Legislative & External Affairs – Administrative Specialist III

Position Description
The Seattle Human Services Department (HSD) lives out its mission to connect people with resources and solutions during times of need so we can all live, learn, work, and take part in strong, healthy communities. As one of the largest contributors to Seattle's safety net, HSD is responsible each year for investing hundreds of millions of dollars to more than 200 community-based human service providers that support the city's most vulnerable populations. The department works closely with its community partners, the public, and other nonprofit service providers to understand and address current and emerging human service needs, and to invest in creation of a comprehensive and integrated regional human service system.

The Legislative & External Affairs (LEA) team supports HSD through community engagement, communications management, media relations, and legislative and other public affairs. Reporting to the Director of Legislative & External Affairs, the Administrative Specialist 3 is an integral member of a team-often the first 'voice' that constituents hear. This position may support LEA products such as social media and community engagement. The Administrative Specialist 3, like all staff, is expected to hold and continue to grow commitment to racial equity and inclusion, dismantling racism and intersectional prejudices (e.g., ageism, ableism), and promoting relational culture.
Job Responsibilities
The LEA Administrative Specialist 3 is an essential part of keeping the teamwork going and on task, and may be entrusted with special projects that will provide professional growth opportunities in the field of legislative and external affairs. The position's primary responsibilities will include:

Administrative

• Support HSD's commitment to lead with race, promote relational culture, and progress to anti-racist organization.
• Track and coordinate status of all LEA team positions (permanent, temporary, and out-of-class).
• Participate in a variety of personnel activities for the LEA team; track the status of personnel actions through the personnel system; participate in interviewing, selecting, and onboarding new employees; and advise and assist in the development of examinations and interview procedures.
• Triage calls to the HSD reception phone line and coordinate responses to constituent inquiries sent to the department e-mail address, including a warm hand off to the appropriate department subject matter expert for any additional response that may be needed.
• Manage the LEA Team's SharePoint site, Teams tools, shared files, etc.
• Provide online and other technical support to LEA staff on an as needed basis.
• Monitor and track project due dates and follow up with managers across the department to ensure accuracy and timeliness, as assigned.
• Assist the LEA Director in preparing meeting agendas and taking minutes, capturing action items for various meetings and community forums.
• Support scheduling for the Director of LEA and department-wide events such as HSD all-staff meetings, Lunch and Learns, etc.
• Prepares purchase requests; and maintains supplies and equipment inventories for the LEA Team.
• Track and reconcile outstanding travel, training, and supplies invoices and purchase orders, using all financial systems available.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Special Projects

• This position is responsible for managing department-wide public disclosure requests (PDRs) from the public, media, and others. PDRs have legal requirements and must be handled with timeliness. Often, PDRs are related to sensitive matters such as homelessness, community safety, and other issues.
  • Serve as a liaison between HSD and other departments, media, and the public as it relates to PDRs.
  • Attend citywide PDR trainings.
  • Manage PDR tracking system.
  • Assign PDR tasks and responsibilities to appropriate subject matter experts.
  • Collect records responsive to PDRs.
  • Maintain discretion, confidentiality, and situational awareness when handling sensitive PDRs.

This position will support the LEA Director by project managing quarterly All Staff Meetings that are designed to provide department staff with updates essential to HSD's mission as well as department-wide staff appreciation events. This position serves as a team lead on special projects as desired and/or as requested that supports the Legislative & External Affairs portfolio. Projects could include:

• Developing and supporting external communication products in response to incoming questions from community members, media, Council staff, etc.
• Developing and supporting internal communication products.
• Research a variety of administrative and operational problems and issues.

Coordinate consultant contracts for training, events, and projects.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
Requires three years of clerical support experience (or a combination of education, training and/or experience which provides evidence of the ability to perform work of the class.)

Desired Qualifications:
The most competitive candidates will be able to demonstrate experience with and knowledge of the following areas. We encourage you to apply even if you do not meet each one of the experiences listed here.

• Professional or lived experiences with communities served by HSD
• History of working with energized members of the public on public disclosure requests
• Demonstrable experience in engaging and connecting diverse communities to resources
• Demonstrable experience in deploying branding, social media, legislative, and/or community engagement from the perspective of government to community
• Demonstrable experience in providing high level administrative support to leaders or teams in complex and highly visible organizations.
• Technical skill managing Microsoft SharePoint sites and Teams tools
• Technical skill in design creation products including Adobe InDesign and Photoshop
• Technical skill in social media and website maintenance
• Technical skills with Microsoft Office

To be successful in this job you will need:

• Foundational understanding of public service and desire to achieve meaningful organizational purpose.
• Exemplary organizational and project-management skills with demonstrated ability to respond quickly to changing priorities.
• Ability to understand and interpret laws, policies and procedures.
• Fluid ability to translate government services/lingo into content that connects real people with real resources.

Additional Information

Hiring Process
Applications are reviewed after the posting closes. Qualified candidates must submit the following to be considered:
Completed NEOGOV online application.Current résumé indicating relevant experience and education. Cover letter describing how your skills and experience align with the stated job responsibilities and qualifications.

Your application will not be reviewed if these items are missing or incomplete.

The full salary range for this opportunity is: $30.09 - $33.78 an hour.

The first pull of resumes will be on October 24, 2023. Subsequent reviews will occur dependent on the results of the first pull (bi-weekly thereafter).

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and covered family-members/most employees-plans

Offers of employment are contingent on verification of information provided by the applicant as part of the application process, including potential background check.

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents.

More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at:
"Most" Employees Plans - Human Resources | seattle.gov

Closing Date/Time: Continuous