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Job Description
Description
The Public Works Department provides daily services integral to the community. The mission of the department is to provide quality services with commitment, courtesy, and pride. The Public Works staff strives to offer efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible services that make Palo Alto a beautiful, vibrant, and appealing City in which to live and work.
The Public Works Department Public Services Division is hiring for the position of Management Assistant and is seeking experienced professionals, with a strong work ethic, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, and a desire to learn. The successful candidate will foster effective and cooperative working relationships with City staff, other public agencies, and citizens at large.
This position will support the Public Services Division’s Management Analyst by assisting with a variety of administrative and analytical functions. Key responsibilities include assisting with budget preparation/monitoring/reporting, capital improvement project preparation/monitoring/reporting, contract administration, metrics monitoring, regulatory compliance, and the development of staff and administrative reports. The role will also serve as a liaison between division managers and the Human Resources Department to coordinate the recruitment and hiring process for vacant positions.
The City of Palo Alto places a high emphasis on superior customer service and excellent service delivery. This position will provide administrative support for operations and maintenance staff, including processing invoices and requisitions, entering data, ordering supplies, scheduling appointments, handling citizens’ service requests and guiding them to the right resources for ordinance inquiries. Additional duties may be assigned as needed to support division operations.
To learn more about the Public Works Department, click HERE
Essential Duties
Depending upon assignment, duties may include, but are not limited to the following:- Prepares correspondence and reports relating to departmental programs and functions.
- Assists managers with analyses related to staffing requirements and the preparation of job descriptions and justifications for personnel additions and changes.
- Acts as liaison between managers and Human Resources Department on filling vacant positions.
- Works with departmental managers on other specific issues such as assisting with the preparation of disciplinary action and responses to grievances.
- Maintains liaison communication with other City service departments; represents the department director on various in-house committees and administrative meetings.
- Manages, develops, and implements assigned projects that have impact upon or within operating divisions.
- Coordinates divisional budget preparation.
- Acts as control point for such activities as contract administration and preparation of staff reports.
- Establishes and maintains communications with City Departments.
- Provides accurate and pertinent information as required, for use by management.
- Establishes guidelines and assists in the formation of all administrative reports and develops budgetary information as requested in support of departmental reports.
- Assures preparation of correspondence, reports, and procedural manuals.
Minimum Qualifications
Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:- College graduate, with degree in public or business administration or field related to specific assignment, and
- One or more years’ experience in a staff capacity working with a public agency is desirable.
Desirable Qualifications- College degree in Business Administration or Accounting|
- Public sector budget development and managing skills
- SAP skills
- Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable experience
- Staff Reports experience
Supplemental Information
Recruitment Timeline (maybe subject to change):
Application Open: Wednesday, November 26th
Application Closes: Wednesday, December 17th
Interview Panel: week of January 12th
Department/ Final Interview: week of January 26th
**Timeline of the 1 st round of interviews is tentative and contingent on number and quality of our application pool. The job posting may be extended for 3 weeks, if needed.*
These positions are represented by Service Employee International Union (SEIU).
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to quali fi ed individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 12/17/2025 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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