Executive Assistant

Position Summary:

The Executive Assistant provides administrative support at various levels by professionally assuring office efficiency, accurately supporting the governing board and committees, appropriately planning and overseeing events, and timely and accurately completing basic bookkeeping and financial tasks.

The Executive Assistant position involves following procedures and regulations to organize information and/or data and contains managing, negotiating, promoting, and/or leading or advising people in diverse situations and at different levels of the organization.

Workplace Culture:

As an employee of PHPDA, you are expected to present yourself in a professional manner to coworkers, other departments as well as customers and vendors. Each employee will need to display respect and understanding of all PHPDA values, policies, and procedures, remembering that every PHPDA employee contributes to our workplace culture.  Every employee needs to strive to provide a positive team environment where everyone contributes and succeeds.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. ASSISTANCE TO THE EXECUTIVE

The primary responsibility of the Executive Assistant is ensuring that the Executive Directors office functions in an efficient and effective manner.

• Manage and maintain Executive Director’s schedule.
• Coordinate and direct office services, such as records, finances, budget preparation, personnel issues, and housekeeping, to aid Executive Director
• Manage, order, prepare responses to various types of correspondence and contacts containing routine inquiries to the Executive Directors office.

2. OFFICE AND ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATION

The Executive Assistant maintains responsibility in ensuring that the PHPDA office functions in an efficient, effective manner that is compliant with all relevant City and State statutes.

• Organize and maintain the PHPDA’s physical and electronic files, including all current working files and historical records.
• Accurately and timely retrieve files, documents, reports, etc. and assemble them for use by PHPDA staff, Governing Council, Committees, and external parties.
• Professionally identify maintenance needs of the office, research potential hires, coordinate contractors and services, and ensure work is completed and addressed in a timely manner. Perform minor maintenance needs in lieu of hiring for services, when feasible.
• Ensure that all necessary office supplies and equipment are ordered and stocked.
• Serve as internal liaison for the PHPDA’s Technology Services Contractor, including planning visits, detailing tasks required, ensuring technology needs are met.
• Identify current and future technological needs, troubleshoot technical problems as they arise, and ensure all technology needs are met between visits of the Technology Services Contractor.
• Accurately serve as the agency’s Public Records contact, acting as the point-of-contact for record requests from the public.
• Work with Communications and Engagement Specialist to maintain organizational and communications contact lists.

3. GOVERNING COUNCIL & COMMITTEE SUPPORT

The Executive Assistant has primary responsibility for administrative activities related to the functions of the PHPDA’s Governing Council, Finance Committee, Program Committee, and other ad hoc committees.

• Accurately and timely develop monthly Program Committee, Finance Committee, and Governing Council meeting agendas.
• Professionally act as staff support for all PHPDA Governing Council and Committee members. Compile, copy, and email all meeting materials to PHPDA staff, Council members, Committee members, additional PHPDA contractors and consultants, relevant City of Seattle staff, and additional members of the community.
• Attend Governing Council and Committee meetings to record discussions, motions and votes to prepare minutes.
• Coordinate PHPDA-related meetings, including scheduling, venue preparation, ordering meals and beverages when necessary, setting up video conferencing equipment, and other general administrative requirements for meeting preparation.
• Prepare materials for Governing Council member appointments. Send materials to the Seattle Mayor’s Office, King County Executive’s Office, and the Seattle City Council when necessary.

4. BOOKKEEPING & FINANCIAL SUPPORT

The Executive Assistant provides support to the PHPDA’s financial functions, processes accounts payable.

• Accurately process bill and invoice payments as scheduled, including accurately entering information into the accounting system and printing all checks.
• Manage tracking of staff hours for payroll and accounting purposes.
• Assist as needed to ensure accuracy of financial information and reporting is complete.
• Ensure that the accountants receive all necessary information for monthly reports.
• Assist in compilation of files required for PHPDA audits.
• Assist as needed to track potential investment activities.
• Assist as needed with annual insurance renewals.

5. EVENT PLANNING

The Executive Assistant is responsible for orchestrating PHPDA events, including public meetings, and facilitates use of PHPDA offices and the Pacific Tower campus property for community use.

• Professionally coordinate with all PHPDA staff, contractors, and external entities to orchestrate events in PHPDA’s offices and/or surrounding office areas as directed.
• For each approved event, create an event scope and overview, milestones and deadlines with deliverables, communications plan, detailed budget of expenses needed to meet the objectives, and staff responsibilities required to successfully generate the desired event while staying within budget and deadlines.
• Work with the Communications and Engagement Specialist, to manage and produce all correspondence with guests and catalog RSVPs.
• When necessary, coordinate rental(s), vendor(s), contractor(s), agencies prior, during, and after events.

6. Additional Responsibilities

• Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

Preferred Qualifications:

Education and Work Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field. Significant work experience may be substituted for education.
• At least two (2) years of experience in office management and/or administrative management of complex, multi-faceted programs.
• Any combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to correctly perform the duties listed in this job description.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
• Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Knowledge of computer hardware and software, including applications and programs.

Skills

• Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Good communicator, communicate effectively with others both verbally and in writing.
• Interpersonal and gets along well with a variety of personalities and individuals.
• Empathetic, appreciative, and is sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Abilities:

• Ability to prioritize a high-volume multi-task workload.
• Demonstrates ability to work with internal and external parties and stakeholders.
• Self-starter with a high degree of independence.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat platforms
• Experience or interest in learning basic bookkeeping / accounting. Familiarity with Quickbooks preferred.
• Experience with website management and related applications.
• The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
• Ability to lift twenty (20) lbs.

Position Expectations:

• Demonstrates conduct conforming to the highest-level set of values and accepted standards.
• Honest and acts with Integrity
• Truthful and credible in the workplace with coworkers, vendors, and the public.
• Accountable and accepts responsibility for their actions.
• Confidential and ability to maintain the upmost confidential information.
• Ability to pay attention to the minute details of a given project or task.
• Effectively work with people regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, job type, etc.
• Possess traits of being organized / following a systematic method of performing a task.
• Be dependable and trustworthy.
• Using proper influence allotted within the Executive Assistant position to ensure others perform their jobs effectively and to be responsible for making correct, professional, and ethical decisions that will only better the department and PHPDA.