Administrative Support Technician

Open Internally until February 10, 2025

Open Externally until February 17, 2025

Class Title: Administrative Support Technician

Position Title: Management Support Clerk

Accountable To: Resident Services Manager

Department: Resident Services Manager

Band: A

Grade: 1

Subgrade: 3

Come join one of the nation’s highest ranked housing agencies. Be a part of an innovative and creative team of individuals committed to serving the community by providing affordable, quality housing.

The St. Paul Public Housing Agency (PHA) has been serving the community for over 45 years. St. Paul PHA is an independent agency that owns and operates affordable rental housing for low-income families and individuals throughout the City, with subsidies from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The PHA provides approximately 4,273 affordable rental units in hi-rise buildings, townhomes, and scattered site single family and duplex homes. The PHA administers 5,242 Housing Choice Vouchers, paying over $45 million annually in federal rent subsidies to private owners who rent units to eligible families and individuals with very low incomes.

Mission Statement:

The PHA helps families and individuals with low incomes achieve greater stability and self-reliance by providing safe, affordable, quality housing and links to community services.

Employment Benefits:

The PHA offers a generous employee benefits package. The standard package includes paid vacation and sick leave; eleven paid designated holidays and two paid floating holidays; health and dental insurance coverage; and an employer pension contribution equal to 7% of employee's salary (employee contributes 5%). Additional benefits vary by contract or Supervisory and Confidential (S&C) policies.

Class Summary: Incumbents perform a wide variety of office support activities which require routine decision making and office experience

Distinguishing Characteristics: The Administrative Support Technician is the second level of a four-level administrative support series and is distinguished from the Administrative Support Assistant by its responsibility for performing a variety of office support activities requiring routine decision-making and office experience. The Administrative Support Technician is distinguished from the Administrative Support Specialist, which is responsible for performing specialized activities related to the area assigned to.

Position Summary: Incumbents are responsible for answering and directing calls; responding to the needs of walk in clients, answering basic questions regarding procedures or services provided; scheduling units for inspections; entering data into computerized tenant data system, logging and tracking processes, providing information to other departments, compiling reports, maintaining filing systems; receiving and processing a wide variety of forms and documents; memos and correspondence.

Duties:

1. Provides receptionist functions for management office including: acting as a clearinghouse for residents, staff, service providers and visitors to the management office; communicating with persons from diverse racial and cultural backgrounds, persons with multiple disabilities and/or limited or no English speaking skills; handling incoming phone calls; providing general information about PHA policies and procedures and directing inquiries to appropriate sources; responding in an appropriate manner to clients who are angry, exhibiting signs of substance abuse, exhibiting symptoms of mental illness, unable to communicate readily due to disabilities.

2. Reduces rental income loss and maximize occupancy by re-renting vacant units as quickly as possible, including: maintaining accurate and current records and logs of vacant unit processing; providing regular and timely unit and resident information to Rental/Re-Exam, accounting and maintenance departments to notify these departments to begin their unit processing work; contacting potential new residents to schedule time for lease signing and orientation; participating in Admission Orientation Program presentations and tracking participation; acting as new residents first contact with PHA management, answering general questions and referring to appropriate staff; preparing lease and other documents and information to facilitate move in of new residents; and entering move in data into computer and transfer records from waiting list to active tenant.

3. Maximizes resident awareness of and compliance with regulations, lease obligations, rules and procedures, maximizes safety and security, resident satisfaction and quality of life issues including: preparing correspondence as directed by manager or other management staff; drafting correspondence as requested by manager; maintaining a tracer file for follow up actions, notices, etc. and notifying staff to take actions when scheduled; processing incoming and outgoing mail; maintaining all needed forms and supplies, processing orders as needed; and assuring that invoices, billings are referred to manager for approval and sent to accounting for payment; typing and processing purchase orders for the Resident Services Department.

4. Inputs data into computer systems including; inputting data regarding move ins, transfers and vacates into the tenant data system; inputting work orders into the work order entry system with appropriate follow up actions; and reviewing move in/move out tenant data entry done by other divisions for accuracy and correcting as needed.

5. Provides clerical support to help manage hi-rises, family developments, and scattered site properties to the extent possible including: scheduling required and special unit and yard inspections and tracking results; advising Housing Manager on progress in meeting related PHAS goals.

6. Provides clerical support to management unit to enforce lease provisions and rules fairly and uniformly; initiate legal action to remove residents who do not comply with lease and rules, or take other action to obtain compliance with lease and rules including: preparing correspondence to residents regarding lease violations such as letters and termination notices, including legal documents, from drafts from Housing Manager; and maintaining records of date/time of termination notices and tracing for follow-up.

7. Coordinates and works with other divisions within Resident Services and all other departments within the PHA to achieve PHA goals and PHAS standards including: participating in monthly Coordinating meetings with other Administrative Support Technicians; participating in interdepartmental work groups as requested; and providing information to other departments as requested.

8. Provides information to service providers working in PHA buildings and community centers including: referring to appropriate staff person, explaining general procedures such as how to request key access and reserve community space.

9. Maximizes PHA operating income through appropriate implementation of HUD regulations regarding rent and other charges including: providing tenant ledgers as needed, scheduling appointments for interim interviews, logging and filing notices of rent termination per resident; processing information on move out charges to assure that state law regarding return of security deposits is met; and obtaining forwarding addresses for vacating residents.

10. Completes all required statistics and reports accurately and on schedule to maintain an accurate database reflecting program operations including: regular printing and distribution of tenant directories, work order charge reports, potential transfer reports, control book and zero income households reports; and compiling and distributing monthly reports on terminations, housekeeping inspections.

11. Maintains all management office files and current and vacated tenant files.

12. Must abide by all Board approved policies, policies prohibiting discrimination and harassment, executive communications, administrative procedures, and safety procedures established by the PHA.

13. Performs other duties of a similar nature or level.

Requirements

Knowledge (position requirements at entry):

Knowledge of:

• Customer service techniques and telephone etiquette;
• Basic record keeping practices;
• English grammar and punctuation;
• Basic clerical training;
• Word processing.

Skills (position requirements at entry):

Skill in:

• Using a computer and related software applications;
• Preparing clear and concise memos;
• Tracking and monitoring actions;
• Operating multiple phone lines and switchboards;
• Filing;
• Using office equipment such as fax machines, telephones, printers, and copiers;
• Maintaining files and records;
• Performing basic mathematical calculations;
• Working with persons with little or no English speaking skills, diverse cultures and ages, and persons with multiple disabilities;
• Communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with coworkers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction.

Required Qualifications

Education: Graduation from high school or GED

Experience: 6 months work experience in clerical, customer service, general office or relevant field.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience: 1 year of relevant experience. Demonstrated experience working with ethnically, culturally and economically diverse populations.

Licensing Requirements (position requirements at entry):

None required.

Physical Requirements

Light Work (Exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, or up to 10 pounds of force frequently, or a negligible amount of force constantly to move objects. Even though the weight lifted may be only a negligible amount, a job should be rated light work: [1] when it requires walking or standing to a significant degree; or [2] when it requires sitting most of the time but entails pushing or pulling of arm or leg controls; or [3] when the job requires working at a production rate pace entailing the constant pushing or pulling of materials even though the weight of those materials is negligible.) (For complete physical requirements see: “Physical Demands Job Analyst” on file.)