Office Specialist

The Position

With supervisor approval, incumbents may be eligible for intermittent remote work; however, they must physically reside within the Sacramento region or have the ability to regularly report to a City of Sacramento physical worksite with little notice. The Business Services Division's Long Range Financial Planning (LRFP) Unit within the Department of Utilities (DOU) is seeking qualified applicants for the Office Specialist position. Under general direction, the Office Specialist helps manage grant projects, track budgets and financial activity, and ensures claims are submitted on time. It also includes monitoring cost trends that affect rate planning, keeping schedules updated, and checking contract spending. Finally, this position requires working with city staff, consultants, and grant agencies to share financial information, coordinate meetings, and review documents to make sure they are clear, concise, and accurately reflect compliance requirements. The ideal candidate for this position will have excellent customer service skills, a keen attention to detail, excellent written and verbal communication skills, a willingness to learn, and the ability to manage priorities in a continuously evolving work environment. Under general supervision, provides a variety of office support activities to an assigned City department/division/section/unit, which may include word processing, data entry and organization, telephone and counter reception, receipt of payments, processing of invoices, record-keeping, report preparation, and filing; provides information and assistance to the general public; and performs related work as required.

This is the journey level class in the Office Specialist series. An Office Specialist is expected to perform assigned duties with only occasional instruction or assistance and work is normally reviewed only on completion. Incumbents research, select, and apply the most appropriate methods to accomplish assigned tasks and handle problems and deviations in the work assignment in accordance with established policies and procedures. Adequate performance at this level requires the knowledge of general City procedures, as well as knowledge of the department/division/section/unit, its procedures, and operational details. This class is distinguished from the Senior Office Specialist in that the latter performs more advanced and complex clerical and office support requiring additional training and/or experience and may provide technical and functional direction to lower-level office support staff. General supervision is provided by management, professional, technical, or higher level clerical positions. Functional or technical supervision may also be received from department staff.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all the listed duties and/or may be required to perform related duties as needed:

• Perform a wide variety of office administrative duties to support assigned department/division/section/unit, including filing, preparing records and reports, accounts payable, processing permits and licenses, cashiering duties, and ordering and maintaining office and other related supplies.
• Maintain accurate and detailed records, verify accuracy of information, research discrepancies, and record information.
• Verify and review forms and reports for completeness and conformance with established regulations and procedures; apply City, departmental, and divisional policies and procedures in determining completeness of applications, records, and files.
• Prepare, copy, collate, and distribute a variety of documents; ensure proper filing of copies in central files or electronically.
• Compose, type, format, and proofread a variety of documents including letters, reports, memos, and statistical charts.
• Compile information and data for statistical and financial reports; check data; prepare and assemble reports, manuals, articles, announcements, and other informational materials.
• Gather, assemble, process, update, and distribute a variety of forms, records, and data as requested.
• Perform general reception duties; receive and screen visitors and telephone calls; take messages, direct callers and visitors to the proper office or person, and/or provide factual information regarding City services, programs, projects, and activities; apply policies, procedures, rules, and precedents in response to inquiries and complaints from the public; direct callers to appropriate City staff as necessary.
• Maintain and update record systems and specialized databases; verify accuracy of information; retrieve information from systems and databases as required.
• Receive, open, time stamp, sort, and distribute all incoming mail, faxes, invoices, and parcels; maintain and process outgoing mail.
• Receive and process reimbursements, invoices, purchase requisitions, and other requests for payment; maintain records; follow-up on status of payments.
• Monitor and order office supplies; submit expense claims.
• Establish and implement file, index, tracking, and record-keeping systems; periodically review and purge files in accordance with the records retention policy.
• Maintain calendars and make meeting and travel arrangements; schedule meetings between City staff and other groups or organizations; arrange for necessary set-up and materials to be available at meetings.
• Issue, receive, type and process various applications, permits and other forms.
• May perform cashiering duties; receives money and issues receipts; collects and accounts for service fees.
• May receive incoming telephone and voice radio calls, secure and record information and use voice radio to dispatch necessary City services; keep radio contact with City units.
• Other related duties may also be performed; not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each individual holding this classification.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Modern office practices and procedures including use of standard office equipment and computer applications related to the work such as word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications.
• Departmental organization, practices, and procedures and applicable City policies.
• Principles and practices of data collection and report preparation.
• Basic accounting methods, procedures, and terminology.
• Principles of business letter writing.
• Basic principles of record-keeping and cash handling.
• English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively dealing with the public, vendors, contractors, and City staff.

Ability to:

• Perform responsible clerical support work with accuracy, speed, and minimal supervision.
• Respond to and effectively prioritize multiple phone calls and other requests for service.
• Compose correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions.
• Understand and apply departmental and City policies and procedures.
• Understand the organization and operation of the City as necessary to assume assigned responsibilities.
• Make accurate arithmetic computations.
• Organize, maintain, and update office database and records systems.
• File materials alphabetically, chronologically, and numerically.
• Organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical time deadlines.
• Enter and retrieve data from a computer with sufficient speed and accuracy to perform assigned work.
• Understand and carry out oral and written directions.
• Operate modern office equipment, including a computer and word-processing, database, and spreadsheet application programs.
• Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing.
• Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy and legal guidelines.
• Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Experience: One (1) year of experience performing a wide variety of general clerical duties. Education: Possession of a High School diploma or G.E.D. equivalent.

Special Qualifications Working Conditions: Type at a speed of not less than forty (40) net words per minute. Physical Conditions: Must possess mobility to work in a standard office setting and use standard office equipment, including a computer; vision to read printed materials and a computer screen; and hearing and speech to communicate in person and over the telephone. This is primarily a sedentary office classification although standing and walking between work areas may be required. Finger dexterity is needed to access, enter, and retrieve data using a computer and to operate standard call center and office equipment. Positions in this classification occasionally bend, stoop, kneel, reach, push, and pull drawers open and closed to retrieve and file information. Employees must possess the ability to lift, carry, push, and pull materials and objects up to 25 pounds. Environmental Conditions: Employees work in an office environment with moderate noise levels, controlled temperature conditions, and no direct exposure to hazardous physical substances. Employees may interact with upset staff and/or public and private representatives while interpreting and enforcing departmental policies and procedures.

Probationary Period Employees must complete twelve (12) months of probation at a satisfactory performance level prior to gaining permanent status.

The Selection Procedure

Please note, the City of Sacramento's preferred method of communication with applicants is via e-mail. As such, please ensure you verify the e-mail address on your application, and check your e-mail frequently, including your spam and junk folders. All e-mail notifications can also be accessed through the governmentjobs.com applicant inbox.

1. Application: (Pass/Fail