Region Operations Support Specialist, Administrative Assistant 2 (AA2)
State of Washington
FreshPosted Mar 3
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Posted: March 3, 2026 (1 day ago)
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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT 5
State of Washington
Dept. of Commerce
Location
Washington, 98504
Salary
$5,011 - $6,735
per month
Type
Closes
March 18, 2026
Job Description
Summary
This role supports the Chief Operating Officer at Washington's Department of Commerce by managing their schedule, handling communications, and coordinating travel and administrative tasks to keep operations running smoothly.
It involves preparing materials for meetings, processing approvals for things like leave and purchases, and sometimes representing the COO at events.
A good fit would be someone organized, proactive, and comfortable with independent decision-making in a fast-paced government environment.
Key Requirements
- Manage COO's calendar, schedule meetings with executives, teams, and external partners, and prepare briefing materials
- Handle incoming mail, emails, and inquiries independently, including responding and directing to appropriate contacts
- Exercise delegated authority for travel authorizations, leave approvals, HR actions, time sheets, purchasing requests, and tracking workflows
- Coordinate in-state and out-of-state travel arrangements including accommodations, flights, and itineraries
- Draft and edit documents such as letters, memos, PowerPoint presentations, and spreadsheets
- Represent the COO at meetings or events and speak on agency matters when requested
- Prepare weekly briefing memos and track priorities, deadlines, and action items from directors or state offices
Full Job Description
At the Department of Commerce, we’re reimagining what’s possible in government. We’re builders, thinkers, and change-makers, working at the intersection of innovation, community, and impact. From unlocking critical funding to fueling inclusive economic growth, we’re turning big ideas into real-world solutions that uplift people and places.
Our agency’s strength lies in the diversity of our workforce and the breadth of the lived experiences and perspectives employees bring to the work.
We believe equity is not just a value but a practice, which is reflected in how we design programs, engage communities, and deliver outcomes.
We foster a workplace culture where curiosity is encouraged, bold thinking is welcomed, and collaboration drives our impact.
This job is a commitment to reshape systems so they work better for everyone. If you’re ready to challenge the status quo and build meaningful connections, we want to meet you.
Let’s build what’s next, together.The Agency Operations Administration houses the Compliance and Contracts, Financial Services, and Human Resources Divisions.
The Agency Operations Administration is responsible for long term agency strategic planning, financial oversight, Internal Audit Support, agency compliance, and general offices services via the assigned divisions.
Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), this position serves as the principal assistant to the COO and provides complex administrative and technical support ensuring daily operations run efficiently and effectively.
This position must be based in our Seattle or Olympia offices.
Requirements
Tasks include:
• Manages COO’s calendar, schedules meetings with Commerce Executive Leadership, internal teams, external parties, and legislative partners on behalf of the COO, ensures thorough briefing and preparation for each meeting.
• Prepare weekly briefing memos, on Fridays, to summarize important meetings and deliverables due for the following week.
• Manages incoming mail and emails on behalf of the COO, acts independently on issues where authority is delegated.
o Responds to inquiries and directs emails to the appropriate contact.
o Highlights priorities and informs the COO on these items.
o Maintains and updates internal distribution lists.
• Prepare briefing materials, agendas, and meeting packets; ensure COO is informed of priorities and deadlines.
• Exercises delegated authority to complete the following:
o Travel authorization.
o Leave approval.
o Processing HR personnel, position and recruitment actions.
o Track and follow up on PARs that are not moving to ensure the workflow continues.
o Completing and approving time sheets via Superstar.
o Process and approve purchasing requests.
o Updating and maintaining organizational charts as needed.
• Coordinates in state and out of state travel for the COO, tasks include scheduling accommodations, flights, itineraries, and reserving rental vehicles.
• Represents the COO at meetings, conferences, and conventions and may speak on behalf of the COO of Commerce on agency matters, as requested by the COO.
• Drafts and edits documents electronically, including letters, memos, itineraries, PowerPoint presentations, spreadsheets, and other related documents.
• Tracks, prioritizes, and coordinates agency responses, tasks, deadlines and action items assigned by the Director, the Office of Financial Management (OFM), the Office of the Governor, and/or the Director’s Executive Team.
• Track and follow up on action items, deadlines, and deliverables assigned to COO or leadership team.
• Assists the COO in identifying and prioritizing internal and external deadlines.
• Summarizes information to inform decision making and makes recommendations to the COO.
• Supports and facilitates communication between the COO, and various internal and external units and individuals at various levels including but not limited to the Office of the Governor, other state agencies, federal agencies, and the legislature.
• In consultation with the Communications Director and program managers, prepares speaking engagement materials and other resources for conferences and meetings.
• Distributes and assigns tasks, deadlines, and assignments on behalf of the COO.
• Track and coordinate complex, high level assignments to ensure all internal processes and procedures are adhered to and deadlines are met.
• Responds to inquiries about COO’s interpretation of policies, procedures, on their behalf.
• Greets, receives, and confers with official visitors which may include members of the public, visitors, and other representatives of various organizations, businesses, or agencies.
• Track and report annual requirements for the division to the COO or designee for appropriate action. This includes but is not limited to performance evaluations, required trainings, and other activities.
Tasks include:
• Acts as the Public Records Coordinator for the COO’s Office
o Gathers responsive records for Public Records Requests and provides them to public records unit.
o In coordination with the public records unit, ensures all documents and emails meet retention requirements and follows Commerce records management procedures and policies.
• Maintain records, position descriptions, and recruitment documentation for COO’s office.
• Assist with hiring processes, including scheduling interviews, candidate communication, and onboarding coordination.
Qualifications
Required Position Qualifications:
Five (5) years of combined experience and/or education as described below:
Experience in four or more of the following areas or work related to the position:
• Drafting, editing, and finalizing executive correspondence
• Coordinating strategic calendar management and business operations for leadership positions
• Arranging travel logistics for executives and teams, including flights, accommodations and itineraries
• Providing complex, high-level support to one or more senior leadership positions
• Working with contracts, budgets, and fiscal management
• Project management and coordinating team-based activities
Education involves business administration, political science, public administration/policy or related field.
Qualifying education post High School or equivalent may be substituted year for year for experience.
Examples of how to qualify:
• 5 years of experience
• 4 years of experience and one year of education
• 3 years of experience and two years of education
• 2 years of experience and three years of education
• 1 year of experience and four years of education
Preferred/Desired Qualifications:
• Experience in and/or familiarity with state government and state agency operations
• Familiarity with the Washington State legislature/understanding of Washington State legislative processes
Required Position Competencies:
• Advanced skill level in the Microsoft Office suite of products including OneDrive, Teams, SharePoint, Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Ability to coordinate with internal and external stakeholders on a variety of issues
• Ability to meet multiple deadlines with competing priorities
• Demonstrated ability to work independently on multiple projects with little to no direction
• Maintain confidentiality on sensitive matters
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently during times of stress
• Ability to solve problems effectively and accurately independently
To be considered for this position the following are needed:
- A complete and detailed online application.
- A cover letter (enter online).
- At least three professional references (enter online).
Additional Information
This position must be based in the Seattle or Olympia offices though occasional travel to a Commerce office building or in-state travel to attend events or meetings may be required. Many Commerce employees work remotely or have a hybrid schedule.This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies over the next 60 days.
Technical support is provided by NEOGOV, 855-524-5627 (can't log in, password or email issues, error messages). DES job seeker support may answer general questions regarding the recruiting system at careershelp@des.wa.gov.
Our Commitment to Equal Opportunity
The Washington State Department of Commerce is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply. Persons needing accommodation in the application, testing, or interview process or this job announcement in an alternative format may email Human Resources at Human.Resources@commerce.wa.gov. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.
Department of Commerce also offers a competitive benefits package including: medical and dental insurance benefits, retirement and deferred compensation plans, 11 paid holidays each year, 14-25 vacation days per year (depending on length of employment), 8 hours of sick leave per month (if full time employed), bereavement leave, an employee assistance program, as well as other benefits. Please see the Benefits Tab for more details.
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