Mayor's Administrative Support Specialist

Full Job Description

Job Appointment: Full Time.
Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. May occasionally require working in the evening.
Work Location: 1221 SW 4TH AVE, PORTLAND OR 97204
Benefit: Please check our benefits tab for an overview of benefits for this position
Language Pay Premium Eligible: This position may be eligible for Language Pay Differential for qualifying employees.

Application Material: Please click APPLY to submit your application via the City of Portland’s online portal. You will need to attach a resume and a cover letter.


The Mayor's Office is seeking a Mayor's Administrative Support Specialist to join their team.

The Mayor's Administrative Support Specialist position is the first point of contact at the Mayor's office. The purpose of this position is to welcome visitors, answer and address constituent comments and concerns, provide administrative support to the Mayor and the Mayor's office staff, and help assist the Mayor's staff with community outreach and business support. To do this job effectively, the Mayor's Administrative Support Specialist must embrace core principles of diversity, governance, public process, and mutual learning in the context of government service in the City of Portland Mayor's office. The ability to manage complex issues and serve frequent constituent callers and visitors politely and professionally is key to success in this position.

The capability to work independently and as a team will be crucial in this role. Discretion, mature judgment, and the ability to maintain confidential information are also essential qualifications.

Job responsibilities include:

• Greet visitors to the office in a polite and professional manner, including offering water, tea, and coffee to guests;
• Open the office on scheduled days;
• Follow protocol when responding to constituent inquiries via telephone calls, emails, mail, and in-person interactions;
• Alert staff when guests have arrived to meet with them, taking full names and asking if the guest has an appointment;
• Maintain a professional environment at the front desk, public areas, and conference rooms. This includes tidying these areas, pushing in chairs, and removing forgotten items.
• Scan, upload, and track all documents dropped off for the Mayor's signature;
• Work in collaboration with the communications team and relevant bureaus to respond to public records requests promptly;
• Represent the Mayor and speak on the Mayor's behalf at events;
• Staff the Mayor as required, including weekend and evening events;
• Complete briefing forms on time;
• Assist staff as needed;
• Assist with social media content creation, monitoring, and replying as directed.
• Assist other staff with light administrative duties as requested.
• Assist with proclamations, all-staff emails, and other communications.
• Track meetings with community leaders, suggest opportunities for engagement.
• Other duties as assigned.

City of Portland Core Values:
Anti-racism | Communication | Collaboration | Equity | Transparency | Fiscal Responsibility
These values guide our actions as we serve the community and engage our workforce. To learn more about the City's core values, please click here.

Why work at the City of Portland?

The City of Portland is committed to offering medical, dental, vision, basic life, and long-term disability coverage that provides quality care, support, and value to eligible employees and their family members. Additional benefits such as flexible spending accounts, supplemental life insurance, and employee assistance program coverage is available to ensure employees have the appropriate tools to safeguard themselves and their family. The City of Portland also participates in PERS, the Oregon Public Employees Retirement System. For more information on the City of Portland's benefits, please click here.

Questions?:
Terrol Johnson
Senior Recruiter
terrol.johnson@portlandoregon.gov

Requirements

The following minimum qualifications are required for this position. Applicants must specifically address and demonstrate in their cover letter and resume how their education, training and/or experience meets each of the following minimum qualifications.

1. Experience using tact and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive situations and upset individuals. Proven track record of excellent customer service to other government personnel, public officials, business and non-profit agencies, and citizens.
2. Experience establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with a diverse staff and the general public.
3. Ability to exercise independent judgment, problem-solve, and take initiative within established procedures and guidelines.
4. Ability to communicate clearly, logically, persuasively, both orally and in writing.
5. Knowledge of municipal functions, operations, organization, and administrative practices and procedures.

Qualifications

STEP 1: Apply online between March 23, 2026, and March 30, 2026

Cover letter.Details are key!

The city uses a merit-based system, so your cover letter should be thorough and specifically address each qualification listed in the "To Qualify" section of the job announcement.

Your cover letter can exceed one page to ensure you can provide detailed information for every qualification.

Follow the instructions, as a subject matter expert will be evaluating your details to confirm that you meet the minimum requirements.

Resume

Answer to Supplemental Questions (click on the Questions tab to preview the questions)

Optional Application Materials:

• Veteran’s Preference documents (e.g., DD214-Member 4, VA Benefit Letter) must be submitted by the closing date.
• Update: As of March 3, 2025, if you have already submitted veteran documents and qualified for preference, you do not need to resubmit them for future recruitments.
• To update or remove veteran preference for this recruitment or from your profile, contact the recruiter listed in the job announcement.

Application Tips:

• Your cover letter can exceed one page but no more than three, to ensure you can provide detailed information for every qualification. A subject matter expert will evaluate your details to confirm that you meet the minimum requirements.
• Your résumé should support the details described in your cover letter.

How We Determine Pay: The City of Portland is covered by the Oregon Equal Pay Act.

Your salary is determined based on the experience listed in your resume that is directly related and equivalent to the position for which you are applying.

It is strongly encouraged to include any transferable experience (paid or unpaid, regardless of how recent) to ensure your offer is reflective of all your relevant experience.

• E-mailed and/or faxed applications will not be accepted.
• Do not attach any additional documents.
• Please note that all completed applications for this position must be submitted no later than on the closing date and time of this recruitment.
• You can use AI tools to assist with your job application, but please make sure to personalize your responses to supplemental questions. Avoid copying and pasting. We encourage the use of AI to generate ideas and then tailor them to reflect your own experiences and skills.
• All applications must be submitted via the City's online application process.

BOLI: Equal Pay for Workers: State of Oregon
Every worker must get equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, race, age, or other protected characteristics.

• An evaluation of each applicant's training and paid and unpaid experience, as demonstrated in their resume and cover letter, is weighted 100%.
• Your resume and cover letter will be the basis for our evaluation of your qualifications for this position. Incomplete or inappropriate information may result in disqualification.
• You have 14 days from the notice of the minimum qualification evaluation results to let us know if you would like to review and discuss your evaluation results. Please read the City of Portland Administrative Rule 3.01 for complete information.
• Additional evaluation may be required before the establishment of the eligible list and/or final selection.

• Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be placed on the equally ranked eligible list.

• The hiring bureau will review and select candidates to interview.
• Please note, that the selection process may take up to 90 days from the notification of being placed on the eligible list.

• A start date will be determined after all conditions of employment have been met.
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Additional Information

Click here for additional information regarding the following:

• City of Portland Core Values
• Recruitment Process - Work Status
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Veteran Preference
• ADA, Pregnancy, and Religious Accommodations

Did you know? The City of Portland has How to Apply Videos and offers How to Apply Classes once per month. If you have questions after watching the videos you are invited to contact the recruiter listed on the announcement.