Job Details

West Virginia Department of Agriculture

Position Description

Job Title: Executive Assistant

Division: Executive

Headquarters: Guthrie Agricultural Center, Charleston, WV

Reports To: Commissioner of Agriculture

Supervisory

Responsibility: None

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Nature of Work:

The Executive Assistant serves as the primary point of contact for internal and external matters pertaining to the Office of the Commissioner and/or Senior Management and must be able to work under pressure to handle a wide variety of activities including sensitive or confidential matters with professionalism and discretion.

Examples of Work:

• Exercise sound judgement in a variety of situations to perform a variety of highly responsible, confidential, and complex secretarial and administrative duties for the Office of the Commissioner and/or Senior Management.
• Act as a point of contact for the Office of the Commissioner and/or Senior Management and delegate or resolve issues as needed.
• Organize and coordinate executive outreach and external relations efforts.
• Balance multiple priorities to work independently on projects, from conception to completion; oversee special projects.
• Demonstrate initiative and critical thinking to represent the Commissioner and/or Senior Management on assignments.
• Coordinate event calendars and prepare travel arrangements including hotel reservations, airfare, and meeting registrations.
• Develop and maintain databases for various documents, reports, spreadsheets, presentations, and publications.
• Purchase supplies and equipment as needed.
• Schedule conferences and meetings, contact individuals to participate, assure a convenient time for all those involved or arrange time changes convenient to all participants; arrange meeting facilities.
• Represent the Commissioner or member of Senior Management in internal and external meetings to convey information or take minutes, transcribe, and determine appropriate distribution.
• Develop and present data and information to be used in budgetary planning, decision making, and resource allocation.
• Draft, type, and edit correspondence as needed.
• Create and maintain filings systems to facilitate retrieval of essential material.
• Prepare confidential personnel documents and communications under the discretion of the Commissioner and/or Senior Management.
• Provide daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual reports.
• Other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions:

Office environment, working extended hours as needed; sitting, walking, driving, and lifting up to 25 pounds.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Expert knowledge of modern office procedures, practices, and equipment.
• Expert knowledge of Department rules, regulations, and procedures.
• Expert skills in writing communications and administrative reports that are clear, concise, logical, and grammatically correct.
• Expert organizational skills to independently establish priorities and carry out multiple assignments in a timely manner.
• Expert attention to detail in all work products.
• Seasoned professional in handling sensitive situations with the utmost discretion.
• Seasoned professional to work independently, under pressure to handle highly sensitive, confidential information to carry out the responsibilities of the position.
• Proficient in retrieving and utilizing information from multiple sources to complete assignments.
• Proficient in multiple computer applications including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, to design databases; develop spreadsheets to track, retrieve, and compile data; and produce graphs, charts, and presentation materials.
• Proactive in taking the initiative to assemble and analyze information; determine the appropriate response to certain issues; or determine when to refer complex problems to others.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with an Associate's degree in Administrative / Secretarial Science.

Experience:

Ten years of progressively complex, full-time paid administrative experience. At least five years of experience training and/or overseeing the work of lower-level administrative support staff.

Substitutions:

Bachelor's degree may be substituted for up to four (4) years of experience.

Licenses/ Certifications:

None

Additional Requirements:

• Valid driver's license is required.
• Satisfactory completion of pre-employment drug testing.
• Satisfactory completion of pre-employment law enforcement background investigation, including DMV records.
• Must maintain a positive image of the Commissioner, West Virginia Department of Agriculture.

This description is subject to review and revision at the discretion of the Commissioner and designees.
West Virginia Department of Agriculture is an equal opportunity employer.

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