Recreation and Conservation Administrative Assistant (Administrative Assistant 3)

Description

Note: The hiring authority reserves the right to offer the position at any time after the required posting period, and during the recruitment process. It is to the applicant's advantage to apply as early as possible. Additionally, this position will operate in a hybrid work setting, with the requirement to come to the office as needed, which is typically one to two days a week.

The Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) is a small state agency located in Olympia, Washington that plans for and provides funding to: create and maintain opportunities for outdoor recreation; protect the best of the state’s habitat lands, farms, and forests; and recover salmon.

Who We Are:
RCO envisions Washington State with abundant outdoor recreation spaces, healthy habitats, and working farms and forests that support people, fish, and wildlife. As a funding agency, RCO rallies around the goals of fair and accountable grant and contract management, innovative and efficient business practices, and leadership and collaboration.

RCO is committed to a respectful, family-friendly, and inclusive work environment. We believe in an agency where everyone works to improve themselves, anyone can lead, and all belong. We value individual personhood and strive to develop barrier-free environments so everyone can participate.

Your Role in the Agency:
As the Recreation and Conservation Administrative Assistant, you will provide vital administrative support for the Recreation and Conservation Grants Section. This section includes fifteen or more team members working on federal and state grants for parks, trails, conservation areas, working lands, and more. This team provides administrative support primarily for Recreation and Conservation Funding Board grant programs.

Your responsibilities will include completing a wide range of key agency tasks and projects that include reviewing and editing documents, preparing correspondence and other materials for executive approval, monitoring authorizations for various signature documents, scheduling appointments and meetings, arranging travel, drafting presentations and related materials for workshops and training sessions, updating agency web pages, providing technical support for meetings, setting up and summarizing survey results, preparing agreements and amendments for electronic signatures, routing documents, and managing the team’s electronic files.

Duties

Some of What You’ll Enjoy Doing Includes:

• Assist grants managers with preparing federal and state grant agreements, amendments (including standard board-approved amendments), federal grant applications, and various transmittal documents.
• Assist in devising section standards and procedures for application processes, archiving, program and project file management, and organization of review and evaluation materials to ensure uniformity and quality control.
• Assist sponsors, applicants, and staff with data entry and use of RCO's database, PRISM.
• Assist with administration of the grant review and evaluation process.
• Attend meetings and accurately transcribe and finalize minutes or meeting notes, when requested.
• Collaborate and work on projects with other agency administrative staff.
• Complete data entry projects.
• Coordinate, organize, and manage the logistics for in-person and virtual meetings, including preparing and distributing meeting materials, reserving and setting up meeting rooms or sessions, organizing registrations, ordering refreshments, securing equipment or vehicles, and conducting follow-up surveys.
• Maintain calendars, schedule meetings, and make travel arrangements.
• Manage the internal document routing or tracking process to ensure documents are processed in a timely manner.
• Prepare monthly reports for section members including status updates and registrations for training sessions or workshops and webinars.
• Provide support or cover for other administrative staff, when needed.
• Research information requests and respond to general inquiries from the public.
• Understand and test new processes or PRISM to streamline and improve workflows.
• Other duties as needed.
  

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• High school degree or GED; AND
• Three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in office/clerical, secretarial, bookkeeping, accounting, or general administrative work. NOTE: Formal education can substitute for experience on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience arranging travel and setting up virtual meetings for staff.
• Knowledge of state and agency policies.
• Knowledge of the state’s recreation, conservation, and salmon recovery environment.
• Proficient use of database software to search, update, and enter new records.
• Training in Archives and Records Management.

Skills and Abilities:

• Communicate effectively.
• Knowledge of basic administrative procedures and office practices.
• Operate general office equipment such as computers, copiers, printers, scanners, etc.
• Perform complex functions while using various software such as, Office 365 (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote), Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, Power BI, Adobe Acrobat Professional, Adobe Sign, and Zoom.
• Plan, prioritize, and multitask successfully.
• Provide outstanding customer service.
• Work in a fast-paced, team environment and enjoy interacting with people.
• Work independently.
• Write well and accurately edit or proofread documents.

If you have gotten this far and are thinking you do not qualify, consider again. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are dedicated to building a diverse and authentic workplace centered in belonging. If you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may just be the candidate for this or other roles.

Supplemental Information

How to Apply:
Interested? We would love to hear from you! Click “Apply” at the top of this page to start your application. You can save the application and come back to it, if needed. Be sure to complete the application fully to include a full work history and responses to the supplemental questions.

In addition to completing the online application, please provide the following documents in order to be considered; failure to do so may result in you not being considered for the position:

• A letter of interest (no more than two (2) pages in length) explaining how your past experiences make you an ideal candidate for this position and what exceptional skills you would bring to RCO;
• A current resume, detailing experience, and education; and
• A list of at least three (3) professional references with current contact information

Do not attach any documents that include photos or private information (social security number, year of birth, etc.).

Please Note: 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. A resume will not be substitute for completing the “duties summary” section of the online application. Please do not refer to the resume for detail or your application may be disqualified. 

Union Inclusion: This position is in a bargaining unit and falls under the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the state of Washington and the Washington Federation of State Employees.

Opportunity for All: The Recreation and Conservation Office celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that 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.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization.

Contact Us: If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact Leslie Frank at [email protected].

For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact Aggie Swanson by email at [email protected]. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.