Position: Administrative Secretary I

Position Summary:

An Administrative Secretary I performs highly responsible secretarial work of an administrative nature. Considerable judgment and tact is required in handling the many diverse problems that occur.  The incumbent must exercise considerable independent action and mature judgment in handling complex problems and situations, as improper action might have serious public relations implications or impair the operations of the school system. This employee is a peer leader who may delegate work to other secretarial and clerical staff.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Receives telephone and personal callers, and screens those, which in his/her judgment, can be handled by other offices, and tactfully refers them as appropriate;
• Acts as intermediary for Director in contacts with school and central office personnel, parents, the public, private and other agencies;
• Explains and interprets administrative decisions and policies to others; answers varied inquiries or complaints and resolves problems requiring adaptation of rules, regulations and precedents; transmits and explains orders and instructions;
• Maintains Director’s calendar and schedule certain appointments and conferences without prior clearance;
• Makes necessary arrangements for conferences, including space, time, people, and assembles background material for such;
• Receives and reads incoming correspondence, reports and other written materials; screens out items that he/she can handle and forwards the rest to the Director or their subordinates with necessary background materials;
• Prepares memoranda and correspondence for review and signature of Director on a variety of assigned subjects;
• Maintains control records on incoming correspondence and action documents;
• Follows up on work in process to insure timely reply or action;
• Reads outgoing correspondence for procedural and grammatical accuracy, and consults with Director on matters relating to conformance with policy, factual correctness and adequacy of treatment;
• Assigns, supervises and coordinates the work of subordinate employees; develops office forms and procedures, when necessary; and
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

• Thorough knowledge of responsible secretarial duties and office management practices;
• Thorough knowledge of office terminology, good English usage and letter writing style;
• Thorough knowledge of the organizational structure, programs, policies and functions of the Prince George’s County School System;
• Ability to exercise good judgment in applying a wide range of operating procedures and policies;
• Ability to carry out administrative work;
• Ability to pass pre-employment exam; take and transcribe dictation at a high rate of speed;
• Ability to follow complex oral and written directions; ability to meet top level officials and others with tact and diplomacy and able to get along well with and establish good working relationships with others;
• Demonstrated ability to maintain complex clerical records and prepare reports from such records;
• Ability to work under pressure and make decisions in accordance with laws, ordinances, regulations and established procedures; and
• Ability to work independently in absence of detailed instructions.

Education and/or Experience Requirements:

Completion of a standard high school diploma or GED; Associate’s degree preferred.  Five (5) or more years of administrative or secretarial experience, preferably in a professional environment providing administrative support to an executive.

Certification:

None required.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

No direct supervisory responsibilities.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, talk, hear, walk, sit, and use fingers, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision such as to read handwritten or typed material, the ability to adjust focus, and depth perception. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally push or lift up to 25 lbs.

Working Environment:

The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job.

Additional Information:

None.