Administrative Support Associate III Permits & Inspections Front Desk

Permits & Inspections is seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Administrative Support Associate III to join our team. This front-facing role is essential in providing excellent customer service to up to 20 customers per day with customer interactions taking anywhere from 15-minutes to an hour each. This position is the first point of contact with customers and sets the tone for high-quality service throughout the Permits and Inspections process. This position helps to ensure safe and effective building construction and renovation throughout our community keeping our residents and visitors safe.

This position assists with the processing of Building Septic and Well Applications. This role in the Permits and Inspections Department is the connection of all development services collaboration and ensures that our customers projects are completed effectively and efficiently. Responsibilities include helping customers with inquiries uploading documents answering phone calls handling end-of-day financial balancing and delivering daily reports.

The ideal candidate is interested in building and permitting practices highly organized works well both independently and collaboratively and demonstrates strong attention to detail. We deal with a great number of customers who have never navigated the permitting practice before in addition to seasoned contractors and builders. This employee must be able to work well with all kinds of customers especially when explaining complicated or technical permitting information.

This is a full-time in-office position Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The position works out of our building at 35 Woodfin Street Asheville NC 28801 in a centrally located office that also houses several other Buncombe County Departments. We provide free parking to our employees in our parking deck behind the building located at 164 College Street Asheville.

Purpose of the position:

The purpose of this position is to provide administrative support to ensure efficient operations of a program or department.

Minimum Education Training and/or Experience (required at time of hire): High School diploma or equivalent and four (4) years of customer service/office experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Essential Functions of the position:

• Perform a variety of general clerical and office administrative work to support efficient program or department operations; including but not limited to answering of phones greeting and assisting walk-in customers distribution of mail and general data entry tasks.
• Provide internal and external customer service via phone email and in person; respond to inquiries about program services take message and/or refer inquiries to the most appropriate parties when necessary.
• Coordinate and support department/program meetings and events such as invitation/ distribution registration agenda development dissemination and minute-taking duties; set up conference rooms; notify participants; prepare and/or assemble meeting materials including multimedia equipment.
• Maintain and order office supplies as assigned and when needed.
• Coordinate the preparation editing and distribution of correspondence reports and documents such as fax and referral monitoring data entry; accreditation document processing; policy dissemination and tracking; document management.
• Perform accurate and timely data entry; post or file client data as required.
• May assist in sending out billings and other mass mailings; Process departmental invoices billing purchase orders and AFPs.
• Perform basic research and compile documents needed for various reports and management-level documents.
• May accept payments for fees fines goods or services as required by the department; may balance cash drawers or registers and prepare required cash reports.
• Assist with special projects and duties as requested.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge Skills Abilities:

• Knowledge of general office or work unit procedures methods and practices.
• Knowledge of and ability to use correct grammar vocabulary spelling and office terminology to compose and/or proofread correspondence reports and other materials.
• Knowledge of all services provided by programs within the division and the policies and procedures that govern the work of the division.
• Ability to be resourceful and use sound judgment in gathering and giving information and coordinating and monitoring office activity and workflow.
• Ability to record and compile information with tedious attention to detail.
• Ability to learn and independently apply laws departmental rules and regulations.
• Ability to learn office process and procedures and apply this knowledge in problem-solving and responding to questions and inquiries.
• Ability to use judgment in coordinating and monitoring office procedures and workflow.
• Ability to use courtesy and tact in performing public contact and communication duties that may be sensitive in nature.
• Ability to schedule and coordinate a variety of appointments meetings and/or conferences.

In order to uphold internal pay parity and equity salaries are non-negotiable for new and current Buncombe County employees. All new employees are paid according to their years of relevant education and experience above minimum requirements for the position and employees have the opportunity to obtain pay increases via cost of living increases and promotions.

Buncombe County Government realizes the importance of a diverse professional workforce and the need to foster a responsive and innovative organizational culture one that fully engages all of our employees honoring and building on each employees unique experiences opinions and perspective.

It is the policy of Buncombe County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race natural hair or hairstyles ethnicity creed color sex sexual orientation gender identity or expression national origin or ancestry marital or familial status pregnancy veteran status religious belief or non-belief age or disability or any other legally protected class under federal or NC State law. EEO practices and employment decisions regarding recruitment hiring assignment promotion and compensation shall not be based on any of these protected addition the County expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment or discrimination.