Senior Administrative Assistant
The Petaluma Police Department is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented, and customer-focused Senior Administrative Assistant to join our professional team. This key position provides advanced administrative support in a dynamic public safety environment, serving as an essential resource for department staff, partner agencies, and the community. The ideal candidate is a skilled communicator with exceptional organizational abilities, sound judgment, and a commitment to delivering high-quality public service while handling sensitive and confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
** Please note that if selected, you will undergo a comprehensive background investigation, including fingerprinting and a polygraph examination. Recent drug usage, theft or other illegal activity may disqualify you. Your record must be free from any felony conviction and/or any misdemeanor conviction involving moral turpitude and excessive traffic violations.
SALARY AND BENEFITS PACKAGE
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SALARY: $72,716.80 - 88,337.60 (+2% COLA in July 2027)
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FOR YOUR HEALTH AND WELL BEING:
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MEDICAL INSURANCE: Choice of a variety of CalPERS Health Plans. City pays ~95% of the Bay Area Kaiser premium for employee & eligible dependents; or alternative option to receive Medical Cash Back (if you have medical coverage elsewhere). Please see the 2026 Health Plan Contribution Memo.
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DENTAL & VISION INSURANCE: Coverage for employees & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
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LIFE INSURANCE: Competitive life insurance & Long-Term Disability benefits. Option to purchase additional life insurance.
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EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Support and benefits, for you & eligible family members, paid for by the City.
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WELLNESS BENEFIT: $500 annual allowance (subject to the annual budget approval process and may change in the future)
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FOR YOUR FINANCIAL FUTURE:
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CALPERS RETIREMENT PACKAGE
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2% at 60 for Classic CalPERS members
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2% at 62 for PEPRA CalPERS members
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DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN: voluntary participation in your choice of three plan offerings.
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FOR YOUR WORK / LIFE BALANCE (annual amounts):
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Vacation: 80 Hours, increasing with years of service
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Sick Leave: 96 hours
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Holidays: 13 fixed days
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Personal Leave: 20 hours (per fiscal year)
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Other Benefits:
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4/10 Work Schedule Monday-Thursday
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Confidential Pay - $50 per month
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Paid Parental Leave – up to 8 weeks of paid time for qualifying family bonding
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Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Employer
For more information regarding the benefits associated with this position, please visit our website and look at the Unit 1 Memorandum of Understanding and Employee Benefits.
Summary
Provide varied secretarial and office administrative assistance to the Police Chief and associated supervisory, professional, and technical staff; may perform duties that include exposure to sensitive or confidential information.
Class Characteristics
General supervision is provided by the department director; responsibilities may include the indirect supervision of support staff.
The Senior Administrative Assistant is the specialized level in the secretarial series, providing direct administrative support to a department director and related supervisory, professional, and technical staff. Incumbents perform duties involving difficult and responsible tasks and assignments. The department director normally establishes general guidelines for action, however, day-to-day activities may require the use of initiative and independent judgment, particularly when prioritizing work for several staff members or when dealing with a variety of City staff and representatives of the public.
Positions at this level are distinguished from those in the lower classification of Administrative Assistant in that the Senior Administrative Assistant is a single incumbent classification within each department, with primary responsibility for providing ongoing secretarial and administrative support to the department director. The Senior Administrative Assistant is distinguished from the classification of Executive Assistant to the City Manager in that the latter provides secretarial and administrative support to the City Manager and City Council.
Provide secretarial and administrative support to an assigned department director; areas of responsibility include the composition, preparation, and distribution of correspondence, scheduling meetings, maintaining complex filing systems, providing input on department policies and procedures, and performing related administrative tasks.
Assist the public in person or by phone; receive and screen visitors and telephone calls from internal and external contacts; provide information which may require the interpretation of department policies and procedures; take messages or refer callers to the appropriate person and/or department.
Schedule and ensure the availability of meeting materials; coordinate and maintain agenda writing schedule; prepare meeting agendas and distribute materials; attend meetings to take minutes; prepare and distribute minutes of commission or committee meetings; compile, edit, package, and track agenda reports.
Compose and prepare a wide variety of finished documents such as letters, memoranda and/or reports from stenographic notes, brief instructions, or draft materials; review finished materials for completeness, accuracy, and format, compliance with policies and procedures, and appropriate English usage; maintain accurate and detailed records and logs.
Maintain calendars and schedule appointments; organize travel arrangements.
Research a variety of informational materials from internal and external sources; compile information into an appropriate format for management review.
Open, sort, and distribute mail ensuring the attachment of relevant materials.
Use a variety of office equipment such facsimile machines, photocopiers, and computers and associated word processing or spreadsheet applications; input or retrieve data and prepare reports; prepare and disseminate data and information.
Initiate and process invoices, formal bid documents, and grant applications; review documents and invoices for payment; process check requests.
Order general office supplies and special department orders; contact vendors for bids pertaining to various purchases; prepare and route purchase order requests; compose and route agreements, amendments, and contracts; create scope of work.
As assigned, perform billing functions for specific department; review services provided; generate and distribute bills.
Assist with coordinating funding programs; route contracts; track monies received, and generate reports.
Maintain payroll and personnel records; perform other personnel processing duties such as ensuring employees have proper orientation materials, keys, and other documentation.
Organize and maintain various office files, including department personnel, project, or chronological files; review and purge files consistent with City or department guidelines.
Assist with the development and administration of the department budget; receive, compile, and enter budget information into spreadsheets and review for accuracy.
May coordinate and assist with the department narrative within the fiscal year budgets.
Organize programs, events, and conferences by arranging for facilities and caterers; issue information or invitations to attendees.
Research, gather documents, and respond to public records requests; serve as custodian of records for assigned department.
Follow up on projects, transmit information, and keep informed of department activities.
May provide work direction and review to lower level staff.
Perform related duties as assigned.
Knowledge of:
Office management methods, practices, and procedures.
Policies, procedures, programs, operations, organizational structure, and goals of assigned department.
Principles and practices of business letter and report writing.
English grammar, vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation.
Rules and guidelines governing public meetings, including notification and distribution of meeting materials.
Methods and techniques of researching and compiling information.
Methods and techniques of maintaining complex filing systems.
Standard business arithmetic.
Basic principles and practices of budget processes.
Office procedures, methods, and equipment including computers and applicable software applications such as word processing, spreadsheets, databases, power point, and publisher.
Education and Experience
Any combination equivalent to the education and experience likely to provide the required knowledge and abilities would be qualifying. A typical way to gain such knowledge and abilities would be:
Education:
Equivalent to graduation from high school. Some college level course work is desirable.
Experience:
Three years of responsible secretarial or office administrative experience. Business or secretarial school training is desirable.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use the computer keyboard and mouse, use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; talk or hear; and taste or smell; stand, walk, and stoop, or crouch. Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. Requires the ability to work in an office environment where the noise level is usually moderate.
