CLASS SPECIFICATION
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TO THE
COUNTY EXECUTIVE
DEFINITION OF CLASS:
This is executive level administrative aide work for the County Executive requiring
a broad knowledge of the County Government's programs and operations. Work includes
relieving the County Executive of important administrative details and public
contacts, e.g., serving as liaison between the County Executive and department/agency
heads, various elected officials, and citizenry, and maintaining the County
Executive's schedule. Personal contacts include the County Executive, County
Council members and other elected officials, County Government department/agency
directors and staff, directors and management personnel of outside agencies,
and constituents for the purposes of arranging and coordinating public appearances
and meetings, receiving and exchanging information and directives, resolving
sensitive problems, and facilitating actions affecting County wide programs,
services and procedures. Contacts require considerable communications skills,
perception, understanding, and the ability to evaluate others' viewpoints and
positions. The work of the class includes recurring and frequent assistance,
normally of short duration, provided to the public in response to inquiries
received via telephone, e-mail, or walk-in visitors to the CE's Office.
An employee in this class independently performs administrative support tasks
of a sensitive and confidential nature, determining the approach to be taken
and the methodology to be used in supporting the directives of the County Executive,
under whose general direction work is performed. Guidelines for performing the
work are scarce, or of limited use. The employee utilizes initiative, resourcefulness,
and knowledge of the structure and operation of the County Government and allied
agencies in carrying out assignments and resolving administrative and procedural
problems. The complexity of the work is derived from the variety of processes
and methods involved in problem solving, such as analyzing sensitive problems,
issues, and situations, and choosing the course of action to be taken after
considering alternatives. The employee's work directly impacts the effectiveness
and efficiency of the operation of the County Executive's Office. Work, which
is primarily sedentary in nature, is performed in a normal office setting and
presents exposure to no significant hazards.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: (Illustrative Only)
Maintains the County Executive's schedule, receives and evaluates the nature
of the requests and determines priority, obtains appropriate input as needed,
and follows through to schedule and arrange all details for the Executive's
attendance at meetings, public appearances, press conferences, and social events.
Sends 'regrets' to those invitations declined by the County Executive; may initiate
regrets without consulting the County Executive for meetings/events based upon
knowledge of the County Executive's priorities and significance of issues.
Schedules and sends invitations (RSVPs) to all participants to be included in
meetings initiated by the County Executive; conducts research, if necessary,
to determine contact information for meeting participants; follows up as necessary
to assure all necessary participants are available.
Gathers agenda, data, and background materials for meetings and events from
County Executive's staff, Executive Branch officials, or other sources; prepares
written briefing materials in a briefing packet allowing sufficient time for
review by the County Executive. Background material includes a synopsis of the
topic of the meeting, key participants, and the mission and function of their
respective organizations, location/time/date of the meeting, and other relevant
data. Also determines those situations when background information is not needed.
Serves as liaison between County Executive and Senior Management Team, department/agency
heads, other elected officials, senior management in the private sector, community
representatives, and the general public, and ensures that highly confidential,
complex, and sensitive matters are attended to.
Maintains awareness of issues the County Executive considers current and critical
through regular meetings with the Executive, Special Assistants, and Senior
Management Team members; exercises discretion in responding to internal and
external inquiries regarding such issues and in determining if/when to interrupt
a meeting to alert the County Executive of urgent matters requiring immediate
attention.
Obtains the County Executive's signature on a variety of correspondence, executive
regulations, proclamations, and other documents that require the County Executive's
signature; may, as requested by the County Executive, compose correspondence
of a personal nature for the County Executive to reflect the Executive's sensitivity
to citizens' needs.
Receives, investigates, and answers complaints and inquiries from citizens on
a broad range of matters including County Government functions, status of operations,
and existing policies.
As necessary, establishes and maintains various complex, sensitive, and confidential
files and records for the Office of the County Executive which involve departmental
issues, appointments by the County Executive, and requests for appointments
with the County Executive, and other matters.
May, as necessary assign, review, and coordinate the daily workflow of lower
level clerical/administrative employee(s).
Develops and implements work flow processes and clerical administrative procedures
and forms to ensure the smooth operation of the assigned scheduling and liaison
functions. Performs related duties as required.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience: Extensive (7 years) experience in progressively responsible
administrative secretarial work, three (3) years of which must have been in
a Senior Executive Administrative Aide capacity 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.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Extensive knowledge of the organization, functions and operations of the County
Government and of State agencies which deal with the County.
Extensive knowledge of secretarial and modern office practices, procedures,
systems and equipment.
Thorough knowledge of business English, grammatical construction, spelling,
and punctuation.
Considerable knowledge of administrative and procedural policies and regulations
pertaining to County Government.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with the County
Council, County officials, various high level elected or appointed officials
at the State and Federal level, executive level representatives of business
and private organization private, and the public; ability and skill to deal
with public relations problems and complaints with sensitivity and tact.
Ability to maintain highly complex and confidential office records and other
information, to conduct research, and to prepare accurate reports from file
records and materials and outside sources.
Ability to prepare correspondence regarding County policies, procedures, regulations,
and operations.
Ability to use independent judgment and discretion to make decisions recognizing
established precedents and practices, and to use initiative and resourcefulness
in responding to new and unusual situations.
PROBATIONARY PERIOD:
Individuals appointed to a position in this class will be required to serve
a probationary period of twelve months and, if promoted to a position in this
class, will be required to serve a probationary period of six months. Performance
will be carefully evaluated during the probationary period. Continuation in
this class will be contingent upon successful completion of the probationary
period.
MEDICAL PROTOCOL: Medical History Review.
Class Established: July 1973
Revised: July 1987
October 1995(M)
December, 2006(M)
April 2010