Human Services Administrative Assistant

Position Information

The County of Sonoma Human Services Department seeks a highly skilled Administrative Assistant to join their team!

Starting salary up to $39.17/hour ($81,752/year) plus a competitive total compensation package!*

The Human Services Administrative Assistant provides high-level administrative support directly to the Economic Assistance (EA) Division Director and is responsible for performing a variety of clerical and administrative duties that help support the work of both the director and the division, including completing general clerical work, answering questions from employees and the public, and supporting division staff. Additional responsibilities include:

• Taking minutes for management meetings, workgroups, and other gatherings
• Posting and disseminating minutes to staff and management
• Reviewing the Division Director's emails throughout the day and alerting the director to time-sensitive requests
• Calendaring meetings for the director and other high-level managers
• Compiling lobby comments and sending a monthly report to the leadership team
• Assisting with supply inventory, supply purchasing, troubleshooting equipment issues, technology tracking, and other tasks associated with office support
• Editing and updating the division telephone roster, staff organizational chart, and other documents
• Creating and sending e-mails to staff and community partners on behalf of management
• Working with EA and other HSD managers to complete time-sensitive tasks
• Coordinating travel arrangements for the division director and other staff and completing supporting documentation

The ideal candidate will possess many of the following:

• Excellent communication and customer service skills
• The ability to work independently to prioritize and solve problems
• Experience supporting a high-level manager
• Strong multitasking skills with the ability to effectively work in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities
• The ability to maintain strict confidentiality
• The demonstrated ability to handle matters proactively while attending to details and ensuring timely completion of projects
• An understanding of the services provided by the Economic Assistance Division
• The ability to work effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders, including staff and clients
• Advanced proficiency with Adobe and the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and Outlook
• A general understanding of technology to provide support to management (laptops, cell phones, tablets, etc.)
• The ability to track project deliverables and due dates
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) skills are desired but not required

About the Human Services Department (HSD)

As the largest agency in Sonoma County government, the Human Services Department's mission is to build upon strengths, as we bridge clients to opportunities through responsive safety-net services. We work to protect vulnerable children and adults, to help people rise above poverty and thrive in our community, and to promote maximum independence and well-being for individuals and families. HSD is responsible for child and adult protective services, veteran services, and administration of state and federal programs, including CalFRESH, CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, and In-Home Supportive Services. The department is dedicated to providing responsive, client-focused services so that all in our community can live freely chosen lives up to their full potential throughout their lifespan. The core values that drive our work are dignity, humility, integrity, responsiveness, partnership, and belonging.
HSD fosters a positive work environment, where our commitment to providing opportunities for advancement is strengthened by a robust staff development program. We believe in the merits of work/life balance and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that our work contributes to the betterment of our community.

The Department works collaboratively at the federal, state, and local levels to find creative solutions to support the well-being of individuals, families, and the community. To meet that goal, the department has fostered strong relationships with other public and private sector partners, including other government agencies, community-based organizations, and business leaders. For more information regarding HSD's services please visit
What We Offer


Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing your contributions work to better our shared community. You can also look forward to flexible work arrangements and excellent benefits* including:

• Hybrid Telework - A schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve may be available depending on the assignment
• Salary Advancement - A salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
• Paid Time Off - Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
• County Paid Health Premium Contributions - 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
• Post-Retirement Health Reimbursement Arrangement - County contributions to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
• Retirement - A pension fully integrated with Social Security
• Paid Parental Leave - May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) after 12 months of County employment
• Additional Benefits - Excellent dental, vision, disability, life insurance, employee assistance program, professional development, and more
• Student Loan Debt Relief - County employees may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness through the U.S. Department of Education

*Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Service Employees International Union Local 1021 Memorandum Of Understanding (SEIU MOU) and our Employee Benefits Directory.

This recruitment is currently being conducted to fill a full-time Human Services Administrative Assistant position in the Human Services Department. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help (temporary) positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified candidates who wish to be considered for future positions should consider applying to this recruitment. The Civil Service title for this position is Secretary.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed. Minimum Qualifications

Experience and Education: Any combination of education, vocational training and work experience which provides the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. Normally, formal coursework in secretarial skills and three or more years of general clerical work experience which includes working with personal computers will provide this opportunity.

Performance Skills: The ability to type accurately at the rate of 45 words per minute is required.

License: Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.
The position advertised on this announcement does not require possession of a valid California Driver's License. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Considerable knowledge of: the organization, services, programs and functions of the agency in order to plan, evaluate, coordinate and perform clerical support and minor administrative functions; departmental and general clerical work practices from reference materials, procedures, guidelines, written formats, and timetables to schedule events; compile, consolidate and summarize information; authorize and/or submit claims, requisitions, payroll time reports; and answer a variety of information such as work progress, routings, application of procedures to specific situations, agendas, status of accounts, location of materials, and coordination of clerical support and administrative functions; English grammar, spelling, written format and punctuation; the functions, timetables, workload, and priority of the administrative and professional positions served; the procedures, work practices, format and routines associated with secretarial responsibilities to one or more commissions or boards if such work has been assigned.

Working knowledge of : the principles of supervision and office practices to instruct and provide training to secretarial and general clerical positions; office equipment and filing systems, including personal computers and/or terminals, as well as business software programs generally used by County departments.

Knowledge of: the principal administrative employee's style of writing and thinking in order to compose routine correspondence in his or her absence and to clarify wordage or sentence structure not necessitating review.

Ability to: select, understand and apply regulations, rules, procedures, office routine and work practices related to a variety of clerical support and minor administrative work functions in the department or division located; exercise discretion and good judgment in coordinating and performing work assigned; independently initiate, prioritize, perform or solve problems related to deviations in work assigned in order to meet fixed or fluctuating deadlines and achieve work objectives; coordinate the submittal of a variety of information such as resolutions, reports and appeals to be heard by commission or board members and to prioritize subject matter to be heard by content and implication as well as structural format; summarize motions, divisions, appeals, and actions presented before or taken by commission or board members and to organize and transcribe such into minutes of meetings when such work has been assigned; take verbatim dictation during board or commission meetings; instruct or advise co-workers in the proper routines, procedures, office practice, or step-by-step sequence to properly compile and summarize data in order to consolidate fiscal, statistical or informational data for the use of the supervisor or to comply with procedural or administrative requirements; screen and prioritize correspondence, phone calls or visitors seeking the personal attention of the supervisor and to refer matters which may be adequately handled by someone other than the supervisor to the appropriate person or department section; select, extract and organize a variety of information related to different department programs, services, or functions for the use of the supervisor in answering complaints, inquiries or preparing administrative reports; answer procedural, factual and semi-technical questions related to department services, programs, or functions; schedule appointments, maintain supervisor's calendar and coordinate calendared events with other departments, agencies, private concerns and affected individuals; compose correspondence in answer to routine inquiries or complaints; recognize and know the purpose of standardized forms related to department services, functions and programs; deal with the general public and co-workers in a tactful, courteous and effective manner; safeguard classified materials or contents of closed or sealed meetings; independently set-up, prepare and summarize control records such as department, division or sectional budget, expenditures, fund, or revenue records, personnel, time and leave records, production output, census and statistical records, and purchasing and inventory control records. Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying

• Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
• You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
• You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
• Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please visit Getting a Job with the County of Sonoma to review more detailed information about the hiring process, including the application process, examination steps, and department selection process.

Application submissions require the Supplemental Questionnaire to be completed.

Responses to supplemental questions will be scored using position-specific criteria. Please provide specific and detailed responses of a reasonable length to allow for a thorough assessment of your qualifications. Responses that state, "See Resume" or "See Application" may be considered insufficient and therefore may not be scored.

The selection procedure will consist of the following examination:

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination (weight 100%) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's application and supplemental questionnaire for satisfaction of minimum qualifications (pass/not pass); and for educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position. Personally identifiable information (PII) is removed from the standard application fields and applicable attachments. This PII blind screening practice redacts a candidate's personal information that could potentially influence or bias the scoring process. Personal information includes the applicant's name, former last name, address, phone number, email, driver's license number, school name, education start and end dates, age, date of birth, gender, and race. This PII blind screening practice helps contribute to a fair and equitable examination process.

Each applicant will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of work history, related experience, and achieved level of education and/or training as described in the application and responses to the supplemental questions.

Candidates demonstrating possession of the minimum qualifications will be placed on an employment list in order of most qualified to least qualified based on the achieved score received in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination which evaluates the education, training, experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, and other qualifications that you demonstrate in your application and/or response to the supplemental questionnaire. Please be aware that resumes and cover letters are not typically evaluated in the Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal Examination. Scores may be adjusted based on such factors as the number of candidates, anticipated vacancies, past practice, and natural breaks in the scores achieved by this group of candidates.

Additional Information A background investigation is required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy. Reference information will not be made available to candidates.

Additional requirements, such as successful completion of a physical exam, drug screen, etc., may apply, depending on the duties and responsibilities of the position. If you receive a conditional job offer for the position, the requirements upon which the offer is contingent will be outlined in the conditional job letter. You may also review the Job Classification Screening Schedule to determine the requirements for this position.

How to Apply
Applications are accepted online at: Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax View phone number on click.appcast.io), email, or through the mail. All applications and appropriate supplemental information as outlined in the job bulletin must be received by the time and date specified on the first page of this job announcement. Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma values diversity and is dedicated to creating a workplace environment that provides individuals with a sense of belonging. We are committed to having a diverse workforce that is representative of the communities we serve. The County is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer where all aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance, and business need.

HR Analyst: EP
HR Tech: VH