Customer Service Representative (Administrative Assistant III)

About the role

The Department of Family Services (DFS) offers a wide range of community programs and services for Fairfax County residents designed to promote self-sufficiency, protect the vulnerable, and provide community education. These positions support the Public Assistance and Employment Services Division, acting as an integral part of the agency Call Center team. Ideal candidates enjoy interacting with the public, handling challenging situations, and working in a fast-paced environment. This announcement may be used to fill multiple positions.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a member of the team that is the first point of telephone contact with the public for DFS.
• Assist callers by providing general information, assess the reason for their call, and route them to the appropriate services within DFS or the community.
• Provide consistent, accurate, and timely information in a courteous, friendly manner.
• Navigate through a variety of computer applications for screening and tracking customer activities.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with agency and county staff.

General Financial Duties

• Use spreadsheets or databases to organize information and produce standard reports.
• Prepare a variety of complex disbursement forms (e.g., check requests, travel forms, cash sheets, and journal entries) for routing and approval; may approve some disbursement forms.
• Compile and maintain monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual totals, reports, and financial statements.
• Explain fiscal rules and procedures to employees to ensure uniform application.

Fiscal Administration

• Set up accounts through corporate systems.
• Reconcile ledgers.
• Prepare status reports.
• Gather data for use by others in preparing budgets.
• Prepare transfer vouchers and interfund billing.
• Monitor external accounts for discrepancies.

Accounting

• Prepare a wide variety of accounting forms.
• Reconcile daily receipts or accounts receivable/payable.
• Identify discrepancies and make corrections.
• Collect required documents.
• Prepare and authorize expense vouchers and/or invoices within limited authorization levels.

Purchasing

• Verify requests for goods and services against county contracts and funding sources.
• Order goods or services and follow up/resolve discrepancies to ensure delivery.
• Authorize requests for goods and services in corporate systems.
• Ensure appropriate routing and approval of purchase requests.

Scheduling & Coordinating for Others

• Maintain calendar(s).
• Schedule meetings, make and cancel appointments.
• Schedule rooms for classes, meetings, conferences, etc.
• Coordinate audiovisual, training equipment, and refreshment requests.
• Set up schedules for internal administrative staff to ensure availability to meet changing work needs.

Communication

• Compose routine correspondence on behalf of the executive/work unit head.

Office Management

• Provide administrative support and implement procedures; may supervise others.
• Establish/modify and maintain a system for tracking the progress of work that is the responsibility of the executive/work unit head.
• Train and orient new employees.
• Provide and explain relevant policies and procedures.

Receptionist/Public Contact

• Schedule appointments.
• Explain departmental policy/procedure but does not interpret them.
• Respond to inquiries that require referencing a variety of sources and utilizing knowledge of the department/county operations.

Word Processing/Typing

• Key/type complex documents (e.g., technical).
• Proof spelling and grammar.
• Use multiple software packages to prepare equations, statistics, tables, and/or presentations.
• Compile reports from edited drafts.
• Use macros and templates developed by others.

Information Systems/Software

• Perform data entry with some knowledge of department/work unit/program.
• Manipulate screens for additional entries.
• Generate routine reports.
• Create simple spreadsheets.
• Maintain databases.

Reports

• Compile routine factual/numerical reports using readily available information.

Payroll

• Process pay adjustments.
• Transmit online T&As.
• Regularly input routine Human Capital Management Enterprise Resource Planning system entries.
• Perform payroll functions (e.g., internal collection of time sheets, verify T&A entries, verify leave slips).
• Train new employees on how to do online time.

Personnel

• Prepare and verify completeness/accuracy of forms/documents (e.g., personnel requisitions, PARS, PCFs).
• Provide basic new employee benefits information.
• Explain routine personnel policies and procedures.
• Gather information (e.g., salary range, class specifications, and merit adjustments) from HR website or other county sources for supervisor/management.
• Instruct employees in proper completion of routine documents (e.g., insurance enrollment forms).

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of standard rules and interpretations within own functional area and a working knowledge of established methods and procedures used in related areas.
• Significant nonstandard skill/knowledge is required involving production of an end product such as a report.
• Basic skills in the use of Microsoft Word.
• Basic math skills.
• Basic skills in the use of applicable Microsoft Office Suite software.
• Ability to write simple documents.
• Ability to process and integrate complex data.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with both external and internal contacts.
• Ability to perform data entry into Purchasing/Logistics Enterprise Resource Planning systems and/or Financial Enterprise Resource Planning systems in at least three functions (e.g., create shells, accounts payable processing).
• Ability to perform routine Human Capital Management Enterprise Resource Planning system functions (e.g., process PARS, requisitions).
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and be sensitive to political issues.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to high school graduation and two years of experience providing administrative support in the assigned functional area(s).

Necessary Special Requirements

The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background check and child protective services check to the satisfaction of the employer.

Preferred Qualifications

• Call center experience providing assistance and answering questions.
• Experience providing front-line customer service.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Knowledge or experience with public assistance programs.

Physical Requirements

• Work is generally sedentary and is performed in a normal office environment.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with a variety of individuals.
• Ability to use automated technology.
• All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home. We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.