Branch Assistant - Community Services

We are accepting applications from current CVRD CUPE Local 556 members for a full-time permanent Branch Assistant to join our Community Services team. The Branch Assistant provides administrative assistance and support to the Community Services Branch which includes parks and recreation, fire services, emergency services, and other community initiatives. Reporting to the General Manager of Community Services, the primary responsibilities of this role include:

• Providing administrative support to all managers and staff within the branch;
• Requesting agenda items, preparing agendas, taking meeting minutes and arranging meeting logistics;
• Drafting correspondence such as reports, briefing notes and contracts, including spreadsheets, charts and graphs;
• Responding to enquiries of a general nature over the phone or in person, and referring more complex or unusual enquiries to appropriate staff for response;
• Researching, preparing and processing forms, reports, notices, media releases, correspondence, advertisements and other documents and materials relating to branch programs and processes;
• Performing various administrative duties related to the processing and maintenance of requests for proposal, land contracts and other contract agreements;
• Maintaining management reports and project tracking systems, and supporting staff to ensure deadlines are met;
• Maintaining various files, databases and spreadsheets, updating relevant resource materials for the branch, and archiving files on a pre-scheduled basis;
• Providing information to a wide variety of internal and external contacts;
• Monitoring in/out board to ensure whereabouts of community services staff to ensure check-ins;
• Providing relief for the information centre by performing reception and switchboard duties and processing payments;
• Providing administrative support and coordination on capital projects within the department;
• Providing back-up administrative support to other branches and for an Emergency Operations Centre as needed;

Our ideal candidate is:
• A strong communicator with a collaborative approach, including the ability to relate effectively with internal and external contacts;
• Accurate and efficient with strong research and writing skills;
• Able to effectively balance multiple demands and priorities;
• Courteous and tactful, with strong customer service skills and the ability to effectively respond to complaints when required;
• Experienced in providing administrative support to a department with over two, up to three years of directly related experience;
• Educated in office administration, including an office administration course of six months to one year in duration at the post-secondary level following high school graduation (an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered);
• Knowledgeable in the practices and processes involved in local government office administration;
• An advanced user of Microsoft Office Suite, with emphasis on presentations and word processing;
• Comfortable using Adobe Acrobat and SharePoint applications for document sharing and electronic filing.