Administrative Assistant 3

Description

AGRICULTURE - A Cornerstone of Washington's Economy

 

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has been serving the state for more than 100 years. Through service, regulation, and advocacy, we keep agriculture viable and vital in Washington State, while protecting consumers, public health, and the environment. We work extensively with farmers and ranchers, but our responsibilities – from ensuring food safety to environmental protection – touch the lives of millions of people locally, nationally, and abroad.

The agency includes 780 employees approximately and grows close to 1,000 employees at the peak of seasonal work. To learn more and view additional openings, please visit our Employment Page.

The Opportunity:

The Farm & Food Systems Development division (FFSD) is dedicated to strengthening the food systems and economic viability of Washington agriculture. The programs in this division support consumers, farmers, and food businesses through service, assistance, and advocacy advancing the vision that agriculture thrives while contributing to the health of the people and the economy of Washington.

The Administrative Team for FFSD provides comprehensive support across all programs within the division, ensuring smooth day to day operations and effective coordination. We serve as a central resource for communication, organization, and process management, helping maintain consistency, efficiency, and organization across the division.

The Administrative Assistant provides direct administrative support for all 4 programs within the division including Food Assistance, Regional Markets, International Marketing, and Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. The Administrative Assistant also supports the administrative needs of the FFSD Assistant Director and Division Coordinator. This support includes, but is not limited to, time keeping, payroll activities, travel coordinator, and supporting division procurement and purchasing activities.

The Administrative Assistant reports to the Farm & Food Systems Development Division Coordinator.

Important Notes:

Duties

Include but not limited to:

Provide administrative support to Farm & Food Systems Development Division, Division Coordinator, and FFSD Programs

• Keep supervisor apprised of urgent, confidential, and/or time sensitive situations.
• Perform complex work processing tasks for division such as mail/merge, sort, integrating text with graphics, database work, etc.
• Maintain and track office supplies and inventory.
• Maintain the FFSD division and program calendar.
• Contribute to overall efficient division operations, attend administrative staff meetings, assist across division and adjust workload and priorities as needed.
• Organize and prioritize projects to ensure accuracy and timeliness in their completion.
• Provide division staff and programs with administrative support on various projects.
• Compose correspondence to internal staff and vendors.
• Coordinate with division staff on administrative best practices.
• Act as timekeeper in PISCES; track employee leave, generate timesheets for payroll submissions, and assist staff with timekeeping related questions.
• Compile and distribute payroll, position data, leave balance, and other reports to be distributed to supervisors and program managers.
• Meet with supervisor regularly to plan and prioritize workload, tasks, and schedules to best support division needs.
• Assist in maintaining division storage and surplus space in the agency mailroom.
• Process and send division mail as needed.

Fiscal, Travel, Contract, Grant, and Budget support.

• Review, verify, and approve cost spreadsheets for motorpool, cell phone invoices, PC leases, and others sending adjustments or updates to Financial Services as needed.
• Compile and distribute financial reports to programs.
• Develop, evaluate, and conduct purchasing for division equipment and supplies.
• Assist with processing division freeze tracker requests and reviews for completeness.
• Prepare, track, process, and submit division purchase requests.
• Prepare and process invoices received from division programs and acquires necessary documentation.
• Process invoices for international wire transfer payments.
• Monitor and track program budget and provide expenditure estimates.
• Audit and process travel vouchers using the TEMS system.
• Assist division staff with making travel arrangements including booking flights and rental car reservations.
• Register employees for conferences and trainings.
• Complete and track documentation for travel including over limit lodging requests, out of state and out of country travel authorizations, air travel requests, and meals with meeting requests.
• Coordinate and process requests within WSDA’s automated Supply & Equipment (S&E) system.
• Apply and enforces WSDA’s procurement policies and procedures for all purchasing actions and provide input at the division level when policies and procedures need to be updated.
• Utilize knowledge of agency signature (expenditure authority) policy, authorized order approvers and proxies when processing purchase requests.
• Assist programs with grant invoices and submits to Financial Services for payment.

Division Communication, Meeting, and Event Support

• Update internal and external webpages.
• Review and verify materials are completed to agency standards and ensures ADA compliance.
• Compose official division and program correspondence in accordance to agency brand standards.
• Schedule and attend division and program meetings; record meeting minutes, compile and distribute notes.
• Prepare meeting documents for attendees.
• Schedule and reserve internal and external meeting and conference locations.
• Assist with virtual meeting set up and support.

Records Management

• Maintain division and program records and ensure files and records are retained and organized.
• Provide support to division coordinator and programs for public records requests.
• Conduct and ensure compliance of paper and electronic record retention.
• Perform scan and toss projects for division.

Qualifications

Who should apply?

Professionals with:

Four (4) years of progressively responsible experience in office/clerical, administrative work. 

In addition to the above qualifications, the following knowledge, skills, and abilities will make a candidate highly desirable:

• Skills in conducting research on a specific work assignment.
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite.
• Experience coordinating travel and procurement activities in compliance with state, federal, and agency policies.
• Skills in managing timekeeping processes.
• Ability to create and maintain web-based content that adheres to ADA standards.

Supplemental Information

Employee Benefits

• A healthy work/life balance, which may include flexible work schedules, and teleworking.
• WSDA provides an excellent benefits package beyond traditional benefits. State employment offers Dependent Care Assistance, Flexible Spending Accounts, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Deferred Compensation, Employee Recognition Leave; click here for more information.
• 12 paid Holidays & Vacation and Leave Accruals.
• All Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required will be provided by the agency. 

How to apply

You must complete your careers.wa.gov profile and answer the supplemental questions. In addition to completing the online application, and supplemental questions applicants must attach the following documents to their profile to be considered for this position:    

· A resume detailing experience and education

· A cover letter describing how you meet the specific qualifications for this position

· Three professional references 

By submitting these materials, you are indicating that all information is true and correct. The state may verify information. Any untruthful or misleading information is cause for removal from the applicant pool or dismissal if employed.

If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or email support@neogov.com.

The initial screening will be solely based on the contents and completeness of your application and the materials submitted. All information may be verified, and documentation may be required. Applications received via e-mail will not be accepted in lieu of applying through the state's on-line recruitment system.

WSDA uses a I-9 form (Download PDF reader)(Download PDF reader) to determine Employment Eligibility and Verification, once hired. This document is the authorization of an individual’s ability to be hired for employment within the United States. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States. 

Equity at WSDA

The Department of Agriculture recognizes, appreciates, supports, embraces, and respects all cultural identities and backgrounds while we collaborate in authentic ways. We hire amazing people that share in the commitment to our Pro-Equity Anti-Racist (PEAR) strategic plan, our Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act implementation plan, and our unique needs and desires for belonging, respect, and inclusion. We value the growth and development of our team members by providing equitable access to resources and opportunities for continuous learning, improvement, and advancement.

We strive to hire, cultivate, and retain a productive and dedicated workforce that reflects the communities we serve while we are committed to a workplace that celebrates our differences and supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, marital status, families with children (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sex, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as an individual with the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with disabilities or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Contact Us

Should you have any questions regarding this position or the online application, contact the Human Resource Office at Recruitment@agr.wa.gov.

Prior to a new appointment into the Department of Agriculture, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position. 

The Human Resources Division may use referrals from this recruitment to help fill future similar vacancies for up to six months.

Veteran's Preference: Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and wish to claim Veteran's Preference MUST attach a copy of their DD214, or other verification of military service. Please blackout any personally identifiable data such as social security numbers. For additional information on Veteran's Preference and guidance on how to determine if you are eligible, click here. 

Persons with a disability, who need assistance with their application or need this announcement in an alternative format, may call 664-1960 or toll free (877) 664-1960. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

For more information about the Washington State Department of Agriculture, visit us at www.agr.wa.gov.