Office Administrative Associate A
Salary Grade VI
General Description
With latitude for independent judgment, initiative and decision-making, serves as executive secretary or assistant to a high level college official, usually a member of the President’s cabinet, in a highly responsible, confidential, administrative capacity. Is responsible for general oversight and management of a college official’s office and daily schedule, including critical liaison with other offices and departments and oversight of subordinate staff. May provide oversight and direction on a broad range of projects and services. (Minimum standard 50-55 wpm)
Essential Job Functions
Examples of typical tasks and responsibilities (this list is not meant to include all possible assignments in this title group):
- Establishes specific priorities for departmental activities based on the college official’s guidance and intent.
- Uses discretion to evaluate and resolve matters referred to the college official’s office.
- Maintains calendar and briefs and prepares the college official for the day-to-day activities.
- Screens all guests, phone calls and correspondence, determining nature of visit or inquiry providing guidance on protocol or process and deciding priorities and access.
- Prepares replies, initiates action and determines priorities on matters not specifically requiring the attention of the college official.
- Assists the college official in the preparation and dissemination of information relating to the administration and management of the department or area.
- Researches and prepares background materials for meetings and for the college official’s review.
- Develops processes to improve and streamline administrative operations.
- Maintains/monitors all the financial accounts for the office of the college official including purchasing, bill payments and reimbursements.
- Coordinates calendars and meetings for the college official and other executive staff members.
- Assists in the preparation of reports and presentations.
- Coordinates all travel schedules and arrangements.
- Oversees production of minutes of various committee meetings.
- Provides assistance and responds to verbal and written requests for information.
- Attends meetings.
- Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
- A high school diploma or its equivalent (e.g., GED).
- Seven (7) years of work experience in the required field for the specific work area or a closely related equivalent field.
- Demonstration of the specific core competencies indicated for this title and level.
- Technical skills as indicated for this title and assignment level.
College credits, in a matriculated course of study from an accredited institution, may be substituted for work experience.
A department with an assignment necessitating special requirements, with the approval of Human Resources, can request higher educational requirements.
Core Competencies
Communication
- Communicates well both verbally and in writing; uses technology effectively in communicating.
- Communicates in a style appropriate to the college and consistent with its mission.
- Listens effectively; gives and accepts feedback in a constructive manner.
- Demonstrates respect in all communications for the diversity of all internal and external customers.
- Handles more unique or difficult inquiries seeking solutions that involve a thorough knowledge of the policies or regulations of the department or college.
- Assesses situations using precedence and is skillfully flexible in responding.
- Redirects conversations to other departments or professional staff when appropriate.
- Prepares and submits complex written reports or correspondence for both internal and external customers.
- Models respect for diversity in all communication.
- Honors commitments made to customers and assists lower level staff in being responsible to customer expectations.
Interpersonal
- Willing to help and assist others.
- Respects others, especially those who are of different backgrounds, and self.
- Exhibits a positive, friendly and open attitude.
- Works as part of a team; seeks to include diverse opinions and views.
- Handles conflict appropriately; able to disagree without hostility.
- Shares information and ideas; gives others credit when due.
- Accepts accountability for own actions and promotes accountability of others.
- Applies appreciation of differing skills in assigning duties to lower level staff.
- Applies appreciation of diversity in forming an office project team;
- Leads projects to successful conclusion by integrating the contributions of others.
- Creates in others a commitment to shared success for the team.
- Identifies professional development opportunities that would be useful for lower level staff.
- Remains effective under stressful conditions.
- Maintains confidentiality as appropriate.
- Acknowledged by others for the guidance provided; organizes the public acknowledgment of others.
- Confronts interpersonal differences with respect; avoids blaming others.
- Formulates agreements with others to solve problems and lives up to commitments made to others.
Institutional Know-How
- Committed to the mission and values of the college and the goals of the unit.
- Knows and follows policies and procedures.
- Knows where or how to find information.
- Respects others as resources and uses their time carefully.
- Develops a network of internal contacts.
- Serves as a resource to others about policies, procedures, and precedents.
- Keeps others informed.
- Considers the interconnectedness of the various college offices and systems in balancing efforts to achieve the unit’s goals.
- Can articulate the unit’s policies and procedures and explain how they intersect with other areas of the college.
- Takes the initiative to follow up on referrals to other units in order to assure appropriate services have been rendered and to maintain good relations with other offices.
- Understands the impact of individual performance of support staff on institutional outcomes.
- Represents and conducts the business of the college in accordance with all rules, regulations and mandates.
- Trains lower level staff in institutional processes and techniques for maneuvering through the system.
Customer Service
- Gives high priority to customer concerns.
- Engages the customer and anticipates needs.
- Takes initiative on behalf of customer and provides customer options.
- Is flexible and service-oriented.
- Attends to details.
- Apologizes when appropriate and accepts responsibility on behalf of the
- college.
- Provides individualized service to the unique needs of the customer.
- Prioritizes customer needs, develops long-range solutions
- Willing to extend oneself on behalf of customers.
- Escalates problems to a supervisor if special consideration is warranted.
- Proactive, follows up to ensure needs were met.
- Establishes mechanism to correct incidents of poor service.
- Strives to create a customer-oriented culture among support staff.
- Assists professional staff and supervisor in reinforcing customer culture.
Knowledge Base
- Stays current in knowledge of field.
- Maintains technical skills and know-how necessary to perform job duties.
- Applies knowledge and skills to tasks.
- Seeks to acquire mastery of new responsibilities; adapts to changes.
- Organizes and plans work methodically; can explain to others clearly.
- Pays attention to details; knows precedents and anticipates issues.
- Can handle multiple tasks with clarity about stages of completion for each.
- Readily serves as a resource to others, providing information and techniques.
- Imparts knowledge to coworkers to provide effective and efficient service on behalf of the department/college.
- Ensures all support staff are made aware of changes in forms, procedures, etc. affecting their work; monitors changes to ensure quality.
- Follows up with customers who report receiving incorrect information;
- Recommends corrections in printed handouts and other documents/information shared with customers.
- Consistently seeks ways to improve; leads other support staff in acquiring skills.
- Admits knowledge gaps and seeks assistance without being defensive.
- Alerts supervisors to time sensitive directives and/or notices of changes in policies.
Work Ethics/Professionalism
- Behaves in accordance with all college rules and regulations.
- Demonstrates pride in quality of work.
- Follows up on commitments; keeps agreements and promises.
- Notifies key people of important issues or changes in situations affecting work.
- Increasingly accountable; develops ownership of work.
- Trustworthy; exhibits both the skills and the sincerity to do the job.
- Shows keen interest in the quality of work done by lower level staff and by self; seeks and provides feedback on request; available to others.
- Shares information with other support staff related to best practices in higher education affecting the work of the unit.
- Can be counted on in difficult situations or during peak times to provide stable, thorough work and extra effort as needed.
- Viewed as role model by others.
Problem Solving/Reasoning
- Analyzes information and breaks it down to identify problems and determine solutions.
- Pays attention to details and thinks things through before acting.
- Recognizes errors and makes corrections or informs appropriate others.
- Uses reasoning to make decisions based on college-wide impact rather than simply on self/unit/division perspective.
- Sees the context of written information and spots irrelevant and extraneous information; offers suggestions for corrections or improvements.
- Organizes and reorganizes information in a fashion that is easily accessible.
- Handles and solves complex and exceptional problems without supervision; seeks assistance when needed.
- Exercises sound judgment in resolving problems and in advising lower level staff.
- Assists lower level staff with work by guiding them through a thinking process that encourages them to acquire better reasoning/problem solving skills.
- Anticipates future consequences and adjusts actions accordingly; thinks in the future as well as the present.
Technical Competencies
- Highly skilled at utilizing all office machines and trains others in use and maintenance.
- May be designated key operator for printers, copy machines, etc.
- Proficient skill using a personal computer
- Thorough understanding of how to use major software and operating systems
- Knowledge and use system functions (e.g., Windows)
- Highly skilled at using the college’s administrative information systems.
- Highly skilled at word processing
- Understand document mapping
- Edit documents, tracking changes; showing both new and stricken materials in drafts
- Comparing two documents side by side
- Recommends document and data security protocols; reviews security compliance by lower staff
- Recommends software improvements, shortcuts, or other productivity saving uses; assists others in mastering changing software packages.
- Using a master document
- Develops and applies online forms
- Footnotes and endnotes
- Creates special effects (e.g., text boxes, watermarks, etc.)
- Skilled utilizing spreadsheet software
- Imports and formats data
- Links files or tables within files
- Integrates spreadsheets into text files as parts of reports
- Write moderately complex calculations (e.g., formulas using more than one function such as averages, percentages, etc.)
- Skilled at using database software
- Creates and accesses databases
- Sorts and queries data
- Formats and generates reports
- Skilled at using PowerPoint
- Formats slide presentations working from draft materials
- Imports clip art and tables into presentations
- Skilled at applying color and sound per instructions of supervisor
- Designs organization charts
- Prints meeting notes and slides
- In offices where this need exists, creates web pages
- Creates tables of content
- Creates and uses templates