Administrative Support Specialist

POSITION TITLE: Administrative Support (Program Specialist II #1663)

LOCATION: SPRINGFIELD OR CHICAGO

Reporting to the Director, provides clerical support to the Director and staff responsible for the administration of the department. Daily work includes gathering information and responding to inquiries, decision making, interpretation and application of agency and departmental policies and procedures.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provides clerical support to the department by finalizing a variety of correspondence, reports, and presentations.
• Organizing and maintaining files.
• Responding to inquiries requiring general knowledge of program operations.
• Assisting with conference planning.
• Scheduling appointments.
• Making travel and meeting arrangements and preparing expense claims.
• Maintaining confidentiality for information related to the department.
• Provides administrative support to the Illinois Advisory Council on Bilingual Education.
• Responds to council phone calls and emails and responds to general inquiries regarding the council.
• Tracks all correspondence and council member appointments.
• Types a variety of correspondence, reports, and other information from draft copy and independently composes routine correspondence.
• Transcribes minutes.
• Prepares itineraries and travel worksheets.
• Enters council travel expenses in MIDAS (Management Information Database Accounting System).
• Prepares materials and folders for meetings.
• Coordinates logistics, including making meeting arrangements and preparing expense claims for food and beverages.
• Maintains all files, correspondence, current appointment list.
• Maintains and completes MIDAS functions for the Director.
• Responsible for ordering, securing and distributing supplies for department staff.
• Serves as department timekeeper, maintaining and completing department attendance in timekeeping system.
• Provides technical support to contractors and grantees including accessing database systems, ensuring complete documentation, answering basic technical assistance questions, screening submissions and reports for completeness, and serving as a point of contact.
• Maintains the system to dispose of records within the department, including overall filing locations within the department and assisting staff in the transfer of records to the warehouse.
• In coordination with the Agency's records management coordinator, serves as department liaison for records management.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Two years of progressively responsible secretarial or programmatic experience in an office setting involving typing, filing, and/or computer work or other specialized training.
• Extensive knowledge of office practices and procedures.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word.
• Working knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Excellent telephone and communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Some college or technical training.
• Experience with budgets.
• Proficient in a language other than standard English.