If you are selected for interviews, they will take place in person on Thursday, October 9, 2025, so please hold that date.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE:
Join Our Team as the Executive Assistant to the Police Chief.

Are you a highly organized, detail-oriented professional with a passion for public safety and executive support? The San Luis Obispo Police Department is looking for a dedicated Executive Assistant to the Police Chief — someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, can manage complex responsibilities, and serves as a trusted partner to department leadership.

What You’ll Bring to the Role:

• Extensive Executive Support Experience – You have a proven track record of managing executive schedules, coordinating high-level meetings, tracking deadlines, and ensuring smooth office operations.
• Confidentiality & Discretion – You understand the sensitive nature of law enforcement records and personnel matters, maintaining the highest level of integrity and compliance with confidentiality policies.
• Strong Communication & Interpersonal Skills – Whether drafting correspondence, preparing reports, or engaging with sworn officers, civilian staff, government officials, and community members, you excel at professional and effective communication.
• Technical Proficiency – You are highly skilled in Microsoft Office Suite, law enforcement records management systems, and administrative databases, with the ability to learn and adapt to new technologies quickly.
• Attention to Detail & Accuracy – You take pride in reviewing and preparing reports, legal documents, and department policies with precision, ensuring accuracy and identifying discrepancies.
• Proactive Problem Solver – You anticipate challenges, implement solutions to enhance efficiency, and exercise sound judgment when prioritizing urgent tasks.
• Professionalism & Adaptability – You maintain a customer-service-oriented approach, handle competing priorities under pressure, and interact effectively with diverse individuals in a professional setting.
• Law Enforcement Familiarity – You have an understanding of police department structures, operational protocols, chain of command procedures, and inter-agency coordination, allowing you to navigate the complexities of law enforcement administration.

Experience working in a law enforcement agency/department is highly desirable.

JOB SUMMARY:
Provides a variety of complex, sensitive, and specialized administrative and secretarial support to the Police Chief and management staff in the Police Department; recommends and implements office procedures and systems; drafts routine correspondence and reports for signature; performs technical support work for the Police Department; may provide lead direction to office support staff.

CLASS CHARACTERISTICS:
This is a single-position, advanced journey-level administrative support classification, primarily coordinating administrative and secretarial work for the Police Chief and associated management staff in the Police Department. Responsibilities require the frequent use of tact, discretion, and independent judgment to respond to the Police Chief’s incoming calls, visitors, citizen inquiries, complaints, and related matters. The incumbent relieves the Police Chief of routine administrative tasks and requires knowledge of Police Departmental functions and activities. Duties have technical aspects, requiring the interpretation and application of complex policies, procedures, laws, and regulations. Duties involve regular interaction with government officials, representatives of community organizations, the public, and all levels of departmental personnel. This class is distinguished from other office and administrative support classes by the complexity, scope, and sensitive nature of responsibilities performed for the Police Chief and the Police Department.
SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED:
Receives general supervision from the Police Chief. May provide work direction, instruction, and/or review to lower-level administrative support classifications.
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.)

• Maintains the Police Chief’s calendar; plans, prepares, and executes meetings and events; coordinates logistics for meetings and events; creates agendas for and takes minutes at meetings.
• Acts as a liaison between the Police Chief and department staff, outside agencies, and the public; receives and screens incoming calls to the Office of the Police Chief; receives written and oral complaints, sometimes from irate individuals, and routes them to appropriate staff; provides and disseminates information requiring the use of judgment and the interpretation of complex policies, procedures, rules, and ordinances.
• Organizes, tracks, processes, and maintains personnel files and documents pertaining to performance evaluations, internal investigations, employee discipline, medical examinations, background investigations, pay changes, and position updates; purges files according to a retention schedule.
• Provides administrative support for the internal affairs investigation process; monitors and tracks steps, tasks, dates, and deadlines; maintains records and files; attends management meetings regarding the status of investigations; communicates with attorneys and other individuals associated with investigations; sends legal notifications to complainants.
• Composes, prepares, proofreads, and edits routine correspondence, reports, forms, invitations, flyers, graphic materials, and specialized documents; proofreads materials for accuracy, completeness, compliance with departmental policies, correct formatting, and correct English usage.
• Performs basic project or program research and data gathering; may prepare technical reports and perform other technical work.
• Processes the payment of invoices related to activities within the Office of the Police Chief; maintains and balances petty cash for the department.
• Performs office support functions, such as monitoring and purchasing supplies, making travel arrangements, processing incoming mail, maintaining contracts and records, recommending and implementing office procedures and systems, and scheduling service and repairs of department equipment and facilities.
• Assists in gathering information for candidate background investigations; processes online background checks as part of larger background investigations; with proper training and oversight, may conduct background investigations for lower-level classifications.
• Notarizes documents such as clearance letters for records and waivers for background investigations and concealed carry weapons permits.
• Maintains the department’s subpoena calendar and serves subpoenas.
• Operates standard office equipment, including job-related computer hardware and software applications.
• May assists in preparing and submitting grant applications.
• May provide work direction, review, and instruction to lower-level administrative support staff.
• Performs related duties similar to the above in scope and function as required.

KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of:

• Basic organization, operation, services, and activities of local government and criminal justice agencies.
• Codes, regulations, policies, technical processes, and procedures required to provide administrative support to a police department.
• 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 interacting with a variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds in person and over the telephone in often sensitive and complex 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, and processes.
• Analyze and resolve office administrative and procedural problems; 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.
• Effectively 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.
• Organize own work, set priorities, work independently, meet critical deadlines, and balance 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.
• Work with diverse populations and maintain an inclusive environment.
• Produce correspondence and reports with speed and accuracy sufficient to perform assigned work in a timely manner.
• Work in a standard office setting and to use standard office equipment, including a computer.
• Attend off-hours meetings and events, and work occasional overtime as required.
• Lift and carry twenty pounds.
• Read printed materials and a computer screen.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Equivalent to graduation from high school with supplemental business school or applicable college-level course work;
and
Four years of increasingly responsible office administrative, secretarial, and/or general clerical experience, preferably with one year of experience providing administrative support to a high-level administrator within the criminal justice system.
or
An equivalent combination of education and experience.
POSSESSION AND MAINTENANCE OF:

• Certification as a Notary Public or ability to obtain certification within six months of hire.
• May be required to obtain specialized training and certifications to perform duties.

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

• Polygraph
• Police Background Investigation
• Live Scan Fingerprinting (DOJ & FBI)