Administrative Assistant

Job Description:

Administrative Assistant

Description

Description

Join the Office of Transportation! Be part of a dynamic team of 19 staff responsible for transportation planning, programs, and infrastructure in Palo Alto. The department manages parking and traffic operations, bikeway development, area studies, regional transit coordination, and the On-Demand Transit System. If you are passionate about innovative, multimodal transportation, we invite you to be part of a team shaping Palo Alto’s transportation future.

The Position

This is an exciting opportunity to provide direct, complex administrative support to the Chief Transportation Official (CTO) and contribute to the overall success of the department. Responsibilities include coordinating and prioritizing the CTO’s schedule, assessing competing demands on time, and ensuring efficient daily operations. The role also supports boards and commissions by preparing meeting materials and assisting at a variety of meetings, as well as supporting the Senior Management Analyst with contracts and procurement processes.

The successful candidate will manage a high volume of requests and inquiries, requiring a strong working knowledge of the organization and its programs. They will serve as a key point of contact for internal staff, external partners, and members of the public. Exceptional interpersonal and customer service skills, strong organization, adaptability, and sound judgment are essential to thrive in this fast-paced and engaging environment.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a seasoned administrative professional with excellent communication skills, strong organizational abilities, and sound independent judgment to perform complex administrative tasks. The chosen candidate will be able to maintain confidentiality, understand, interpret, and apply appropriate rules, regulations, and written directions to specific situations, and provide guidance when needed. They will also assist the department, staff, boards, commissions, and the public with a high degree of emotional intelligence, tact, and poise, consistently delivering a high level of customer service.

Benefits:

The City offers a fantastic benefits package including:

• Schedule: Option of a 9/80 work schedule with every other Friday off
• Hybrid work: Ability to work remotely and onsite (current policy allows for 2 days/week remote and 3 days/week on-site)
• Professional development: Tuition reimbursement, leadership training, and career growth opportunities
• Education benefits: Potential enrollment for dependents in the Palo Alto Unified School District (pilot program, subject to change)
• Childcare support: $10,000 in childcare subsidies (pilot program, subject to change)
• Commute benefits: Incentives for walking, biking and taking transit to work. The City of Palo Alto participates in the Clipper BayPass program: Employee Cost: $5 per month.
• Defined-Benefit Retirement Plan: with competitive pension benefits

To learn more about benefits click HERE.

Essential Duties

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following: Leads, plans and coordinates the administrative, technical, and analytical tasks in support of the department head.

• Serves as a primary resource point for City employees, Council members, Board and Commission members, committees and Task Force, citizens or visitors, answering complex questions regarding policy, procedural, informational or technical inquiries, requiring a thorough knowledge of City and department programs, functions, organizational structure, as well as the use of independent judgment and discretion in the release of confidential or sensitive information.
  
• Create and update information on the internet and intra-net. Relieves department head, of certain administrative matters by following up on projects, transmitting information and keeping managers informed of department activities.
  
• Leads, plans and coordinates the administrative, technical, and analytical tasks in support of the CTO.
  
• Prepares and composes from brief oral instruction, written draft, correspondence requiring discrimination and judgment in the selection of data or interpretation of laws, rules, or policies.
  
• Compiles and processes materials related to the department issues; compiles a variety of narrative and statistical reports, locating sources of information, devising forms needed to secure data; determines proper format for finished reports; may edit draft staff reports for grammatical and punctuation errors.
  
• Maintains departmental or division cost or budgetary records, formulates portions of departmental or division budget requests, uses citywide accounting system (SAP) to monitor Director/CAO budgets, track payments, research payment history and rectify errors, and prepares annual budget request(s); may serve as departmental or division timekeeper.
  
• Serves as central liaison for department or division locations in the dissemination of information. Uses computers, software programs, other technology tools, and office equipment relevant to the department needs to perform a variety of administrative and technical tasks as assigned.
  
• May prepare documents from notes, rough drafts, oral instructions, memos, transcripts of minutes and reports, and Council or Commission agenda and minutes, edits drafts for composition and grammatical structure.
  

To review the full job description, go here

Minimum Qualifications

Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge and skills, which would typically be acquired through:
Equivalent to the completion of an Associate Degree and six years responsible, full-time administrative experience; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above. An associate’s degree is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Qualification to enter this position requires knowledge of the following:

• Modern office practices, time management, and procedures, including business correspondence, record keeping and filing systems, and office equipment;
• Principals of managing and coordinating a variety of administrative functions efficiently;
• Principles and practices used to provide good customer service;
• Record keeping principles and practices and data collection and analysis techniques;
• Project management methods;
• Word processing, spreadsheet, calendar scheduling, presentation, citywide accounting system (SAP), timekeeping program and other required software applications on personal computer. Ability to meet and communicate with the public and staff using tact and poise.

Qualification to enter this position requires skill in:

• Performing complex administrative tasks involving organization, the use of judgment and requiring accuracy and speed; develop clear and comprehensive reports; maintain confidentiality; understand, interpret, and apply appropriate rules, regulations and written directions to specific situations; effectively meet and communicate with the public in situations requiring tact and poise; identify and correct errors in English usage, grammar, and arithmetic calculations in a variety of documents; evaluate demands on manager's time and arrange schedule accordingly; apply sound judgment in assignment work load priorities, and in contacts with officials and members of the general public in routine, emergency, or emotional situations; assume responsibility in recognizing scope of authority;
• Producing correspondence and other documents in a variety of formats on a personal computer from clear copy or rough drafts at a speed necessary for successful job performance;
• Communicating with and elicit cooperation from others and to assimilate and understand information, in a manner consistent with the essential job functions;
• Making sound decisions in a manner consistent with the essential job functions;
• Developing clear and comprehensive correspondence;
• Maintaining strict confidentiality in the handling of highly sensitive documents and/or situations, using professional judgment;
• Communicating effectively both verbally and in writing.

See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Compensation Plan HERE.

Closing Date/Time: 3/3/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$76,128.00 - $114,192.00 Annually