Assistant to Director of Recreation and Parks-(Administrative Assistant)-Office of the Director

Howard County:
Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.

Howard County Government:
Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, best practices and sustainability. It is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2024, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 63 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the most awards in the state of Maryland, and the fifth highest in the nation, as compared to more than 3000 counties. NACo Achievement Awards are the premier national honor to recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policy making.

What are we looking for?
We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.

What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.
• We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged!
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs.
• As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

Performs senior technical level administrative support work, which many include supervisory responsibility, under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior. Work typically involves administrative, technical and para-legal work providing staff assistance to various Boards; or administrative secretarial or constituent services work assisting the County Executive, the State's Attorney, the Chief Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit, Chief of Staff or the Chief Administrative Officer. Assumes responsibility for clerical procedures and office operations; maintains executive calendar and appointments. May supervise a support staff. Work at this level may include independent responsibility for a difficult and complex administrative or clerical process not requiring the attention of a professional or technical expert.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Prepares and maintains the Director’s schedule; receives and evaluates the nature of the requests and determines priority, obtains appropriate input as needed, and follows through to schedule and arrange all details for the Director’s attendance at meetings, public appearances, press conferences, and social events.
• Obtains the Director’s signature on a variety of correspondence and other documents; may, as requested by the Director, compose correspondence of a personal nature for the Director to reflect the Director’s sensitivity to citizens’ needs.
• Maintain highly complex and confidential office records and other information, to conduct research, and to prepare accurate reports from file records and materials and outside sources.
• Prepare correspondence regarding County policies, procedures, regulations, and operations.
• Responsible for scheduling and sending invitations (RSVPs) to all participants to be included in meetings initiated by the Director; conducts research, if necessary, to determine contact information for meeting participants; follows up as necessary to assure all necessary participants are available.
• Prepares various weekly/monthly reports for County Administration.
• Prepares and edits various agreements for the Director’s review.
• Assists Director with the various board members of the committees the Director is a part of in planning and organizing meetings, events etc.
• Maintains Director’s reference material and preparation for daily meeting and onsite visits.
• Assists with various meetings for the Director such as quarterly Senior Manager meetings, Bureau Chief meetings, Local Children Board meetings, MACPRA and more.
• Performs administrative computer support work; typing of letters, memos, reports, emails.
• Create, host and record virtual and hybrid meetings
• Attends monthly manager meetings conducted by Director; record and transcribe meeting minutes.
• Serves as the liaison for the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board, scheduling meetings, researching perspective board members, providing necessary supplies, serve as backup to the recording secretary; attend evening meetings, record and transcribe meeting minutes as needed.
• Reviews and routes contracts, agreements to the appropriate parties.
• Prepares various Human Resources disciplinary and termination letters for the Director’s signature as well as personnel filing.
• Coordinates and schedules meetings/conferences with County personnel and public citizens for the Department.
• Make procurement purchases for the Director when necessary and preparing monthly procurement statements on behalf of the Director
• Assist in creating interview questions and serve on interview panels when requested
• Serves as back-up for Administrative Aides in the Director’s area which includes support work for bureau chiefs.

• Researches, analyzes and summarizes legislation relative to Recreation and Parks profession and pending legislation. Provides daily reports to the Director, drafts correspondence and writes reports for the Senior Managers staff.
• Monitors and reviews local County legislation on a weekly basis. Researches, analyzes and prepares summarization of local County legislation for the Director as well as the Senior Managers involve in the legislation.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the County Council, County officials, various high level elected or appointed officials at the State and Federal level, executive level representatives of business and private organization and the public.

• Serves as liaison between the Director and Senior Management Team, department/agency heads, other elected officials, senior management in the private sector, community representatives, and the general public, and ensures that highly confidential, complex, and sensitive matters are attended to.
• Maintains awareness of issues the Director considers current and critical through regular meetings with the Director and Senior Management Team members.
• Coordinates Public Information review material for public release, fosters public understanding and current activities of the Department and responds to media inquiries.
• Answers multi-line phone: answers public inquires and handles customer service complaints.

• Performs special assignments and projects for the Director, such as Marketing research for Director’s Special Projects; in depth legislative analysis; various reports regarding the operation of the Department; and more.
• Responsible for identifying and applying good sustainability practices into all aspects of Department operations.

MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

Associates' Degree and four (4) years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Knowledge of Business English, spelling, punctuation and arithmetic.
• Ability to express ideas effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates and the public.
• Knowledge of all County policies and procedures.
• Experience and knowledge of County Administration.
• Working knowledge of Word and Microsoft Office applications.
• Full awareness of Department and staffing structure.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

TO APPLY: You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history. No paper applications will be accepted.

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening, background screening, and reference checks.

At time of application, please submit a copy of any college degree, coursework, licenses, or certifications that you have referenced on your application. Applicants who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service, such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (http://www.naces.org) or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation (https://www.wes.org/).

Howard County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Howard County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at HiringPreference@howardcountymd.gov. Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.