Location
Description
The City of San Mateo Office of the City Clerk is looking for a highly qualified, experienced Assistant to the City Clerk
Why Join our Department?
The Office of the City Clerk is a service department within the municipal government upon which the five-member City Council, all City departments, and the general public rely for information regarding the operations and legislative history of the City. The City Clerk serves as the liaison between the public and the City Council and provides related municipal services such as serving as the Elections Official, providing key staff for Council meetings and recording all Council action, and serving as records manager for the protection and preservation of the public record.
Look to some of the reasons why the City of San Mateo is a great place to work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GTIzeSpc_g
What You’ll Do
The Assistant to the City Clerk position serves as the welcoming and friendly face of government for both the City Council and the City Clerk’s office as this position is the first contact for the front counter and the primary receptionist. The position requires an ability to help demystify government services and processes, learn and maintain an understanding of all government services and procedures and help citizens get to the right service. The position’s administrative functions include responsibility for records management including filing and scanning; managing off-site records inventory; managing and ordering office supply inventory; writing correspondence, creating certificates of commendation and writing proclamations on behalf of the Mayor. This position is also charged with maintaining multiple calendars, processing reservations and invoices and acting as primary administrative support for Council and the City Clerk. Excellent attention to detail, writing and proofreading skills are required and a positive upbeat attitude with the ability to be flexible, resilient, and creative when situations change is essential. The successful candidate will have a strong work ethic, a passion for making a difference and helping citizens, and a desire to grow in this field.
Some of the duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Attend meetings as required, may prepare meeting minutes, may assist in City Council agenda preparation and follow-up, as needed; manage Council reservations, correspondence and calendars
- Manage, implement, and monitor the Clerk’s records management programs, including document imaging, the receipt, storage, retrieval and disposition of official City records; work with records representatives from other departments and train them in the process
- Assist with coordinating the bi-annual City-wide Records Clean-up Event; maintain comprehensive indexing and filing system of City Council actions, including resolutions, ordinances, deeds, contracts, and agreements; provide research to staff and the public on information needs, as needed
- Provide information and answer inquiries from officials, the public, and City staff on laws, procedures, and policies, such as the City Municipal Code, the Brown Act, and the Public Records Act; organize and assist with the filing of Statements of Economic Interests and Campaign Statements for candidates, office holders and City employees; record and file deeds and other documents requiring recordation; maintain and monitor agreements and insurance certificates; perform special projects as needed; and ensure the provision of official notification of public hearings, including legal notices in accordance with City, State, and Federal laws.
- Apply applicable policies and procedures in determining completeness of applications, records and reports
- Ensure that meeting facilities are properly prepared
- Maintain logs and manage Council and Clerk correspondence and responsiveness from other departments; receive, sort and distribute incoming and outgoing correspondence
- Assist Deputy with the preparation and distribution of notices, action reports, letters, and other correspondence as required by action taken in the meetings
- Act as receptionist and primary responsibility for staffing the front counter; answer the telephone and assist the public and internal customers by responding to requests for information; issue, receive, process various applications
- Order office supplies, manage supply inventory; submit expense claims, pay bills as needed
- Perform general clerical work including filing, scheduling appointments, and processing personnel, payroll and purchasing information
- May maintain petty cash fund; accept payment of fees; maintain and process cash records
The Assistant to the City Clerk receives general supervision from the Deputy City Clerk or a higher-level position and may exercise direct or functional and technical supervision over lower-level clerical positions, volunteers, and interns.
For a complete list of duties, reference our job specifications at www.cityofsanmateo.org
Ideal Candidate
Skills:
- Exemplify an enthusiastic, resourceful, and effective customer service attitude with all who are contacted in the course of the work
- Manage and prioritize assigned projects while ensuring completion in a timely manner
- Design and implement procedures and programs
- Solve problems, use sound judgment, and make decisions that are consistent with department philosophy
- Work independently with minimal direction
- Communicate in a positive and clear manner, both written and verbal
- Effectively work with a variety of people at varying levels in the organization as well as the public and members of the City Council
- Stay calm under the pressure of deadlines
- Work with a sense of urgency
- Promote continuous improvement of systems and processes
- Provide an accurate and detail oriented work product
Abilities:
- Attend evening meetings
- Learn, interpret, and apply City and department rules, regulations, policies, practices, ordinances, resolutions and laws
- Learn and operate specialized systems and software, such as document imaging, agenda management, automated 700 filing, public records request, and intranet and internet software
- Understand the organization and operation of City government and of outside agencies as necessary to assume assigned responsibilities
- Independently prepare correspondence and memorandums
- Understand and carry out oral and written directions
- Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work
- Three years of increasingly responsible administrative support experience which included public contact and working with records management systems similar to the systems/programs of the City of San Mateo City Clerk Department
- Equivalent to high school graduation supplemented by college level coursework in business administration, public administration, or other related specialized training
- Any recent training such as academic courses and certification programs, which are relevant to this job classification
- This position may be required to obtain and maintain certification as a Notary Public and possess an appropriate valid California Driver’s License
Bonus Points (highly desirable)
- Certification as a Municipal Clerk (CMC) by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks or Certification through the American Records Management Association (ARMA) is highly desirable.
- Previous experience in a City Clerk's office or related experience is desirable
- Experience working with the public responding to and providing information
- Experience working with a Records Management System
- Notary Public
- Technical proficiency to support specialized system and software administration
- Experience facilitating public meetings, including managing technical equipment
ADA Special Requirement: Essential duties require the following physical abilities and work environment: Ability to work in a standard office environment and assist with set-up of special events management by the Clerk’s office.
Benefits
- Salary: $6,009 - $7,165/month
- Comprehensive benefits package including generous paid leave and health benefits
- CalPERS retirement (2% @ 55 for classic members; 2% @ 62 for new members). Classic employees contribute 8.30% to CalPERS and New members contribute 6.75% to CalPERS.
- Participation in the Social Security Program
- Programs: Deferred Compensation plan with City match up to 0.5% of base salary, City will contribute 0.5% of base salary to the deferred compensation plan, and 1% city contribution to a Retirement Health Savings Account
- Free Fitness classes through City of San Mateo Parks and Recreation, Employee Assistance Program and Credit Union Membership
- Bilingual Diff: $195 monthly (if applicable)
- This classification is represented by the San Mateo City Employees’ Association
Special Instructions
Submit an online application, résumé (recommended), and supplemental questionnaire at www.calopps.org or to the Human Resources Department, City of San Mateo, 330 W. 20th Avenue, San Mateo, CA 94403, (650) 522-7260.
Application Deadline
Recruitment will close by Friday, May 3, 2024 @ 5 p.m. OR upon receipt of the first 100 applications and supplemental questionnaires, whichever occurs first.
Interview Process
All applications, résumés (recommended), and supplemental questionnaires received will be reviewed for minimum qualifications. Résumés are required but do not take the place of a completed employment application. A fully completed application is required; a resume does not replace the information required on the employment application, including work history. Applications with "see resume" as a substitution for the work experience description, those with unclear past employment information, or those with insufficient information to evaluate possession of minimum qualifications will not be considered; missing information cannot be assumed. A limited number of the most highly qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the examination process, which may consist of an oral panel interview, written exercise, or in the form of a practical demonstration of skill and ability, or any combination of these; a Zoom oral board is tentatively scheduled for May 30, 2024.
An eligible list will be established for those who pass the examination process. Current and future vacancies may be filled from this list. The list will remain in effect for at least six months with the possibility of an extension for an additional six months. Once placed on an eligible list, and at the time a vacancy occurs, eligible candidates may be contacted by the hiring department and scheduled for additional department interviews.
Date Posted – April 12, 2024
Note: The City of San Mateo reserves the right, at its discretion, to limit the number of qualified candidates invited to the selection process. ALL RESPONSES WILL BE CONDUCTED VIA THE EMAIL ADDRESS PROVIDED IN YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION. Therefore, it is imperative that you provide an email address to which you have access, and it is recommended that you frequently check your email for notices from: sanmateo@CalOpps.org.
Fine Print:
Prior to hire, candidates will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment process, including a driving record review, reference check, and Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) background checks. A conviction history will not necessarily disqualify an applicant from appointment. The policy of the City of San Mateo is to grant equal employment opportunity to all qualified persons without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, ancestry, physical or mental disability, sexual preference, marital status, or national origin. It is the intent and desire of the City of San Mateo that equal employment opportunity will be provided in recruiting, hiring, training, promoting, wages, benefits, and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, applicants requiring accommodations for any part of the testing or recruitment process must notify lcoles@cityofsanmateo.org or (650) 522-7264 seven (7) days in advance of the application filing deadline, or the exam date if the exam is continuous, for the part of the process requiring accommodations. Do not upload any documents related to your request for accommodation in CalOpps. The City of San Mateo complies with employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act.