The Position

Effective the pay period that begins on September 26, 2026, the salary for all bargaining unit members shall be increased by an additional four percent (4.0%). This job posting has been updated to reflect this increase.

The Public Works Department has two current Administrative Assistant I/II vacancies: one in the Administration Division and one in the Wastewater Division. This recruitment is open to candidates who participated in and passed the June 2026 Administrative Assistant I/II Examination (26-EXAM-02) through the City of Santa Cruz.

The Public Works Department is the largest City department and is organized into seven major divisions: Administration; Engineering; Operations; Parking; Resource Recovery; Transportation Engineering; and Wastewater. The primary goals of the department are to efficiently deliver a broad range of municipal services to residents, businesses, and visitors of Santa Cruz in a manner that is a safe, professional, sustainable, and cost-effective, with a focus on community responsiveness and customer service.

The Administration Division supports all department divisions. A key function to the Administration division is providing customer service to the residents of Santa Cruz, providing accurate information about Public Works programs and projects, and connecting the community to the appropriate resources. The Administration division leads the Transportation and Public Works Commission and the Downtown Commission, and leads the Public Works budget process, supports expenditure control, and project reimbursements. The Administration division also coordinates with the Human Resources department to provides administrative support for human resources functions. The typical schedule for this position is Monday-Friday from 7am-3:30pm.

The Wastewater Division operates and maintains a regional wastewater treatment facility that protects public health and the environment while serving Santa Cruz and neighboring communities. Based at the Wastewater Treatment Facility and reporting directly to the Wastewater Systems Manager, this Administrative Assistant will provide essential administrative support for daily operations, including customer service, invoice and purchasing support, records management, and coordination with facility staff and other City departments. The typical schedule for this position is Monday-Friday from 7am-3:30pm.

Administrative Assistant I salary is $23.98 - $33.74 hourly.
Administrative Assistant II salary is $26.78 - $37.68 hourly.

The eligible list that was established from the Administrative Assistant I/II examination (26-EXAM-02) is valid for up to one year from the date it was established unless the list is extended or abolished by the Human Resources Director. 

Recruitment #27-023

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS:

The following process may be changed as deemed necessary by the Human Resources Director. The information contained within this announcement may be modified or revoked without notice and does not constitute either an expressed or implied contract.

Who is eligible to apply: Candidates who participated in and passed the June 2026 Administrative Assistant I/II Examination (26-EXAM-02) through the City of Santa Cruz are eligible to apply and submit an application.

• On Thursday, 10/22/26 recruitment will close. All application materials must be received by the Human Resources Department by 5:00 pm; postmarks are not accepted.  To apply, submit: 
  1. Application- online application only. Resumes are not accepted in lieu of filling out the application form completely.  Click the Apply button to begin the online process.
  2. Response to supplemental questions- will be a primary tool in the evaluation of your qualifications for this position. Any work experience described here must also be included in your employment history on the main application. 
• Week of 10/26/26: Qualified candidates who have successfully passed the application process and Administrative Assistant I/II Examination will have their applications competitively screened based on the minimum qualifications and supplemental questions for this position. Candidates will be notified of their status in the recruitment by 11/06/26.
• Week of 11/09 and/or 11/16/26: Interviews will be tentatively scheduled for top candidates.  The examination process will include an interview and may include a written and/or performance exercise. 

Typical Duties

(May include, but are not limited to, those duties listed below.)

• Performs a wide variety of clerical duties to support departmental or divisional operations, including filing, preparing records and monthly reports, creating project and department files, updating department websites, and preparing and processing purchase order and accounts payable.
• Composes, types, formats, proofreads, and processes a variety of documents, including letters, memos, agendas, reports, statistical charts, and forms from rough drafts, recordings or verbal instructions; checks drafts for punctuation, spelling, and grammar and suggests corrections.
• Performs reception and customer service duties; answers telephone, emails and in-person inquiries; provides information on departmental policies and procedures; resolves problems related to assigned responsibilities; refers callers to appropriate staff- as necessary.
• Maintains and updates departmental record systems and specialized databases; enters and updates information with departmental activity, purchase order requests, budget and account information, and report summaries; retrieves information from systems and specialized databases as required.
• Verifies and reviews forms and reports for completeness and conformance with established regulations and procedures; applies departmental and divisional policies and procedures in determining completeness of applications, records, and files.
• Compiles information and data for basic administrative and financial reports; checks data; prepares and assembles reports, manuals, articles, announcements, and other informational materials.
• Issues, receives and processes various applications, orders, permits, contracts, and other forms.
• Accepts payment of fees and process payments by phone, mail and in-person processes claims and invoices; creates purchase orders; and processes petty cash reimbursements; may prepare bank deposits, prepare billing invoice requests, and maintain accounting spreadsheets.
• Reviews invoices and credit card statements for completeness, accuracy and compliance with established regulations and procedures;
• Receives, sorts, and distributes incoming and interdepartmental mail and correspondence; prepares and distributes outgoing mail.
• Operates standard office equipment, including job-related computer hardware and software applications, fax machine, scanner, printers, copiers, calculators, and telephones; may operate other department-specific equipment; may place equipment maintenance calls.
• Provide staff support to assigned committees, commissions, and boards; prepares and distributes agenda packets; maintains distribution and contact lists; sets up meeting site; takes notes at meetings; prepares action agendas and final minutes, as assigned.
• Schedules department facilities; arranges for necessary set-up, materials, and equipment to be available at meetings, as necessary.
• Monitors and orders office and other related supplies; assists in preparing, processing, and tracking purchase requisitions for services and materials; prepares requests for payment for management approval.
• Gathers, assembles, updates, and distributes a variety of department or City specific information, forms, records, and data as requested.
• Maintains and prepares departmental records, including Personnel Action Forms (PAFs), training documents, and evaluation forms.
• Assists with facility security tasks, including issuing and tracking identification cards, gate cards, key cards, and/or keys and maintaining sign in records.
• May coordinate projects and programs with other City divisions or departments as related to area of responsibility
• Performs other general clerical duties related to assigned functional area or department.
• Performs other related duties that may be reasonably expected as part of this classification. 

WORKING CONDITIONS
Position requires prolonged sitting, standing, walking, reaching, twisting, turning, kneeling, bending, squatting and stooping in the performance of daily activities. The position also requires
grasping, repetitive hand movement and fine coordination in using a computer keyboard.  Additionally, the position requires far and near vision when reading and using a computer. Acute hearing is required when providing phone and personal service. The need to lift, drag and push files, paper and documents weighing up to 25 pounds is also required. Some of these requirements may be accommodated for otherwise qualified individuals requiring and requesting such accommodations.

Minimum Qualifications

The minimum qualifications for Education, Experience, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities are the following:

Education and Experience:

Administrative Assistant I

• High school graduation or tested equivalent; and 
• One (1) year of general clerical experience including some basic computer use.

Administrative Assistant II

• High school graduation or tested equivalent; and 
• Two (2) years of general clerical experience, including one (1) year of experience comparable to that of the City’s Administrative Assistant I.

Administrative Assistant I
Knowledge:

• Modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment and applications, including word processing, database, and spreadsheet applications.
• Principles and practices of data collection and report preparation.
• Proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, and business correspondence formatting.
• Filing and record-keeping systems.
• Techniques for providing a high level of customer service to public and City staff, in person and over the telephone.

Skills:

• Typing skill of 45 w.p.m. 

Abilities:

• Respond to and effectively prioritize multiple phone calls and other requests for service.
• Learn the organization, procedures and operating details of the City department to which assigned.
• Learn and apply administrative and departmental policies and procedures.
• Compose correspondence and reports independently or from brief instructions; maintain records and databases.
• Make routine mathematical computations accurately.
• Perform responsible administrative and clerical support work with accuracy, speed, and minimal supervision.
• Enter and retrieve data from a computer with sufficient speed and accuracy to perform assigned work.
• Establish and maintain a variety of filing, record-keeping, and tracking systems.
• Organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical time deadlines; work on multiple projects at any given time.
• Use computers for word processing, information storage and retrieval.   
• Operate modern office equipment including computer equipment and specialized software application programs.
• Communicate information clearly and concisely in writing and verbally.
• Establish and maintain effective working relations with City staff, outside agencies and the general public.

For positions assigned to the Police Department, successfully pass a law enforcement background investigation.

Administrative Assistant II (in addition to the qualifications for the Administrative Assistant I)
Knowledge

• Departmental practices and procedures and applicable City policies.

Abilities

• Perform responsible office and clerical support work with accuracy, speed, and general supervision.
• Apply administrative and departmental policies and procedures.
• Understand the organization and operation of the City and of outside agencies as necessary to assume assigned responsibilities.

Licenses and Certificates

• Possession and continued maintenance of a valid California Class C driver’s license.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working in a municipal or public sector environment.
• Experience providing administrative support aligned with departmental practices, procedures, and service delivery needs, including support for program-specific functions such as safety coordination, regulatory compliance, customer service operations, and other department-focused initiatives.
• Experience using Microsoft 365 applications, or other similar platforms, including SharePoint, to manage documents, track workflows, and support team collaboration.

If Assignment-Library

• The ability to speak, read and write Spanish. 
• Previous experience working in public libraries.

Career Ladder

• Administrative Supervisor
• Executive Assistant to the City Manager
• Administrative Assistant III
• Administrative Assistant I/II
• Office Assistant (temporary)