Executive Assistant- City Manager

DESCRIPTION

The full salary range for this position is as follows: Executive Assistant - $37.61 to $48.01. Expected hiring range is as $37.61-$41.48.

DESCRIPTION:

The Executive Assistant for the City Manager performs a wide range of highly responsible, highly visible, confidential, complex administrative duties and specialized administrative functions in support of the City Manager's Office. The position serves as a key liaison between the City Manager, Deputy City Managers, department directors, community stakeholders, and external agencies, exercising a high degree of discretion, judgment, and professionalism. Supervises lower-level administrative/clerical office staff and interns as assigned. This classification requires a thorough understanding of municipal operations, exceptional organizational and interpersonal skills, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced executive environment.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS:

This position may be filled either through open internal recruitment as a promotional opportunity or through a full external recruitment process. Lower levels are not flexibly staffed into this journey-level position.

EXAMPLES OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Executive Support: Acts as a liaison between the City Manager and/or Executive Team and internal/external stakeholders to streamline information flow while maintaining a high level of confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Calendar and Schedule Optimization: Beyond just scheduling, coordinates, and prepares materials and agendas for meetings and appointments. Strategically blocks time for focused work, travel time, and recovery, anticipates potential conflicts, and ensures the executive’s schedule aligns with their top priorities and deadlines, ensuring timely follow-up on action items.
• Proactive Travel Planning and Logistics: Anticipates all travel needs and potential disruptions, such as booking transportation, dietary restrictions, prepares backup plans, gathers all necessary documents, and considers time zones and rest requirements before the executive even mentions a trip.
• Relationship and Communication Liaison: Acts as the primary filter for communications, prioritizing important requests, drafting responses to anticipated emails, and building relationships across City departments, outside agencies, and the general public to facilitate smoother future interactions.
• Project and Task Oversight: Monitors project deadlines (e.g., budgets and expenditures, purchase orders, invoices, expense reports, and/or other project/task), tracks action items, identifies potential bottlenecks or issues before they escalate, and follows up with relevant parties to keep things on schedule without being asked.
• Event and Meeting Coordination: Plans all aspects of events, including venue selection, logistics, technical requirements, and dietary needs, to ensure the executive can focus solely on the event’s objectives.
• Information Management and Briefing: Beyond just filing documents, files, and databases in accordance with City policies and retention requirements, this role involves gathering, organizing, and summarizing key information (e.g., industry news, internal reports, meeting agendas, and relevant data) and preparing pre-meeting briefings or talking points in advance of discussions.
• Information Management: Culls vast amounts of information into concise, relevant reports, memoranda, correspondence, presentations, and summaries so the executive can focus on strategic decision-making rather than getting bogged down in details.
• Supervision and Training: Supervises, prioritizes work assignments, and participates in the selection, orientation, and training of new lower-level administrative/clerical office staff and interns as assigned.
• Administrative and Clerical Support: Scans, copies, gathers documents, and picks up and distributes mail. Screens and routes telephone calls, correspondence, and inquiries; exercises discretion in determining appropriate responses or referrals.
• Exercises independent judgment in interpreting and applying administrative policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support the efficient operation of the City Manager’s Office.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of supervising and providing training, work direction, and guidance to lower-level office staff and interns.
• Computer software, including word processing, database, spreadsheet, and accounting applications. Knowledge of Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint is desirable.
• English grammar usage, spelling, punctuation, and business writing.
• Basic mathematical calculations and statistics, such as averages, percentages, and ratios.
• Standard office procedures, methods, and computer software.
• Basic research methods and techniques.
• Methods of indexing records, including minutes.
• Codes, regulations, policies, and procedures related to the City.

Ability to:

• Understand, organize, index, and reference a wide variety of administrative information and records.
• Handle customer requests/complaints by providing quality information and the proper referral to resolve the requestor’s issue.
• Employ good judgment and make sound decisions in accordance with established procedures and policy.
• Work in a sensitive, political environment.
• Prepare correspondence and reports from notes and rough drafts.
• Interpret laws and rules.
• Communicate effectively with others by phone, in writing, and in person.
• Understand and carry out oral and written directions.
• Achieve operating efficiency in an executive office environment.
• Work under pressure, multi-task, and meet deadlines.
• Independently perform a variety of routine and difficult secretarial tasks.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Type accurately at a speed of 50 words per minute.
• Operate a personal computer, utilizing word processing, spreadsheet, financial system, and calendaring software.

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION:

Any combination of experience and education that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be:

• Experience: Seven (7) years of progressively responsible administrative assistant, executive assistant, or executive support experience providing high-level assistance to senior executive management; or five (5) years of increasingly responsible administrative assistant experience in the City of Palmdale, including at least one (1) year equivalent to the Senior Administrative Assistant classification.
• Education: Equivalent to the completion of twelfth grade supplemented by additional secretarial/office management training/certification. Completion of an associate or bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business administration, public administration, or a closely related field is highly desirable.

LICENSE OR CERTIFICATE

A valid California Class C Driver’s License is required, or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Physical Demands:

Mobility: frequent use of keyboard; frequent sitting for long periods of time; occasional climbing, bending, and squatting.

Lifting: frequently up to 10 pounds; occasionally up to 40 pounds.

Vision: constant use of overall vision; frequent reading and close-up work; occasional color and depth vision.

Dexterity: frequent repetitive motion; frequent writing; frequent grasping, holding, and reaching.

Hearing/Talking: frequent hearing and talking, in person and on the phone.

Emotional/Psychological: frequent decision-making and concentration; frequent public and/or coworker contact; occasional working alone.

Environmental: frequent exposure to noise.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

Work is performed in a typical temperature-controlled office environment, subject to typical office noise and environment.

Positions may require occasional overtime, weekend work, driving within or outside of city limits, and travel is rare.

This is a Confidential position.

RevisedNovember 2025

FLSA:Overtime Exempt

Please see the job brochure for details.

Closing Date/Time: 12/4/2025 1:00 PM Pacific

• 

• City of Palmdale

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