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Job Description
Description
Exciting Opportunity - Limited Term Position (up to two years)
The City of Palo Alto's Planning & Development Services Department is seeking a limited-term full-time Administrative Associate II/III. The is a temporary position, not expected to exceed two years. The position will be filled at the Administrative Associate II or III level, depending upon candidate qualifications.
The position will support customer service duties at the Development Center. The Development Center is the City’s one stop shop for all things related to remodeling and new construction of residential and commercial properties. The position will work with staff from various departments including planning, building, plan check, fire, public works, urban forestry, and utilities regarding inquiries and appointments. The position will also work with local architects, developers, construction professionals, and the general public.
The Position
The position will report to the Senior Management Analyst responsible for the department’s business operations in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. The candidate will complete duties such as daily financial reconciliation, refunds, purchase requisitions, basic contracting and other back office administrative tasks. The candidate may perform front office customer service functions, such as assisting customers with appointments or walk-in customers, and answering telephone calls and general email inboxes.
The candidate will also work with the Development Center Permit Manager, Assistant Chief Building Official, and Chief Building Official to ensure operations meet staff and customer expectations. The position will work on technical reports and activities, such as but not limited to conditional meter release, temporary certificates of occupancy, no parking signs, overtime inspection requests, property files requests and other administrative assignments.
This is not a remote work position. The position will be required to be on-site at the Development Center during customer-service open hours. The City of Palo Alto places high emphasis on customer service and independent judgment. This position is a critical component of the department’s service delivery to the community.
Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate is customer service focused, organized, detailed oriented, self-motivated, innovative, collaborative, and a life-long learner, takes initiative and pride in their work, and is passionate about improving processes.
The ideal candidate excels at communicating, staying calm under pressure, and ensures visitors’ experience is positive.
The ideal candidate will have strong verbal and writing skills, be knowledgeable in Microsoft software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Teams), and have the ability to learn various software solutions (Accela, DigEplan, etc.).
Essential Duties
Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Depending upon assignment, duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:- Ongoing office management tasks requiring prioritization and assignment of work for other clerical or secretarial staff; provide technical guidance to same; coordinate information from and act as the liaison for the department.
- Assigned duties consisting of a variety of difficult or complex tasks requiring the frequent use of independent judgment. Such judgment involves a thorough knowledge of department policies, programs, procedures, rules, regulations, and scope of jurisdiction while maintaining confidentiality.
- Contact with the public, City or governmental officials, and others requiring tact, diplomacy, and the use of discretion in responding to inquiries.
- Prepare or compose from brief oral instruction, written draft, correspondence requiring discrimination and judgment in the selection of data or interpretation of laws, rules, or policies.
- Establish and maintain confidential files concerned with personnel and/or policy matters; records actions taken on sensitive issues; and is responsible for releasing information to authorized parties.
- Arrange schedule of appointments for supervisor and staff, exercising discretion in committing supervisor’s time and in referring caller or visitor to another appropriate source of information or service.
Minimum Qualifications
Administrative Associate II
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:- Equivalent to graduation from high school and 3 years of progressively responsible administrative experience.
Administrative Associate III
Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:- Equivalent to graduation from high school and 4 years of progressively responsible administrative experience.
Special Requirements for both positions:
Specified assignments may require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.
The full job description for Administrative Associate II can be found HERE
The full job description for Administrative Associate III can be foundHERE
Supplemental Information
More than one position may be filled through this posting.
The Selection Process:- Recruitment status notifications will be sent via email or text (please enroll in text alerts when applying).
- Updates can also be found on your governmentjobs.com account.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.
- The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
For information on employee benefits, click HERE .
For technical issues applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.
Closing Date/Time: 2/19/2026 11:59 PM Pacific -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Palo Alto
Show moreThe Community
The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-NewsCity Government
Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.
Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.
Join an Award Winning Team
Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.
Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."
Contact Us
Phone: 650-329-2376
Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov
Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map
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