Job Specification

Purpose of Position :

To provide high quality bilingual customer service and reception services for the Minister's and Deputy Minister's Office staff, and administrative support for the Deputy Minister's Office

Duties / Responsibilities :

Within the Office of the Deputy Minister, the position plays a key role in the provision of high quality reception and administrative support services. In that context, the position:
1. Provides reception coverage by:
Welcoming and screening visitors (e.g. general public, MPPs, Minister's constituents, senior government officials, executive officers from private industry, municipal officials, etc.); exercising tact and diplomacy in directing visitors to appropriate staff and/or different office locations; determining the nature of their business; and dealing tactfully with irate and dissatisfied clients.
Answering phone calls and inquiries from various clients/stakeholders from the public and private sectors by: assessing the nature of calls, including the urgency and confidentiality of calls; using judgement/diplomacy/discretion in the provision of proper/accurate information and in referring calls to appropriate staff for action (e.g., ensuring appropriate protocol and procedures are followed and that information/messages are recorded and relayed promptly to senior officials who are absent and/or unavailable); providing general information and handling all other calls on own initiative based on knowledge of the Ministry and Ontario Government operations/activities.
2. Receives and sorts general mail, including correspondence, documents, reports, forms, etc.; assesses the urgency of mail/correspondence and prioritizes the distribution to appropriate office staff and to the Correspondence Control Unit (CCU), when applicable; logs and scans DMO mail, ensuring appropriate protocol and procedures are followed. Secures confidentiality of information received/distributed.
3. Books executive and internal boardrooms and maintains a log of clients using/visiting the Minister's/Deputy Minister's offices. Sets-up meetings, as required, ensuring facilities are adequately equipped and that paper, meeting supplies and refreshments are available. Clears the executive boardroom following each meeting.
4. Maintains DMO files by coding materials according to DMO file plan and filing materials.
5. Types, on an as-needed basis, correspondence, briefing notes, reports, etc.; proofreads for errors in typing, spelling and grammar and makes necessary corrections; creates presentation materials on an as required basis; develops layouts, manipulates stored material to edit, rearrange text and performs fully programmable features such as reformatting, paginating, merging, copying, moving, etc.
6. Provides other administrative/clerical services by covering for other support office staff in instances of heavy workload, during lunch hours, vacations, absences, etc. This includes faxing, photocopying and collating materials; making courier arrangements and receiving hand-delivered materials ensuring proper and timely distribution; providing guidance to relief staff, as required.
7. Assists supervisor in the efficiency and effective operation of reception and customer service activities/practices (e.g. identification, recommendation, development and implementation of new reception/customer service procedures).
8. The manager may have the right to assign additional duties.

Staffing and Licensing :

Fully programmable Word Processing
Touch Typing to OPS Standards
Advanced written and oral French language skills to OPS Standards

Knowledge :

Position requires knowledge of government, Ministry and office operations, administrative policies, procedures and practices to provide support to the Minister's/Deputy Minister's offices (e.g. meeting/boardroom booking, reception/customer service, mail/general correspondence procedures, etc.). Position requires working knowledge of Minister/DM offices' role, structure, framework and relevant areas/programs within divisions/branches and their functions, as well as related organizations, to: redirect calls; respond to emergency calls; answer inquiries from the general public, MPPs, Minister's constituents, senior government officials, executive officers from private industry, municipal officials, etc.; assess the nature/urgency/confidentiality of calls; follow protocol/procedures. Position requires knowledge of multi-line switchboard and receptionist procedures to provide executive-level customer service/reception services. Position requires knowledge of personal computer operation/applications (e.g., MS Office software, mail logging/tracking systems, etc.;) to prepare correspondence, reports, etc.; enter, track and update data. Position requires knowledge of office equipment such as photocopiers, printers and facsimile to print, copy and transmit information. As the first point of contact, position must be aware of potential security issues and ensure the security of offices by following accepted procedures/protocols.

Skills :

Judgement is exercised in the provision of high quality customer service to the general public, MPPs, Minister's constituents, senior government officials, executive officers from private industry, municipal officials, etc.). Position exercises judgement, tact and diplomacy in directing visitors/calls to appropriate staff and/or different office locations; assessing the nature of calls and urgency; clarifying requests for referral to specific program area/organization; dealing tactfully with visitors and dissatisfied/irate clients. Position uses judgement, diplomacy and discretion in the provision of proper/accurate/factual information (e.g., awareness/sensitivity with respect to the confidentiality and permissibility of releasing information requested to avoid the inadvertent disclosure of restricted information). Position is required to recognize urgent telephone requests and contentious issues. Position ensures appropriate mail/reception protocol and procedures are followed, including security. Position sets priorities when performing a variety of different tasks, including customer service/reception responsibilities (e.g., prioritizing incoming call workload, locating staff members for urgent matters); co-ordinating meetings/boardroom bookings and logging visitors; ordering refreshments; typing and/or transcribing correspondence and other materials. Position ensures accuracy of materials typed/produced and determines the most effective format for materials.
Position requires oral communications skills to act as a primary liaison between the Minister /DM's offices in the provision of accurate/factual information to various clients/stakeholders from the general public and the private and public sectors; direct multi-line telephone calls to appropriate offices/staff/organizations; answer a wide variety of inquiries/requests on Ministry programs/services; welcome and screen visitors; liaise/interact with internal and external client groups, including all levels.
Position requires written communications skills to: receive/send messages to staff electronically; type/transcribe correspondence, reports, etc.
Position requires interpersonal skills, judgement, tact and diplomacy to: welcome direct visitors/calls to appropriate staff and/or different office locations; assess the nature, urgency and confidentiality of calls; clarify requests for referral to specific program area/organization; deal tactfully with visitors/dissatisfied and irate clients and to respond with empathy and courtesy in order to understand clients' needs, requests and/or complaints.

Freedom of Action :

The position works in accordance with established procedures and methods. Position works with minimal direct supervision and sets work priorities (e.g., reception, co-ordination of schedule with other staff in the Minister's/DM's offices, boardroom booking, logging use of visitors' offices, meeting arrangements, ordering refreshments, distribution of mail, etc.). Work is reviewed by supervisor for adherence to policies/procedures and accuracy. Guidelines are available in the form of recognized internal administrative procedures. Position has access to ministry and government administrative policies and procedures to: format correspondence/documents; receive, sort and distribute mail; assess the nature/urgency/confidentiality of visits/calls/issues. Position determines how to respond to requests for information on a wide variety of subjects, both over the phone and in person. Only matters that are not covered by established procedures (e.g., non-routine or urgent requests and contentious issues) are referred to Supervisor. Errors can be readily traced and corrected with some inconvenience and expenditure of time. Some serious errors in the provision of inaccurate and/or delivery of highly confidential and contentious information could have some impact on other work groups/clients (e.g., MPPs, Minister's constituents, senior government officials, executive officers from private industry, municipal officials, etc.).