New

Communications Assistant (Administrative Associate)

Fairfax County Government
$60,894.29 - $106,565.06 Annually
medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, child care, retirement plan
United States, Virginia, Fairfax
Nov 07, 2026
Job Announcement Serves as the primary backup to the Board Support and Training Manager and supervises a three-person team of Board Support and Training (formerly Communications) staff. Prepares written documents and provides oral presentations covering educational materials for Fairfax County employees pertaining to retirement benefits. Complies with county policies to assist in updating and maintaining documents that are used on the Fairfax County Retirement Systems (FCRS) website. Executes projects that include planning and conducting special events and training opportunities for Retirement Systems Board members and county employees. Coordinates monthly Board of Trustees (BOT) meetings, including agendas and Board materials, utilizing Diligent Board software; takes meeting minutes and follows up on action items. Occasionally performs historical research related to Board items. Responsible for Human Resources (HR) Manager duties for the agency, including disciplinary action tracking and enforcement, and receives general support from an internal HR liaison. Develops and prepares reports, analyses, and action items pertaining to agency communications. Maintains a thorough knowledge and understanding of the three Retirement Systems, namely Employees' Retirement System (ERS), Police Officers Retirement System (PORS), and Uniformed Retirement System (URS). Uses FCRS pension software to review member records and answer member questions. Uses EmployeeU to assist in managing class offerings, enrollments, and completion status. Assists in coordinating BOT elections. Updates BOT meeting dates on the County public meetings calendar and on the FCRS website. Creates and maintains signage throughout the Retirement office (including BOT meeting times, door signs, and other informational items for visitors). Orders and sets up meals and/or refreshments as needed for BOT meetings. The successful candidate will have excellent oral and written communication skills, including great attention to detail, proofreading skills, and the ability to follow directions, along with the ability to exercise tact, discretion, initiative, and independent judgment. Assigned functional areas: executive administrative support, retirement, information systems, communications Illustrative Duties (The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found on the position description.) General Financial Duties Develops financial reports and data analyses for use by analysts/managers. Monitors and tests computer systems that maintain department financial records. Fiscal Administration Analyzes budgets and develops recommendations for division/department. Authorizes journal and/or budget entries. Accounting Approves/authorizes wire transfers. Performs unique accounting functions that have countywide impact. Purchasing Identifies need for new funding sources and/or modifications to contracts. Provides needs assessments and interacts with staff to identify fund sources and develop a plan for purchases. Identifies exceptional purchases (e.g., sole source justification), obtains special approvals (e.g., agency approval for budget deviation) and insures competitive billing process. Purchases items, applying complex and conflicting regulations without consultation, using multiple fund sources and determining appropriateness of expenditures. Resolves disputes with vendors (except for precedent-setting actions outside policy). Insures staff is trained and follows department/County policies and/or procedures. General Executive Assistance Makes decisions involving the functional area that are highly confidential and politically sensitive. Acts on executive/work unit head's behalf on issues related to standard and nonstandard department business operations. Takes actions that require originality and thorough historical and political understanding of the functional area. Uses discretion and an understanding of the sensitive issues within the functional area to make decisions and resolve problems. Acts as a resource regarding policies, procedures and precedents of the functional area in the development of programs and policies within the functional area. Scheduling & Coordinating Attends meetings on behalf of the executive/work unit head, gathers information and prepares concise, accurate reports. Actively participates in management meetings. Communication Gathers data and composes concise executive summaries. Writes technical and non-technical correspondence, and/or presentation materials. Researches, coordinates, develops historical/political framework of issues and makes recommendations to executives/work unit head. Writes non-technical content of reports and edits text. Answers inquiries from the public on highly publicized or sensitive issues. Informs internal and external staff, as well as the public, regarding executive/work unit head's decisions regarding procedural issues and provides the reasons for those decisions. Office Management Actively participates in the long range, comprehensive planning of the functional area (e.g., human resources, space, and budget). Provides information and participates in the development of in-house policies within the functional area. Independently reviews and resolves problems on executive/work unit head's behalf. Reads documents and attends meetings in order to maintain a working knowledge and understanding of the functional area. Serves as liaison with the public, county, state, federal, private organizations, and high level professional peers of the executive/work unit head. Independently determines which items are to be forwarded to executive/work unit head or redirected to other staff and prepares background information. Information Systems/Software Analyzes administrative procedures & policies to recommend corporate systems/software changes/modifications. Reports Writes report on issues regarding operational efficiencies and/or program operations affecting multiple functions within the Department or topics for which there are no precedents. Researches and analyzes information to identify trends, draws conclusions, makes recommendations. Payroll Implements new county policies & procedures. Oversees payroll operations for multiple departments/agencies. Serves as subject matter expert on payroll policies/procedures for multiple departments/agencies. Audits personnel actions and PARs in multiple departments/agencies for accuracy. Researches and creates complex payroll reports regarding countywide issues. Personnel Manages HR and personnel administrative activities as a part of the department management team. Serves as point of contact for all personnel related activities (e.g., appeals panel, grievances) including providing advice and information to employees and managers. Analyzes changes in county policy to determine effect on department. Drafts or revises department policies to conform to county, federal and state rules and guidelines. Drafts personnel letters for the Director or other senior managers. Analyzes equity and consistency issues related to classification, selection and compensation actions and makes recommendations to management. Provides advice to Director & other high level managers regarding HR issues. Composes non-professional and/or professional position descriptions using information obtained from employee, supervisor, evaluations and samples. Develops diversity plan. Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities (The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.) Knowledge of the organization's professional objectives and activities and in-depth knowledge of the assigned functional area(s). Math Skills Ability to understand basic statistical concepts. PC Skills Intermediate skills in the use of applicable Microsoft Office Suite software. Intermediate skills in the use of agency specific software applications. Communication Ability to write concise and understandable appropriate documents. Information Ability to independently gather, integrate, and analyze complex data. Interpersonal Abilities Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with both external and internal contacts. Purchasing and Accounting Ability to perform data entry into Purchasing/Logistics Enterprise Resource Planning systems and/or Financial Enterprise Resource Planning systems in at least 10 functions. Personnel and Payroll Ability to trouble shoot Human Capital Management Enterprise Resource Planning system problems. Employment Standards MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Any combination of education, experience and training equivalent to an associate degree and five 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 to the satisfaction of the employer. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: Experience with and intermediate skills in using Microsoft Office software - specifically, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Basic experience using Adobe Acrobat, Photoshop, and lnDesign, and willingness to expand that knowledge. Three or more years of customer service and problem-solving experience Three of more years preparing agendas and taking notes for meetings involving staff, elected officials or community representatives. Three or more years of supervisory experience. Intermediate experience with pension software, EmployeeU, Foxit, and Adobe Acrobat. Experience with project management support, including the ability to set priorities, manage multiple tasks with different deadlines, and organize time efficiently. Experience working independently with limited direction but also working as a team player on projects and training opportunities with supervisor and other agency employees. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Ability to input, access, and retrieve information from a computer. Ability to lift up to 30 lbs. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations. Extended periods of standing may be required when conducting training and giving presentations (up to 4 hours/day). All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations. SELECTION PROCEDURE: Panel Interview and may include a practical exercise. Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home - including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others. We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity. Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce. Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.