Administration Executive Assistant at City of San Luis Obispo – San Luis Obispo, California

The City Administration Department invites applications for the role of Administration Executive Assistant. This position offers an opportunity to provide complex and confidential administrative support across the City's functional office. The ideal candidate will demonstrate advanced administrative skills, exercise independent judgment, and exhibit a high degree of discretion and tact. Responsibilities include administrative support to city officials, coordination of schedules and events, processing expenses, and maintaining exceptional customer service standards. This role requires proficiency in office software, strong communication skills, and the ability to manage various tasks efficiently.
If you are interested in learning more about the role and what day-to-day duties may include, please reach out to Teresa Purrington at tpurring@slocity.org to schedule a job shadowing session.

If you are selected for interviews, they will take place in person on Thursday, March 19, 2026, so please hold that date.
JOB SUMMARY:
Provides a variety of complex, highly time sensitive and often confidential office administrative and secretarial support to the City-wide functional office of Administration.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS:
This is an advanced journey-level position. This is an administrative support classification, primarily coordinating City-wide office administrative work for the City Council, the City Manager and associated administrative staff within the Administration Department. Responsibilities require the frequent use of tact, discretion and independent judgment as well as knowledge of departmental and City activities. Duties may have technical aspects, requiring the interpretation and application of complex policies, procedures and regulations and may involve extensive public contact. Duties regularly involves regular interaction with government officials, City advisory bodies or commission members, representatives of business or community organizations, the public and all levels of City personnel. This class is distinguished from other office support classes by the nature, scope, complexity and diversity of responsibilities originating at City-wide level require the broadest understanding of City functions. This class is designated as confidential under the City's Employer-Employee Resolution 6620 due to the support of matters affecting employer-employee relations.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED:
This classification receives general supervision from the City Clerk. The incumbent may provide work direction, instruction and/or review to less experienced, part-time or volunteer staff on a project or day-to-day basis.
EXAMPLES OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
(Any one position may not include all of the duties listed nor do the listed examples include all tasks that may be found in positions of this class.)

• Provides administrative support to the Mayor, Council, City Manager, Assistant City Manager, and other professional/managerial positions in the Administration Department by assisting with duties of a complex, sensitive, and confidential nature; recognizes and solves issues and problems in situations that may require the use of tact, independent judgment and skill in resolving conflicts; acts as a liaison between those supporting and other staff and the public.
• Maintains calendars and coordinates the schedules of the Mayor, Council, various Administration Department executive and management staff, and regularly coordinates inter-departmental meetings; makes travel arrangements as required.
• Regularly plans, prepares and executes small and large department and inter-departmental meetings and events; extensive coordination of logistics, food and beverage.
• Process the payment of expenses related to Council and program activities within the Administration Department.
• Attends to a variety of office administrative details, such as keeping informed of departmental activities, transmitting information, ordering and coordinating supply orders, processing contracts and agreements, arranging for equipment purchase and maintenance, attending meetings and serving on City-wide project teams or committees.
• May perform Administration Department fiscal tasks such as; processes bills and invoices for payment; prepares and transmits a variety of financial documents, including payroll; assists in budget administration and distributing expense statements and other fiscal documents.
• Receives and screens visitors and telephone calls, providing a high level of customer service to both external and internal customers; provides information to City staff, other organizations and the public, requiring the use of judgment and the interpretation of complex policies, rules, procedures and ordinances.
• Performs project research and report preparation related to the activities of the Administration Department; may prepare technical reports and perform other technical work.
• Composes, proofs and reviews reports, memos, press releases and other correspondence prepared for the City Council and the City Manager for distribution.
• Prepares detailed and confidential correspondence, reports, forms, invitations, graphic materials and specialized documents related to the department to which assigned from drafts, notes, brief instructions, corrected copy or dictated tapes; proofreads materials for accuracy, completeness, compliance with departmental policies, correct formatting and correct English usage, including grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• Organizes and maintains various electronic and paper administrative, confidential, reference and follow-up files; purges files as per the adopted records retention schedule.
• Operates standard office equipment, including job-related computer hardware and software applications, facsimile equipment and multi-line.
• May provide work direction, review and instruction to a small office and/or volunteer staff on a project or day-to-day basis.
• Performs related duties similar to the above in scope and function as required.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of:

• Basic organization and function of public agencies, including the role of an elected City Council and appointed boards, commissions and committees and the inter-relationship of such functions with those of other public, private, business, and educational agencies.
• Codes, regulations, policies, technical processes and procedures related to Administration.
• Contemporary standard office administrative and administrative assistant practices and procedures.
• Business letter writing and the standard format for reports and correspondence.
• Computer applications related to the work, including word processing, database, spreadsheet and website applications.
• Records management and filing principles and practices.
• Business arithmetic and basic statistical techniques.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service and for effectively dealing with a variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds in person and over the telephone in often sensitive, complex and confidential situations.

Ability to:

• Provide varied, complex, responsible, and often confidential secretarial and office administrative work requiring the use of independent judgment, tact and discretion.
• Interpret and implement policies, procedures, technical processes and computer applications related to the Administration Department and other City-wide functions.
• Analyze and resolve office administrative and procedural problems and evaluate alternatives and make recommendations.
• Perform basic research and prepare reports and recommendations.
• Compose correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions.
• Make accurate arithmetic and statistical calculations.
• Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone and in writing.
• Direct and review the work of staff on a project basis.
• Use tact, initiative and sound independent judgment within established policy and procedural guidelines.
• Use specialized software related to the department to which assigned, including database management, graphics and publication production and departmental Website maintenance.
• Develop effective team relationships with City staff at all levels.
• Organize own work, setting priorities, working independently on a day-to-day basis, meeting critical deadlines and balancing multiple objectives.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of the work.
• Work in a team atmosphere and participate on a variety of departmental and City-wide committees and tasks to enhance the provision of all City services.
• Enter data into standard computer formats and produce correspondence and reports with speed and accuracy sufficient to perform assigned work in a timely manner.
• Attend off-hours meetings, events or work occasional overtime as required.
• Work in a standard office setting and to use standard office equipment, including a computer.
• Lift and carry twenty pounds
• Read printed materials and a computer screen
• Communicate in person and over the telephone.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Equivalent to graduation from high school with supplemental business school or applicable college-level course work;
and
Five years of journey-level office administrative, secretarial and/or general clerical experience involving frequent public contact, including one year of support provided to a high level administrator.
or
An equivalent combination of education and experience.

POSSESSION AND MAINTENANCE OF:

• Certification as a Notary Public is desirable.
• Word processing speed of at least 45 w.p.m.

THIS POSITION WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING BEFORE A FINAL OFFER IS MADE:

• Livescan Fingerprinting (DOJ)