Administrative Assistant 2

About the Role

The Office of Counsel provides legal counsel and advice to the Department, as well as other State government entities. As the Department carries out key initiatives to transform the way services are delivered to partner agencies and the public, this position will play an important role in ensuring the success of these modernization efforts.

Responsibilities

• Provide and manage a wide range of administrative support services to the Counsel and Attorney staff, including administrative tasks related to correspondence, filing, and calendar management.
• Serve as liaison for administrative matters between agency executives and Counsel’s Office and other State agency staff at the executive, managerial, and administrative levels.
• Process and track incoming Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests; prepare outgoing responses including applying appropriate redactions as directed.
• Become familiar with the new NYS electronic FOIL management system and gain familiarity with the FOIL and State Personal Privacy Protection Law.
• Maintain, compile, and update a database of ongoing litigation and investigations.
• Maintain and organize Counsel’s Office electronic and paper files; log and track Counsel’s Office reports (Quarterly, Monthly, Bi-weekly to agency leadership and the Executive Chamber).
• Receive, route, or respond, as appropriate, to mail, telephone, and email requests for information or access to attorney staff.
• Manage reimbursements for Counsel’s office staff as needed using the Statewide Financial System (SFS).
• Handle additional assignments based upon project deadlines and office coverage needs.

Requirements

• High school diploma or high school equivalency diploma.
• Three years of experience in administrative support, which includes use of office software (e.g., email, word processing), provision of customer service, business writing, and management of an office.

Substitution: Certification (e.g., IAAP Certified Administrative Professional), diploma, or associate’s degree in office administration, secretarial science, administrative assistance, paralegal, business technology, or office technology substitutes for two years of experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Legal office experience (public sector or private).

Skills

• Computer proficiency and well-versed in Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel) and web conferencing platforms (Webex, Teams, Zoom).
• Willingness and ability to learn new software packages.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with a variety of constituents at all levels of the agency.
• Ability to handle attorney-client privileged, sensitive, and confidential information with the highest level of confidentiality and discretion.

Benefits

Employees will receive a comprehensive benefits package.

The Department of Civil Service administers the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYS HIP), one of the largest public employer health insurance programs in the nation, serving more than 1.2 million lives.

Additional programs include the Governor's Program to Hire Individuals and Veterans with Disabilities and the New New York Leaders Initiative Student Intern Program.

Schedule

DCS employees may be approved for a maximum of 50% telecommuting, however, they are required to apply and obtain approval through management in accordance with DCS Telecommuting Program Guidelines.