confidential Employee Designation: Employees in classifications deemed "(Confidential)" may have access to decisions or the decision-making process of the City concerning matters related to employer-employee relations. Confidential employees may have access to, or prepare, confidential materials, information, and/or recommendations on behalf of the City in matters relating to employer-employee relations and therefore is a non-represented confidential employee.
• Police Department employees are required to successfully pass a thorough background check which includes, but is not limited to, a comprehensive investigation, fingerprinting, polygraph examination and credit check. Recent drug usage, theft, or other illegal activity may disqualify you. Record must be free from any felony conviction and/or any misdemeanor conviction involving moral turpitude and excessive traffic violations.
• Positions designated as CDBG: Some Office Specialist positions within the Economic and Development Services Department may be a limited-term position dependent upon Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. Limited-term employees are hired for a specific purpose or need related to a defined project, program, or activity with a specific duration or articulated funding. Employees who transfer, or are promoted, into full-time limited-term positions shall be considered at-will for a period of one year, which shall be considered as a probationary period, and shall not have any right of retrenchment in case of layoff or failure to pass the one year probation. The limited-term/probationary status may be extended up to one year. At the end of this period, an employee may be converted to a grant funded employee. However, in the event that the CDBG funding is no longer available, the position may be eliminated.

Note: The provisions of this job bulletin do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provisions contained within may be modified or revoked without notice.

Essential Functions
To view complete job descriptions and essential functions for each position in the series, please click on the links below:
Qualification Guidelines
All positions require graduation from high school or its equivalent and may require possession of or ability to obtain a valid California Driver's License.
An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience that provides the desired knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform essential functions may also be considered.
Office Specialist: Requires some work experience in an office environment that includes public contact is desirable.

Office Specialist I: Requires one year of experience in related clerical work involving a variety of typing and/or office operation responsibilities. Requires ability to type at a corrected rate of 40 net words per minute.
Office Specialist II & Office Specialist II (Confidential): Requires two years of related, progressively responsible clerical work requiring the application of policies and procedures. Requires ability to type at a corrected rate of 40 net words per minute.

Administrative Assistant & Administrative Assistant (Confidential): Requires three years of progressively responsible secretarial and clerical experience. Secretarial and clerical experience in a public agency is desirable. Experience supporting a public agency governing body and/or commission is desirable. Requires ability to type at a corrected rate of 40 net words per minute.
Executive Assistant & Executive Assistant (Confidential): Requires three years of progressively responsible secretarial and clerical experience, including administrative support to management or executive level staff. Secretarial and clerical experience in a public agency is desirable. Experience supporting a public agency governing body and/or commission is desirable. Requires ability to type at a corrected rate of 40 net words per minute.

Supplemental Information

PHYSICAL TASKS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS:

Please contact Human Resources for a summary of the essential tasks and environmental factors for this classification.

Employee accommodations for physical or mental disabilities will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE DISASTER SERVICE WORKER:

In accordance with Government Code Section 3100 - all City of Costa Mesa employees are required to perform assigned disaster service worker duties in the event of an emergency or a disaster.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

The City of Costa Mesa is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
To view 2026 benefit information for all groups,


New Full-Time employees contribute 9% of their salary on a pre-tax basis towards the 2%@60 or 2%@62 CalPERS retirement formula depending on eligibility.

Full-Time employees receive the following health insurance flexible benefits contribution:

• $1,700 monthly
• Effective June 1, 2026 $1,800 monthly

New Part-Time employees are appointed by and serve at the will of the Department Director. They are reviewed for merit salary advancement on a periodic basis. Generally, part-time employees are limited to no more than 1,000 hours of work per fiscal year (July 1 - June 30). Certain part-time employees, however, are permitted to exceed this limit. Part-time employees participate in either the Public Agency Retirement System (PARS) or the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) depending on eligibility. Employees enrolled in PARS contribute 3.75% of salary with a matching City contribution. Employees enrolled in CalPERS contribute 7% - 9% of salary depending on eligibility. Part-time positions are eligible to receive general leave benefits. General leave can be used for sick, vacation, or holiday time.
The City does not participate in the Social Security system; however, federal mandate requires all new employees to contribute 1.45% of wages to Medicare. As a condition of employment, all new employees are required to enroll and participate in the direct deposit program.
01


I understand that an incomplete application may lead to disqualification from the recruitment process and I have supplied all the applicable information in my application. Examples of incomplete/inaccurate information leading to disqualification include, but are not limited to: noting incorrect department, leaving dates of employment blank, leaving reason for leaving employment blank, leaving duties blank or noting "see resume", etc.

• Agree
• Disagree

02


I understand that the initial application screening and invite to written exam will be based upon the answers to the below supplemental questions ONLY. I understand that prior to placement on the eligibility list, my answers to the supplemental questions will be verified against the information provided in the "Education" and "Work Experience" sections of the employment application. Dishonesty or false information may result in automatic disqualification.

• Yes
• No

03


In order to be considered for Office Specialist I level or above, I understand that I must be able to type at a speed of 40 wpm net (corrected). Instructions for submitting typing certificate will be provided at a later date if moving forward in selection process.

• Yes
• No

04


The current vacancy is within the Economic & Development Services Department. With respect to current and future vacancies which may occur throughout the life of the eligible list, please indicate the department(s) for which you would like to be considered. Check all that apply:

• City Manager
• Economic & Development Services (current vacancy)
• Finance
• Fire
• Information Technology
• Parks & Community Services
• Police
• Public Works
• All of the above

05


Please indicate what schedule you are interested in.

• Full-Time (current vacancy)
• Part-Time
• Both Full-Time and Part-Time

06


Which best describes your level of education

• Some High School
• High School graduate, no college
• Some college
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree

07


How many year's of secretarial and clerical experience do you possess?

• None
• Less than one year
• One year or more but less than two years
• Two years or more but less than three years
• Three or more years

08


Do you have experience providing administrative support to management or executive level staff? If yes, please describe below. If no experience providing direct support, indicate "no".
09


The Administrative Assistant in the Economic and Development Services Department (current vacancy) supports the Planning Commission which includes attending Planning Commission meetings (approximately two meetings per month). Therefore the ability to work occasional after hours and in the evening is required.

• Agree
• Disagree
• N/A Not interested in current vacancy

10


FOR POLICE DEPARTMENT VACANCIES - If selected, you will be required to undergo a comprehensive background investigation which includes, but is not limited to, fingerprinting, polygraph examination and credit check. Recent drug usage, theft, or other illegal activity may disqualify you. Record must be free from any felony conviction and/or any misdemeanor conviction involving moral turpitude and excessive traffic violations. I understand this requirement.

• Agree
• Disagree
• N/A- I'm not interested in Police Department vacancies

11


I certify that all information I provided in my application is accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief and that purposely providing false information may be grounds for disqualification from the process.

• Agree
• Disagree

Required Question