Office Assistant

City of Mission Viejo Invites Applications for

OFFICE ASSISTANT

$21.14 - $30.75 per hour
  
APPLY BY: 3:00 P.M., MONDAY, MARCH 10, 2025

The City of Mission Viejo seeks qualified candidates to serve as our next Office Assistant to provide excellent customer service at the Animal Services Center public counter.  Candidates will answer incoming telephone calls and direct calls to proper staff; provide general clerical support; act as receptionist; and perform other related work as necessary.

There is one (1) vacancy scheduled to work eighteen (18) hours per week: Friday through Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  The schedule and assignment may change to include evenings and special events depending on the needs of the City.  This is an FLSA non-exempt position and is entitled to overtime. 

Office Assistants are considered At-will Hourly, Seasonal, and/or Temporary employees, and are not part of the competitive service.  Incumbents will work a flexible schedule, with an average of 16 to 19 hours per week, with increased scheduling during peak workload periods, but less than 1,000 hours through the fiscal year starting July 1^st and ending June 30^th.  

The eligibility list established for this position may be used to fill future full-time, part-time or temporary Office Assistant vacancies in any or all City departments and/or divisions.

SEARCH SCHEDULE:  The first round of Zoom interviews is tentatively scheduled for some time during the week of March 17, 2025.  Only one date will be available for an applicant to attend.   The City will not accommodate applicant scheduling requests for alternate dates.  It is recommended that you plan your calendar accordingly when you apply.

Your impact

1. Provide varied office, administrative, and secretarial support to Animal Services Department staff;
2. Receive and screen visitors and telephone calls; provide information to City staff, volunteers, other organizations, and the public requiring the use of judgment and the interpretation of policies, rules, procedures and ordinances;
3. Perform general office duties such as process incoming and outgoing mail and ordering office supplies;
4. Compose, type, format and proofread a wide variety of reports, letters and memoranda; type from rough drafts, verbal instructions; check drafts for punctuation, spelling and grammar; and make or suggest corrections to drafts; 
5. Operate cash register and standard office equipment, including job-related computer hardware and software applications, facsimile equipment, and multi-line telephones;
6. Perform data entry of financial information in database and prepare basic financial reports in Excel;
7. Process invoices for payment; 
8. Prepare contracts and enters purchase requisitions in financial system; and 
9. Perform other duties as assigned.

Applicants are encouraged to review the entire Office Assistant job description by visiting the City’s website at https://cityofmissionviejo.org.

Your Team

The members of the Mission Viejo Animal Services Department are passionate and dedicated to making a difference every day for the domestic animals and wildlife living in the communities they serve. They are looking for someone with the same strong work ethic and passion to join them.  

The Department provides services for Mission Viejo and four surrounding cities which include: City of Aliso Viejo, City of Laguna Hills, City of Laguna Niguel and City of Rancho Santa Margarita. The Mission Viejo Animal Services Center is a pro-humane facility that provides an array of services including animal licensing, rabies control, pet adoption, community outreach presentations, patrol of public streets and parks, picking up injured wildlife, impounding stray dogs/cats, issuing citations, and providing a shelter for homeless animals. The facility has dogs, cats and rabbits available for adoption year-round.

Ideal Candidate

• Work experience providing clerical and office administrative work requiring the use of independent judgment, tact and discretion;
• Is a reliable and flexible team player, enthusiastic about helping others; able to work both independently and in a group environment;
• Can establish and maintain effective and harmonious working relationships with all levels of staff, volunteers, and the public;
• Can handle stressful situations while working in a fast-paced, busy Animal Services environment and demonstrates the ability to remain calm when dealing with disgruntled people;
• Knowledge of computer applications such Word, Excel, Outlook, Chameleon and has the ability to quickly learn new programs; and
•  Good oral and written communications skills.

• Basic organization and function of public agencies, including the role of an elected City Council and appointed boards and commissions.
• Codes, regulations, policies, technical processes and procedures related to the department to which assigned.
• Word processing methods, techniques and programs; general accounting methods, procedures, and terminology; database and spreadsheet applications and programs.
• Records management principles and practices.
• Business arithmetic and basic statistical techniques.
• Techniques for dealing effectively with the public, vendors, contractors and City staff, in person and over the telephone.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service to the public and City staff, in person and over the telephone.
• Safe driving principles and practices.
• Safe work practices.

• Providing varied and responsible secretarial and office administrative work requiring the use of independent judgment, tact and discretion.
• Responding to and effectively prioritizing multiple phone calls, walk-up traffic and other requests/interruptions.
• Interpreting and implementing policies, procedures, technical processes and computer applications related to the department to which assigned.
• Analyzing and resolving office administrative and procedural concerns.
• Composing correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions.
• Establishing and maintaining records for the assigned department.
• Making accurate arithmetic and basic statistical calculations.
• Organizing own work, coordinating projects, setting priorities, meeting critical deadlines and following-up on assignments with a minimum of direction.
• Making process improvement changes to streamline procedures.
• Using English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone and in writing.
• Using initiative and independent judgment within established policy and procedural guidelines.
• Establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with employees and those contacted in the course of the work, interacting cooperatively with staff, management, other departments, and public and private representatives.
• Operating modern office equipment including computer equipment and software programs.
• Operating a motor vehicle safely.

Salary : $21 - $31