CLASS SPECIFICATION

EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATIVE AIDE TO THE CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER

DEFINITION OF CLASS:
This is executive level administrative aide work for the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). The work of this class involves exposure to a multitude of critical issues in the County Government and requires interaction with all levels of government. Personal contacts include elected officials, County Government department/agency heads and their staff, business leaders, leaders of outside agencies, and the staff of other municipalities and organizations for the purpose of exchanging information/directives, facilitating actions which affect County wide programs, services, procedures and/or structure, coordinating information and schedules, setting up meetings/briefings, and disseminating information. An employee in this class performs some direct public service and assistance by responding to public inquiries regarding government operations and services, handling citizen complaints, and making appropriate departmental referrals.
An employee in this class performs a wide variety of administrative support work requiring thorough knowledge of the administrative system of the office and knowledge of the structure and operations of the County Government. The employee independently plans and carries out work in accordance with defined objectives, priorities, and deadlines. Guidelines and procedures are normally available but may not cover all situations encountered in the work. A significant amount of the work is of a sensitive and confidential nature and requires exercising considerable initiative, tact, and judgment in responding to and implementing the directives of the CAO. An employee in this class utilizes a variety of office automation systems and software applications to generate and maintain correspondence and reports related to government programs and operations. The work environment is an office setting characterized by the demands associated with providing administrative support for a high level executive in an extremely visible and demanding position. Work is primarily sedentary with intermittent periods of ongoing computer keyboard operation and use of video display terminals.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES: (Illustrative Only)
Maintains the CAO's schedule, receives and evaluates the nature of requests and determines priority, obtains appropriate input as needed and follows through to schedule and arrange all details to include background materials and references for the CAOs attendance at meetings, public appearances, press conferences and social events.
Acts as liaison between the CAO and senior management teams, department/agency heads, elected officials, business and community representatives, County employees and general public by receiving/giving information, coordinating processes and procedures, receiving and responding to correspondence and action documents, disseminating information about policy/procedural changes, scheduling meetings and briefings, and performing other inter-office communications. Ensures that highly confidential, complex and/or sensitive matters are attended to discreetly and immediately.
Reviews letters, memoranda and other County documents prior to presentation to CAO for signature or approval; provides guidance to departmental staff to ensure correct format and procedures are followed for CAO correspondence; ensures that correspondence is routed through proper channels for distribution in accordance with critical timelines; monitors the CAO Document Tracking System ensuring that department/agencies have used the proper form and format for CAO signature.
Composes/supervises preparation of CAO-initiated correspondence, reports and other materials related to the County's programs and services or the CAO's objectives; formats staff papers and reports, including those which require independent research; types and proofreads confidential and general letters, reports and numerical tabulations.
Establishes and maintains complex, sensitive and confidential files and records for the Office of the County Executive regarding departmental issues, appointments, travel by the CAO and other matters.
Operates word processing, microcomputer and other office automation equipment, systems, and software to produce correspondence, reports, charts, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets and other documents; provides guidance and direction to Executive Administrative Aides (EAAs) to department heads concerning utilization of office automation software.
Coordinates and conducts quarterly meetings with department director and regional service center EAAs to discuss various topics and exchange information relative to executive level administrative support provided by these employees; participates in various special event and conference planning committees.
May assign and review work of other administrative staff in the performance of delegated assignments.
Performs related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience: Seven (7) years of administrative aide experience, two of which must have been in direct support of an executive position.
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 modern office management principles and practices in order to manage timely work flow to and from the CAO's office; prioritize, track and monitor administrative activities and processes; meet deadlines and ensure effective use of resources.
Comprehensive knowledge of County Government organizations, operations, policies, laws and procedures regarding such matters as function and services provided; organizational structure and key contacts; and, administrative processes (i.e., general personnel processes, performance evaluation processes, etc.) in order to serve as liaison, coordinate administrative activities and tasks and provide assistance to employees, business and government representatives, and the public.
Comprehensive understanding of County, municipal, state and federal political process and protocol in order to interact appropriately with officials at all levels of government.
Skill in operating word-processing, microcomputer, and other office automation systems and equipment involving a variety of software applications.
Thorough knowledge of business English, grammatical construction, spelling and punctuation when generating and/or reviewing letters, reports or memoranda of other departments/agencies for CAO signature.
Comprehensive knowledge of and ability to maintain complex and confidential filing systems and office records.
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
Ability to deal tactfully, effectively and equitably with staff, managers, County employees, government officials, representatives of community and special interest organizations, and the general public.
Ability to work independently and be flexible in response to unscheduled events or modified priorities.
Ability to attend meetings or perform other assignments at locations outside the office.

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: October 1986 (M)
November l989
June 1995 (M)
February, 2003(M)
April, 2010