Administrative Secretary III - Confidential (Open and Promotional)
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Administrative Secretary III - Confidential (Open and Promotional)
Salary
$79,809.60 - $99,715.20 Annually
Location
Redwood City, CA
Job Type
Regular
Job Number
E006N
Department
Human Services Agency
Opening Date
11/05/2025
Closing Date
11/18/2025 11:59 PM Pacific
Bargaining Unit
70B
Description
Benefits
Questions
Description
San Mateo County's Human Services Agency is seeking an experienced, dynamic individual for the position of Administrative Secretary III, who will, under general supervision, perform varied secretarial and office administrative assistance; use discretion in determining alternatives from well-defined guidelines in relieving management of routine administrative details; and may provide direction to office support staff on a project basis. Day-to-day activities require the use of initiative and independent judgment, particularly when prioritizing work from several staff members or when dealing with a variety of County staff and representatives of the public.
The ideal candidate will possess:
Experience performing a variety of secretarial and administrative support duties.
Ability to compose correspondence independently or from brief instructions.
Strong computer skills with high proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Possess excellent verbal and written business communication skills, in order to prepare clear and concise reports, meeting minutes and agendas, and conduct positive interactions with County staff, community partners, outside agencies, and the public.
Experienced in working successfully as part of a team and ability to work independently.
Flexibility to provide effective back-up coverage of various positions as needed.
Ability to organize workload and set priorities to meet critical deadlines.
Ability to manage multiple assignments while maintaining attention to detail.
Proven ability in using initiative and independent judgment.
Ability to exercise a high degree of discretion and observe confidentiality.
A sense of ownership and responsibility.
Ability to research and find information as needed.
Desire to strive for professional development and growth, and keep up-to-date with HSA technology and policy/procedure changes.
Administrative Secretary III - Confidential (Open and Promotional)
Description
San Mateo County's Human Services Agency is seeking an experienced, dynamic individual for the position of Administrative Secretary III, who will, under general supervision, perform varied secretarial and office administrative assistance; use discretion in determining alternatives from well-defined guidelines in relieving management of routine administrative details; and may provide direction to office support staff on a project basis. Day-to-day activities require the use of initiative and independent judgment, particularly when prioritizing work from several staff members or when dealing with a variety of County staff and representatives of the public.
The ideal candidate will possess:
Experience performing a variety of secretarial and administrative support duties.
Ability to compose correspondence independently or from brief instructions.
Strong computer skills with high proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Possess excellent verbal and written business communication skills, in order to prepare clear and concise reports, meeting minutes and agendas, and conduct positive interactions with County staff, community partners, outside agencies, and the public.
Experienced in working successfully as part of a team and ability to work independently.
Flexibility to provide effective back-up coverage of various positions as needed.
Ability to organize workload and set priorities to meet critical deadlines.
Ability to manage multiple assignments while maintaining attention to detail.
Proven ability in using initiative and independent judgment.
Ability to exercise a high degree of discretion and observe confidentiality.
A sense of ownership and responsibility.
Ability to research and find information as needed.
Desire to strive for professional development and growth; and keep up-to-date with HSA technology and policy/procedure changes.
Duties may include but are not limited to, the following:
Provide primary support for the Assistant Agency Director and scheduling support for three Managers.
Support a variety of meetings: book meeting rooms, provide administrative support for meeting materials, assist with room set up, reserve, set up, and collect required equipment (laptop, projector and digital recorder).
Attend meetings and prepare meeting agendas and meeting minutes and action items.
Maintain and order office supplies and materials as needed.
Assist to coordinate any necessary staff moves within the Office of the Agency Director.
Coordinate the timely completion of reports from assigned Managers.
Open and sort mail and attach pertinent back-up materials; process outgoing mail or financial invoices as required.
Organize and maintain various office files, and purge files as required.
Follow-up on projects, transmit information, and keep informed on division activities.
Keep lunch room bulletin boards up-to-date.
Provide project direction to support staff as needed.
Plan and coordinate department functions and events, and perform other duties as assigned.
Receive and screen visitors and telephone calls as needed and provide factual information which may require the interpretation and applications of policy and procedures.
Greet the public and provide front desk coverage as needed.
Organize own work, set priorities, and develop and meet critical deadlines.
Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Education and Experience:
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying.
A typical way to qualify is two years of secretarial experience, which has included providing office and administrative support to management staff.
Experience providing administrative assistance to upper-level management is preferred.
Knowledge of:
Office administrative and secretarial practices and procedures.
Basic organization and function of public agencies, including the role of an elected Board of Supervisors and appointed boards and commissions.
Record keeping, report preparation, filing methods, and records management techniques.
Correct English usage, including spelling, grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary.
Standard business arithmetic, including percentages and decimals.
Basic supervisory principles and practices.
Basic budgeting principles and practices.
Skill/Ability to:
Provide varied, responsible, and often confidential secretarial and office administrative assistance to high-level management and other associated supervisory and professional staff.
Plan, direct, and review the work of assigned staff, and instruct staff in work procedures.
Interpret, apply, and explain complex policies and procedures using tact, discretion, initiative, and independent judgment within established guidelines.
Analyze and resolve office administrative situations and problems.
Research, compile, and summarize a variety of informational materials.
Compose correspondence independently or from brief instructions.
Establish and maintain effective working relationships.
Organize work, set priorities, and meet critical deadlines.
Follow up on assignments with a minimum of direction.
Application/Examination
Open & Promotional. Anyone may apply. Current County of San Mateo and County of San Mateo Superior Court of California employees with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/ limited term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score on this examination. Responses to the supplemental questions must be submitted in addition to our regular employment application form. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for the required employment application and supplemental questionnaire.
The examination process will consist of an application screening based on the candidates' application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%). Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification . All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California and applicants must participate at their own expense.
IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the " Apply" button above. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org to apply.
TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT SCHEDULE
Final Filing Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. PST
Application Screening: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Combined Panel Interviews: Thursday, December 11, 2025
About the County
San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse communities.
The County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity in order to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The County seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.
The County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion at all levels.
Analyst: Arlene Cahill (Administrative Secretary-Confidential - E476)
We invite you to explore our Benefits-at-a-Glance (https://www.smcgov.org/sites/default/files/2025-05/Benefits%20at%20a%20Glance%204.29.25.pdf) page for a snapshot of the comprehensive and competitive benefits available to eligible employees of the County of San Mateo. From health and wellness to financial security, our benefits are designed to support you at every stage of your career. (Please note that benefits are subject to change.)
In addition to core benefits, the County is proud to offer a variety of wellness and professional development programs to help you grow both personally and professionally. Most of these enriching opportunities are available during work hours and come at no cost to you.
As a County employee, you'll also be covered by the federal Social Security system, earning valuable retirement benefits based on your salary and years of service.
01
IMPORTANT: All applicants for this development opportunity are required to submit responses to the following supplemental questions. Your responses will provide additional information about your background and experience related to this position and will be used in the screening and selection process. Be concise, yet specific. Neatness, clarity of expression, grammar, spelling and ability to follow instructions will be considered in the evaluation process. Generally, your responses should total no more than three pages of a Word document. A resume will not be accepted as a substitute for your responses to these questions. I have read and understand these instructions.
Yes
No
02
Describe your experience performing complex administrative duties in providing support to executive-level management, such as scheduling and coordinating all details for meetings, composing correspondence and other written materials, and creating presentations and reports. Include the computer software you are proficient in and indicate the @types of documents you have produced. Be specific.
03
This position requires the ability to problem solve and work independently. Provide a work-related example of a time when you were successful and you had to be creative about finding an answer that you sought, who you consulted with and how you found the information you needed. Be specific.
04
This position requires maintaining impeccable organization. Detail how you keep track of many detailed tasks and how you establish reminders for tasks that need to be completed well in the future, or on a cyclical basis (such as quarterly). Describe the systems you use. Be specific.
05
How did you learn about this position?
County of San Mateo Website
County of San Mateo Job Interest Card Notification
County Hosted Virtual Event
County Hosted Job Fair
CalOpps.org
College/University Career Center
Community-based Organization Posting
Facebook/Instagram
Friend or Relative
GovernmentJobs.com
Indeed
Job Fair
LinkedIn
Professional Publication/Website (Please specify in next question)
X (formerly called Twitter)
Zip Recruiter
Other (Please specify in next question)
06
If you answered, "Professional Publication/Website" or "Other" to the above question, please indicate below how you learned about this position. Your response to this question will help us in better marketing County jobs. Type NA if not applicable.
Required Question
Employer
County of San Mateo
Address
County of San Mateo Human Resources Department 500 County Center, 4th Floor Redwood City, California, 94063-1663
Phone
(650) 363-4343
Website
https://jobs.smcgov.org
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