Sr. Department Assistant

Under the direction of the Fire Chief, the Department Assistant-Senior provides responsible and complex administrative support to the Fire Chief and administrative staff.  This position directs other department clerical staff.  This position will be responsible for routine clerical and administrative duties, as well as record keeping; assisting with special projects; developing and maintaining content for website, intranet, and social media platforms; coordinating scheduling of department facilities; providing research and confidential administrative support to the team; research and apply for grants; and may serve as records officer for department.  Position may serve as the department’s liaison with outside departments and committees at the Fire Chief’s discretion.  Independent judgment and strong attention to detail is required to plan, prioritize, and organize diversified workload.  Responsibilities have a significant impact on the department’s operations and record keeping, legal filings and customer satisfaction.    This position requires interacting with diverse group of external customers including phone calls, vendors and visitors, as well as internal contacts at all levels of departments.  The Senior Department Assistant must establish and maintain effective working relationships with department members, city staff, and citizens.

• Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement through the use of performance measurement and benchmarking;
• Maintain and nurture a culture of member involvement and community service throughout the organization;
  • Greet visitors in person and on the phone, ensure that they are assisted in a prompt, accurate and professional manner.  Resolve problems and respond to inquiries regarding departmental procedures and services; receive and refer visitors; answer phones and responds to common questions, schedules classes for citizens and employees, coordinates scheduling of department facilities and various other reception duties;
  • Provide clerical, project and event support as needed for Administrative staff.   Includes preparing mass mailings, spreadsheets, and databases; creating and maintaining files in accordance to the City’s records retention policy; copying, filing, composing and proofreading routine correspondence and reports; organizing and scheduling meetings; and running general errands;
  • Maintain the department’s webpage, intranet, and social media platform.  Includes the posting of information related to official department business and the development of materials that communicate and promote the department’s activities;
  • Supervise, train, evaluate and assigns work of other departmental clerical staff;
  • Organize and maintain office operations including: ordering supplies, receiving and maintaining office supply inventory, distributing incoming and outgoing mail, and completing photocopying requests;
  • Update and maintain various departmental rosters, directories, email lists, databases and related records;
  • Provide individual administrative support for the Fire Chief and others.  Includes assisting with special projects; providing support for events; assisting with paperwork associated with day to day activities, and other duties as assigned;
  • Orders, receives and organizes materials and supplies;
  • Supervises petty cash and credit card use, compiling statements and receipts; processes accounts payable, reimbursements, and purchase orders; assigns appropriate budget/tracking numbers; and prepares them for approval and submission to the Finance Department;
  • May prepare meeting minutes; may prepare department/agenda packets and distribute; may prepare and post public notices;
  • May serve as Records Officer for the department; includes responding to record requests promptly and updating records in accordance with record retention policies; maintains database and file room for records, archiving as needed according to the records retention schedule;
  • Process EMS transport records for billing and act as the department’s contact for billing and collections related questions and issues;
  • Provide a variety of reports and correspondence relating to departmental activities, direction and accomplishments;
  • Respond to citizen concerns and issues and determine appropriate resolutions to maintain positive community and/or customer relations for the department;
  • Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with neighboring and regional fire departments;
  • Perform duties necessary to identify department efficiencies and deficiencies through the analysis of fire, medical, emergency, and non-emergency responsive services; identification and resolution of inefficiencies; and the development and implementation of programs.  Coordinates operational consistency between shifts;
  • Stay abreast of new trends and innovations in the fields of fire suppression, emergency medical care, hazardous materials, technical rescue, prevention and education; incorporate new developments as appropriate;
  • Assist in the development and implementation of department policies, goals, objectives and priorities and recommend policy, procedure, and ordinance revisions as necessary;
  • Provide highly responsible and complex administrative support to the Fire Chief, to include: developing, recommending, implementing, and administrating policies and procedures, goals and objectives; managing assigned projects and programs; researching and summarizing findings to the Fire Chief; and preparing reports or other documents;
  • Perform other special projects and work as assigned by the Fire Chief.  Pursue preferred qualifications and career development to enhance knowledge, skills and abilities in relation to responsibilities.   

Research and apply for grants and external funding sources.

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
  • Business letter writing and basic report preparation with proficient spelling and grammatical skills; certain duties require considerable creativity;
  • Incident management practices, including the National Incident Management System (NIMS);
  • Proficient knowledge of computers and applicable computer software applications, including specific knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and ability to learn and apply new technologies and skills;
  • Working knowledge of modern administrative office procedures, methods and equipment.
  • Knowledge of laws such as HIPAA and other State and Federal laws related to the maintenance, retention and confidentiality of patient and employment records. 
  • Strong mathematical and reasoning skills to develop tracking spreadsheets, reports and graphs.
• Skilled in:
  • Effectively handle difficult or sensitive issues, using professionalism and an understanding of organizational culture;
  • Using interpersonal skills in a tactful, patient and courteous manner;
  • Positive and progressive customer service;
  • Strong attention to detail, working in a busy and sometimes stressful environment and changing priorities;
  • Using initiative and independent judgment within established guidelines;
  • Excellent management and team building skills;
  • Negotiating and resolving difficult or sensitive complaints or concerns from department personnel or external sources;
  • Analyzing problems, identifying alternative solutions, projecting consequences of proposed actions;
  • Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to apply appropriate communication techniques to various audiences;
  • Assessing and prioritizing multiple tasks, projects, and demands.
• Ability to:
  • Work as part of the Headquarters team to fulfill the department’s mission and strategic plan;
  • Evaluate programs, policies and procedures, analyze activities and take effective action to improve the department’s operations or resolve problems;
  • Understand, interpret and apply documents such as operating instructions, applicable policies, procedures, codes, adopted ordinances and safety rules;
  • Assist in the development and implementation of goals, objectives and procedures for providing effective and efficient service to the community;
  • Establish and maintain effective cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work including personnel, other government officials, community groups, the general public, and media representatives;
  • Effectively present information to moderate size groups;
  • Properly interpret and make decisions in accordance with laws, regulations, and policies;
  • Conduct self in a professional manner as defined by the department’s code of ethics and department policy;
  • Maintain confidentiality;
  • Prioritize multiple projects; anticipate needs, and work effectively within deadlines;
  • Adapt to changes in the work environment and to shifts in organizational philosophy and expectations;
  • Work independently to carry out special and general assignments requiring organization and development of procedures without direct supervision;
  • Complete comprehensive work assignments and meet deadlines;
  • Communicate in English clearly concisely, and effectively, both orally and in writing;
  • Add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

Required:

• High school diploma or equivalent and
• At least three (3) years of applicable customer service and/or administrative support experience or equivalent educational experience;
• Valid Washington State Driver License at time of hire, with driving record acceptable to the City;
• Ability to pass pre-employment testing;
• Ability to pass a comprehensive background check;

Preferred:

• Associates degree in business management or related field;
• Knowledge of records management practices and records retention techniques and principles;
• Experience working in a Fire Department;
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.