Executive Assistant to Police Chief

DEFINITION

Under general supervision, performs a variety of responsible, confidential, and complex secretarial and administrative duties in support of the Chief of Police and Command staff while exercising independent judgment, discretion, and initiative. This position will assist and maintain proper information flow and communication between the City Department Heads, Police Department employees, all other City departments, and the general public.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by this position.

• Performs a wide variety of executive secretarial and administrative duties in support of the Chief of Police including maintaining the Chief’s calendar and schedule;
• Coordinates and arranges for executive-level Police Department official representation at programs, special events, and functions;
• Relieves command staff of administrative work including receiving and responding to complaints and providing assistance in resolving operational and administrative problems;
• Directly interacts with residents requesting to see the Chief of Police. Listens to their complaints/concerns and resolves the issue if possible; otherwise direct the issue to the appropriate Department supervisor;
• Screens inquiries and organizes the flow of communications, paperwork, and activity through the Chief’s office, evaluates requests and provides appropriate information or routes to the appropriate division;
• Creates, formats, edits, revises, proofreads, and processes a variety of documents and forms including reports, correspondence, memoranda, agenda items, and agreements. Independently and appropriately responds to letters and general correspondence of a routine nature;
• Opens and sorts mail and maintains office records; organizes and oversees the Chief’s filing system, basic data about the Police Department and the routing, location, and status of all important transactions in process;
• Maintains personnel files for all Police Department employees;
• Responsible for processing all Police Department permits including Amplified Sound Permits, Block Party Permits, Residential Special Event Permits and Visa/Clearance Letters, including ensuring that minimum requirements for the permit are met and determining if the permit should be approved and granted;
• Prepares payroll documents and timesheets for the Police Department;
• Maintains a calendar of all Police Department employee performance evaluation dates and tracks all evaluations in process to ensure all employees receive an annual evaluation.
• Works with the Administrative Sergeant for all trainings that require travel for department employees and processes all travel requests and completes expense reports.
• Provides backup at the front counter when Police Service Officers are busy with inmates, which may include answering phone calls, transferring calls to dispatch, directing members of the public to City offices, and answering general questions.
• Draft manuals for Police Department and/or City use;
• Maintains the Police Department petty cash; and
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS GUIDELINES

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

Organization, procedures and operating details of the Police Department;

Principles of Police Department organization, the City organization and general public administrative problems

Principles of office organization, administration and supervision;

Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets and databases;

Principles and practices of fiscal, statistical, and administrative research and report preparation; Principles of business letter writing and report preparation;

Methods and techniques of proper telephone etiquette; customer service and public relations methods and techniques;

English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Ability to:

Independently perform a variety of complex, sensitive, highly responsible, and confidential office administrative, secretarial, advanced clerical, and routine programmatic support functions of a general or specialized nature in support of the Chief of Police;

Understand and carry out a wide variety of written and oral instructions;

Work cooperatively with professional staff, supervisors, associates, other employees and the general public;

Operate office equipment including computers and supporting word processing, spreadsheet and database applications;

Type or enter data at a speed necessary for successful job performance;

Review work for accuracy and completeness;

Learn and interpret rules, regulations, laws and processes, learn and apply related Police Department and City policies and procedures;

Carry out sensitive and confidential administrative assignments with discretion; communicate both orally and writing;

Effectively utilize strong human relations skills;

Write and edit documents for correct English grammar, punctuation and spelling, utilize public relations techniques in responding to inquiries and complaints; make decisions in procedural matters;

Establish and maintain effective professional working relationships with those contacted in the course of work;

Maintain professionalism while dealing with members of the public who are residentially challenged, suffering from mental illness, or suffering from the effects of alcohol and/or drug ingestion.

Must be able to pass a background investigation.

Education and Experience : Any combination of training and experience which would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain this required knowledge would be:

High School graduation or Graduate Equivalency Degree (GED) is required and five years of increasingly responsible administrative and customer support experience, including administrative responsibilities of a highly sensitive nature. College or professional administrative training and experience in a Police Department or administrative office is highly desirable.

Licenses/Certificates : Possession of a valid Class C California Driver’s License with a safe driving record is required and must be maintained as valid during the course of employment.

In accordance with California Government Code Section 3100, City of Hermosa Beach employees, in the event of a disaster, are considered disaster service workers and may be asked to protect the health, safety, lives, and property of the people of the State.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Environment: Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment with extensive public contact and constant interruptions. There is a jail in the facility which houses inmates who may yell, kick, or bang on walls/bars, and scream profanities and other offensive remarks; some inmates may have an unpleasant odor which permeates the office environment.

Physical : Primary functions require sufficient physical ability and mobility to work in an office setting; to stand or sit for prolonged period of time; to walk up and down stairs; to occasionally stoop, bend, kneel, crouch, reach, and twist; to lift, carry, push and/or pull light to moderate amounts of weight; to operate office equipment requiring repetitive hand movement and fine coordination including use of a computer keyboard; and to verbally communicate to exchange information.

Vision : See in the normal vision range with or without correction.

Hearing : Hear in the normal audio range with or without correction.