Clerical Assistant to Town Committees and Boards

JOB TITLE: Clerical Assistant to Town Committees and Boards

POSITION GRADE/LEVEL: Personnel Policies, Compensation Schedule A

FLSA STATUS: Non-exempt, part-time, non-benefit eligible

RATE RANGE: Hiring Range $20.00 - $24.00 per hour.

DEPARTMENT/LOCATION: Town Manager and Selectboard/Town Hall Mural Room

WORK SCHEDULE: As needed 3-5 hours per week, primarily Monday evenings, typically beginning at 6:15PM or 7:00 PM.  Additional hours on other weekday evenings may be available.

1.       Nature of Work: The employee is responsible for providing administrative assistance to public boards and committees as needed in accordance with open meeting law. Attends and records public meetings, webinars and hearings on-site while assisting in-person/remote participants and running the videotelephony online collaboration platform, takes and produces meeting minutes. Ensures public meetings, webinars, hearings, minutes, votes and follow-up items are correct and recorded by the videotelephony platform and related system(s), (e.g. Zoom Webinar, MS Teams, etc.).  Performs all similar or related duties as required.

2.       Supervision Received: Employee works under the general direction of the Town Manager and Executive Assistant to the Town Manager. Employee plans and carries out the regular work in accordance with standard practices and previous training, with responsibility for determining the sequence and timing of action with independence in planning and organizing the work activities, including both determining and following established protocol. The employee is expected to solve through experienced judgment most problems of detail or unusual situations by adapting methods or interpreting instructions to resolve the particular problem. Instructions for new assignments or special projects usually consist of statements of desired objectives, deadlines and priorities. Technical and policy problems or changes in procedures are discussed with supervisor, but ordinarily the employee plans the work, lays it out and carries it through to completion independently. Work is generally reviewed for technical adequacy, appropriateness of actions or decisions, and conformance with policy or other requirements; the methods used in arriving at the end result are not usually reviewed in detail.

3.       Supervisory Responsibility: None

4.       Confidentiality: Confidentiality must be maintained with regard to this information in accordance with Departmental policy, federal, state and local laws and Public Records Act.

5.       Accountability:  Consequences of errors, missed deadlines or poor judgment could severely jeopardize department operations, or result in a delay of service, confusion, monetary loss, or have extensive financial and/or legal repercussions and adverse public relations for the Town of Duxbury.

6.       Judgement:  Numerous standardized practices, procedures, or general instructions govern the work and, in some cases, may require additional interpretation.  Judgment is needed to locate, select, and apply the most pertinent practice, procedure, regulation, or guideline. Guidelines may be in the form of administrative or organizational policies, general principles, legislation or directives that pertain to specific department or functional areas. Extensive judgment is required to develop new or adapt existing methods and approaches for accomplishing objectives or to deal with new or unusual requirements within the limits of the guideline or policies. The employee is recognized as the department or functional area’s authority in interpreting the guidelines, in determining how they should be applied, and in making recommendations for operating policies, standards or criteria.

7.       Complexity:  Work consists of employing many different concepts, theories, principles, techniques and practices.  Assignments typically concern such matters as studying regulatory changes trends in the field, for application to the work; assessing services and recommending improvements; planning long range projects; devising new techniques for application to the work, recommending procedures, standards or criteria.

8.       Nature and purpose of Public Contact:  Employee interacts with co-workers, department heads, Town officials, Town Counsel, Boards and Committees, the public, other groups and/or individuals such as civic leaders, peers from other organizations, representatives of professional organizations as well as federal, state and municipal governmental agencies and news media on behalf of the department to communicate departmental practices, procedures, regulations or guidelines. Contact is by telephone, in person and via written correspondence.  Excellent communication, interpersonal and customer service skills are required involving courtesy, tact, and diplomacy in resolving complaints or concerns of the public and/or employees.

9.       Essential Functions: The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. 

1.       Attends open and executive session meetings, webinars and hearings to assist with in-person/remote participants, manage the videotelephony, and online collaboration platform system(s).

2.       Provides administrative assistance to boards and committees consistent with Open Meeting Law, as needed.

3.       Works to ensure that all votes taken at public meetings, webinars and hearings are correct and complete in accordance with Open Meeting Law.

4.       Works to ensure meetings, webinars, hearings, minutes and follow-up items are recorded by the videotelephony platform and related system(s).

5.       Takes and produces minutes of meetings and provides follow up for meetings.

6.       Performs all similar or related duties as required.

10.   Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience: High School diploma or equivalent; One to three (1-3) years related work experience in a professional office setting; This position requires excellent judgment, confidentiality, internal and external customer service skills, attention to detail, and interactions with in-person and remote meeting participants or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Knowledge: Common policies, practices and procedures of the department and office operations; Knowledge of office software (word, excel, spread sheet applications, budget software), website and the internet in support of department operations.

Abilities: Ability to work independently and to interact effectively with committee members, members of the public and other departmental personnel; ability to perform multiple tasks and maintain confidential information. Ability to manage multiple tasks in a detailed and organized manner.

Skills: Proficient skill in the operation of a personal computers, office software including word, presentation, spreadsheet and database management applications; proficient organizational, recordkeeping, typing and customer service skills.

Complexity: Work consists of routine or repetitive tasks and/or operations with few variations in established operating procedures.

11.   Special Requirements: Experience with Open Meeting Law requirements and support of public boards or committees preferred. Open Meeting Law training is required or can be completed upon hire. 

12.   Work Environment: The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of office settings with frequent interruptions.  Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee is required to attend evening meetings to accomplish work assignments. 

13.   Occupational Risk:  Duties of the job present little potential for injury.  Risk exposure is similar to that found in typical office settings.  Duties do not generally present occupational risk.

14.   Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Demands: Little to no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting and walking to perform work tasks. The employee is occasionally required to lift objects such as books and office equipment.

Motor Skills: Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require the application of basic motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephones system, computer and/or other office equipment, typing, filing and keeping records organized.

Visual/Auditory Skills: The employee is required to constantly read documents, personal computer screens and written reports for general understanding and routinely for analytical purposes. The employee must have the auditory ability to listen and comprehend. The employee is not regularly required to determine color differences.

(This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.)