Administrative Assistant 1 (Detroit Fire Department) at City of Detroit, MI

About the Department

The Administrative Assistant class is a non-supervisory role that organizes and expedites office management activities in each major division of the City of Detroit. Administrative Assistants in this class are classified as Administrative Assistants, levels I-IV, with varying degrees of responsibility.

Position Duties

1. Supports department managers, department directors or related management staff
2. Prepares standard and custom reports of a financial, personnel, payroll, or department-specific nature
3. Greets visitors or callers and handles their inquiries or direct them to the appropriate persons according to their needs
4. Sorts, opens, and distributes incoming mail to staff
5. Makes copies of correspondence or other printed materials
6. Answers telephones and gives information to callers, takes messages, or transfers calls to appropriate individuals
7. Requisitions office supplies, repairs on office equipment, and printing services
8. Coordinates conferences, meetings, or special events, and arranges travel reservations for office personnel
9. Maintains scheduling and event calendars 
10. Locates and assembles documents for briefings and conferences
11. Assists staff by providing information about procedures, practices and policies in division
12. Prepares minutes of meetings from notes and/or recordings
13. Serves as liaison between management and staff by transmitting information, explaining appropriate work instructions, and following up on assignments
14. Sets up, manages, and develops systems for paper or electronic filing systems, records information, updates paperwork, or maintains documents, such as attendance records, correspondence or other material
15. Checks and/or compares documents, forms, applications, or other materials for accuracy, completeness, grammar, and format
16. Creates, maintains, and enters information into databases
17. Writes simple or repetitive, non-technical correspondence such as letters of acknowledgement in accordance with a given format
18. Operates electronic mail systems and coordinates the flow of information, internally or with other organizations
19. Operates office equipment, such as fax machines, copiers, or phone systems and arranges for repairs when equipment malfunctions
20. Uses computers for various applications, such as database management or word processing
21. Independently notes and follows up on commitments made at meetings and conferences by staff members
22. Develops material for supervisor's use in public speaking engagements
23. Maintains information needed for budget purposes
24. Performs special projects and other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• For all Administrative Assistants, it is a requirement to have completed High School graduation or a General Educational Development (GED) certificate.

Experience

• In addition to the minimum education requirements, the following experience requirements also apply:
  • For entry into the Administrative Assistant position, at least one (1) year of administrative support experience where the use of personal computers to prepare correspondence, reports, and charts to enter and retrieve information is required. Administrative Assistants must demonstrate proficiency with integrated word processing and spreadsheet functions. This proficiency may be measured by taking a written test.

Equivalency

• Equivalent combinations of education and experience that provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities will be evaluated on an individual basis.

  
  

Other Qualifications

Evaluation Plan

• Interview: 70%
• Computerized Assessment: 30%
• Evaluation of Training, Experience & Personal Qualifications: Pass/Fail
• Total of Interview and Evaluation T.E.P: 100%

Additional points may be awarded for:

• Veteran Points: 0 – 15 points
• Detroit Residency Credit:   15 points

LRD: 08/25/2025

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

At the entry Level, knowledge requirements might include basic paraprofessional knowledge of:

• Basic or commonly used rules, procedures, or operations, which typically require some previous experience or training
• Administrative and clerical procedures and systems, such as word processing, managing files and records, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology, for example, to file material and obtain requested data from files 
• Principles and processes for providing customer and personal services, which include customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction;
• Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and required formats are sufficient to recognize and correct such errors in correspondence and reports

Skill in: 

• Use of personal computers, telephone systems, fax machines, and other standard office equipment
• Use of Microsoft Office (e.g., Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) and other office suite software packages
• Use of Excel (e.g,. Formulas, Pivot Tables, Vlookup, Hlookup, other functions, charts, tables) and other financial management software packages functionality
• Adapting policies or procedures to emergencies and establishing practices or procedures to meet new situations
• Recognizing how and when certain policies, procedures, or guidelines will be confusing to others
• Communicating effectively, both orally and in writing
• Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents
• Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times 
• Talking to others to convey information effectively
• Managing one's own time and the time of others

Ability to:

• Effectively speak, write, read, and understand the English language
• Follow written and oral directions
• Read and comprehend relevant documents
• Process and integrate simple data
• Hear at a conversational level
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with both external and internal contacts

Physical Demands:

• The employee generally remains in a stationary position for an extended period of time operating standard office equipment, which may include computers, telephones, photocopiers, and fax machines.
• The employee is expected to move about to accomplish tasks such as opening file cabinets and moving files.
• Must be able to lift, push, pull, and carry up to 25 pounds.

Work Environment:

• Work is performed primarily in an office environment.
• Some work requires travel to meetings, conferences, and other work sites with exposure to seasonal weather condition

Candidates considered for placement in this classification may be subject to a Criminal Background Investigation based on the requirements of the position.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to the class.  Incumbents may be required to perform job-related responsibilities and tasks other than those stated in this specification.  Specific job duties may vary from position to position.

The City of Detroit is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  No applicant for employment shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, or other criteria prohibited by City, State, or Federal law.

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