Scheduling Manager, Office of the County Executive (Administrative Assistant to the County Executive)

Working title: Scheduling Manager, Office of the County Executive

This is a term position.

About the Position

The Office of the County Executive is seeking an experienced executive scheduling professional to manage the County Executive's time and calendar in a fast-paced, high-profile environment. This is executive-level administrative work requiring a broad knowledge of the County Government's programs and operations.

The employee reports to the Deputy Chief of Staff and works directly with the County Executive each day. The employee independently evaluates all requests for the County Executive's time, determines priority based on the Executive's policy agenda and the significance of the issue, and commits or declines the Executive's participation. The employee is responsible for ensuring that the County Executive's schedule reflects the priorities of the administration. The position serves as a principal liaison between the County Executive and Council members, other elected officials, department and agency directors, community organizations, and residents, and directs the scheduling function for the Office of the County Executive.

Major Duties

• Manages the County Executive's daily and long-range schedule. Receives and evaluates all requests for the Executive's time, determines priority, obtains input from senior staff as needed, and accepts or declines on the Executive's behalf. Initiates regrets without consulting the County Executive based on knowledge of the Executive's priorities and the significance of the issue.
• Ensures that every request for the County Executive's time receives a timely determination and response. Establishes response standards for the scheduling function, tracks all pending requests, and reports on status to the Deputy Chief of Staff.
• Allocates the County Executive's time in alignment with the administration's priorities. Plans the long-range calendar around the budget cycle, the legislative session, the Council calendar, and major community events, and identifies and resolves conflicts before they occur.
• Maintains current knowledge of the issues the County Executive considers critical through regular meetings with the Executive, the Chief Administrative Officer, Special Assistants, and members of the Senior Management Team. Applies that knowledge in making scheduling determinations and in deciding when to interrupt the County Executive for urgent matters.
• Independently resolves scheduling conflicts and sensitive problems, and restructures the schedule on short notice when priorities or circumstances change.
• Ensures the County Executive is prepared for each meeting and event. Gathers agendas, data, and background materials from Executive Office staff, departments, and outside organizations, and prepares briefing materials that include the purpose of the meeting, the participants and their organizations, the action requested of the Executive, and other relevant information, allowing sufficient time for review.
• Plans and coordinates all arrangements for the County Executive's meetings, public appearances, press conferences, events, and travel. Confirms participants, program, location, and travel time with departments, event hosts, and Executive Office staff, and follows through to ensure all details are complete.
• Serves as liaison between the County Executive and the Senior Management Team, department and agency directors, Council members, State and Federal officials, senior management in the private sector, community representatives, and the public. Ensures that confidential, complex, and sensitive matters are attended to.
• Develops and implements work flow processes, procedures, and tracking systems for the scheduling and liaison functions of the Office of the County Executive.
• Supervises the scheduling assistant, and assigns, reviews, and coordinates the work of other administrative staff who support scheduling and advance.
• Drafts, edits, and reviews correspondence and other documents for the County Executive. Receives, investigates, and responds to inquiries from residents and organizations regarding requests for the Executive's time.
• Establishes and maintains complex, sensitive, and confidential files and records for the Office of the County Executive in accordance with County records requirements.
• Performs related duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Extensive knowledge of the organization, functions, and operations of County Government and of the State and regional agencies that deal with the County, or the ability to acquire it rapidly.
• Thorough knowledge of the principles and practices of executive scheduling for an elected official or senior executive, including long-range calendar planning, briefing preparation, and event coordination.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and discretion, to make decisions on the County Executive's behalf, and to use initiative and resourcefulness in responding to new and unusual situations.
• Ability to analyze competing demands, anticipate problems, and choose a course of action after considering alternatives.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the County Council, County officials, elected and appointed officials at the State and Federal level, executives of business and community organizations, and the public, and to decline requests with tact and diplomacy.
• Political awareness and knowledge of the County's communities, civic organizations, and elected officials sufficient to judge the significance of a request.
• Ability to handle highly confidential and politically sensitive information with discretion and integrity.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing, and to prepare accurate briefing materials and correspondence.
• Ability to plan, assign, and review the work of others.
• Skill in the use of Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams), scheduling and coordination tools, and electronic records management systems.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines under pressure with exceptional attention to detail.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: Extensive (7 years) experience in progressively responsible administrative work, three (3) years of which must have been in direct support of an elected official or senior executive at the level of a Senior Executive Administrative Aide or its equivalent.

Education: Completion of high school or High School Certificate of completion recognized in the State of Maryland.

Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.

Preferred Criteria

• Experience managing the schedule of an elected official, agency head, or chief executive, with authority to accept and decline requests on the principal's behalf.
• Experience planning a long-range calendar around legislative, budget, and public engagement cycles.
• Experience preparing briefing materials for a senior executive.
• Experience leading or coordinating the work of other administrative staff.
• Knowledge of Montgomery County Government, its communities, and its civic and community organizations.

Work Schedule

The County Executive's schedule includes evening and weekend commitments. This position requires availability outside normal business hours to respond to schedule changes and urgent matters.