Administrative Assistant 1/Trainee

Position Description

This position will work directly with the Deputy Director. The preferred candidate must have excellent organizational skills, ability to work well under pressure, good time management and possess knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite products and the Statewide Financial System (SFS).

Primary duties and responsibilities not limited to:

• Provide administrative support to the Deputy Director;
• Respond to questions regarding procedures and/or referring more complex questions to the appropriate person for response regarding the New York State OPWDD, Staten Island;
• Review incoming correspondence and gather information relating to the correspondence;
• A daily follow-up on correspondence requiring action or response is maintained to identify the follow-up date and location of files in appropriate date folders;
• Actively pursue response(s) to ensure timeliness and independently create and send memos to staff for input when the need to update various documents arises;
• Screen telephone calls received from individuals, staff, the public, vendors and personnel of other State agencies. Handle routine matters independently and refer others as appropriate;
• Prepare written drafts or directly respond to routine correspondence;
• Review outgoing correspondence, make suggestions to drafts prepared by others to ensure conformance with agency correspondence guidelines, and prepare final copy for approval;
• Schedule meetings on behalf of Deputy Director or designee and maintain their calendars;
• Transmit personnel-related matters and forms to appropriate staff;
• Attend weekly "HUDDLE" and take minutes;
• Make travel arrangements and process travel vouchers in SFS;
• Attend meetings, take minutes and distribute accordingly;
• Assist with and coordinate special events such as special friends, SEFA, Employee of the Year/DSP Week;
• Maintain and update files as necessary;
• Serve as "Timekeeper" for the Deputy Director's TIMES review;
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Open competitive qualifications:

The position may be filled at the Administrative Assistant Trainee 1 level equated to SG-8, Administrative Assistant Trainee 2 level equated to SG-10, or full performance Administrative Assistant 1 SG-11, based on education and experience. Candidates hired at the trainee level will be advanced to the full performance level following the successful completion of the traineeship.

Administrative Assistant Trainee 1: Six months of experience in administrative support, which includes use of office software (e.g., email, word processing), provision of customer service, business writing, and/or office administration. To be advanced to the full performance level of this title you must successfully complete a set training and development program. Upon satisfactory completion of the 12-month training at the Trainee 1, you will automatically advance to Trainee 2.

Administrative Assistant Trainee 2: One year of experience in administrative support, which includes use of office software (e.g., email, word processing), provision of customer service, business writing, and/or office administration. To be advanced to the full performance level of this title you must successfully complete a set training and development program. Upon satisfactory completion of the 12-month training as a Trainee 2 you will advance to the full level of this title without further examination.

Administrative Assistant 1: Two years of experience in administrative support, which includes use of office software (e.g., email, word processing), provision of customer service, business writing, and/or office administration. OR Certification (e.g., IAAP Certified Administrative Professional) or associate degree in office administration, secretarial science, administrative assistance, paralegal, business technology, or office technology substitutes for two years of experience.

Competitive minimum qualifications:

Candidates must be reachable for appointment on the current Civil Service Eligible List for this title.

70.1 Transfer qualifications:

Be eligible to transfer via Section 70.1 of Civil Service Law. Candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or 55b/c service in a title SG-9 or above deemed eligible for transfer under Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law AND must have completed all required mandatory and elective coursework.

Administrative Assistant Trainee 1: Transfer: Candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or 55 b/c service in a title SG-6 or above deemed eligible for transfer under Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law.

Administrative Assistant Trainee 2: Transfer: Candidates must have one year of permanent competitive or 55b/c service in a title SG-8 or above deemed eligible for transfer under Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law AND completion of all required mandatory coursework.

To determine if your current Civil Service title is eligible for transfer to this title, visit the Career Mobility GOT-IT website:

55 B/C Qualifications:

Possess the minimum qualifications for this title as established by the Department of Civil Service and listed on the most recent exam announcement. Meet the applicable minimal mental and/or physical requirements for the job (with a reasonable accommodation, if necessary) Have a current Eligibility Letter from the NYS Department of Civil Service, , and be able to provide it to the Human Resources Office upon request.

Additional Comments

This title is part of the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide Program (NY HELPS). HELPS Program titles may be filled via a non-competitive appointment. This means that you do not need to take an exam to qualify, but you do need to meet the minimum qualifications of the title.

At a future date (within one year of permanent appointment), employees hired under NY HELPS are expected to have their permanent non-competitive employment status converted to permanent competitive status. You will not have to take an exam to gain permanent competitive status.

Appointments may also be made at the Administrative Assistant Trainee levels. Candidates hired at the entry-level title (Administrative Assistant Trainee 1) will be required to take four mandatory courses the first year of the traineeship and four elective courses in each the second year of the traineeship in four competency areas through the CSEA Partnership, or equivalent offerings through another entity as determined by the agency. All trainees are required to successfully complete all courses before advancing to the Administrative Assistant 1, G-11.

Salary range listed below encompasses the hiring rate of an Administrative Assistant Trainee 1 through the job rate of an Administrative Assistant 1.

Administrative Assistant Trainee 1: $44,625*

Administrative Assistant Trainee 2: $49,260*

Administrative Assistant 1: $52,006* - $64,467*

*Amounts include Downstate adjustment ($4,000).

If you are currently a New York State employee serving in a permanent competitive qualifying title and eligible for a transfer via Section 70.1 of the Civil Service Law, you may be appointed to this title as a permanent competitive employee.

Preference will be given to OPWDD employees impacted by closures. If you are being impacted by closure, please indicate this on your resume.

All OPWDD employees must be eligible and maintain eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continued employment will depend on maintaining eligibility.

If you are employed by state government you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments have been made under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. For more information on PSLF, please visit .

Employees on long term leave can bid on positions but must be able to report to work within fourteen (14) days and be able to perform the essential functions of their positions with or without reasonable accommodation (RA).

If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Reasonable Accommodation Unit at View phone number on click.appcast.io or email View email address on click.appcast.io to obtain information and RA forms.

Savings programs such as the U.S. Savings Bond and the College Savings Plan.

Voluntary pre-tax savings programs such as Health Care Spending Account and the Dependent Care