Executive Assistant to the Assistant City Manager

Job Description:

Executive Assistant to the Assistant City Manager

Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

About the Position

This is a single-position class in the unclassified service. It is an executive-level Administrative position in the City Service. The Executive Assistant to the Assistant City Manager acts as the City Manager’s representative both inside and outside the organization and must utilize a high degree of sensitivity to the impact of the decisions and responsibilities of the Assistant City Manager. Emphasis of this class is in the execution of administrative detail assisting a top-level executive or other entity. This class differs from that of Administrative Assistant in that incumbents of this class are privy to confidential and sensitive information/material that may affect City policy, and often are called upon to make independent decisions and assist with the coordination of complex projects. The duties of this position, including the position(s) this role reports to, may change as needed based on administration priorities within the Office of the City Manager.

Position Duties

General Qualifications

• Ability to manage complex schedules, multiple priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with a high level of professionalism and discretion.

• Proven ability to exercise independent judgment, initiative, and confidentiality in administrative matters.

• Strong interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships with officials, staff, stakeholders, and the public.

• Strong organizational and analytical skills, with the ability to think logically, prioritize tasks, and manage multiple deadlines simultaneously.

• Experience organizing meetings and staffing Council Committees, including agenda preparation, proofreading, and logistics coordination.

• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Ability to interpret and apply policies, procedures, rules, and instructions accurately.
• Ability to respond to inquiries and resolve routine public and internal issues independently.

Desirable Qualifications

• Knowledge of the functions, responsibilities, and operational relationships of City of San José staff and line departments.
• Ability to communicate executive priorities and directives clearly and accurately to internal and external stakeholders, including but not limited to the City Manager, City Council, Mayor, and external parties
• Experience conducting independent research and synthesizing data into concise reports.
• Ability to track and coordinate multiple projects simultaneously while ensuring adherence to timelines and deadlines.
• Knowledge of principles of public administration, management, organizational structure, supervision, and the role of city staff and line departments in delivering municipal services.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while maintaining high standards of accuracy and accountability.

COMPETENCIES

• Building Trust - Communicates an understanding of the other person's interests, needs and concerns; identifies and communicates shared interests and goals; identifies and communicates differences as appropriate; demonstrates honesty, keeps commitments, and behaves in an appropriate manner.
• Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills; displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.
• Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications, including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.
• Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.
• Flexibility - Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.
• Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.
• Multi-Tasking - Can handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously; has handled a wide variety of assignments in past and/or current position(s).

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience

Associate of Arts degree from an accredited college in business or closely related field plus five (5) years of progressively responsible work experience in the business field and/or office management.

Other Qualifications

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant’s training and experience based on the resume and responses to the job-specific questions. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will continue to the next phase of the selection process. Interviews are tentatively scheduled for February 2, 2026, but the posting will remain open until the position has been filled.

You MUST answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Answers referring to a resume will be considered non-responsive and result in disqualification.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Salary:

$83,443.10 - $109,894.98 Annually