City of Palo Alto

  • ADMINISTRATIVE ASSOCIATE III - limited term

  • City of Palo Alto
  • Palo Alto, California United States View Map
Description

Exciting Opportunity - Limited Term Position (up to two years)

The City of Palo Alto's Planning & Development Services Department is seeking a limited-term Administrative Associate III. This is a temporary position, not expected to exceed two years. The position supports the Development Center, the City's one-stop shop for residential and commercial development services. The successful candidate will provide customer service, administrative, financial, operational, and regulatory support to staff, customers, contractors, architects, developers, and partner departments including Planning, Building, Fire, Public Works, and Utilities.

The position serves a critical role in supporting daily Development Center operations, customer service delivery, public records administration, financial processing, state reporting requirements, permit administration, and departmental business operations.

The Position:

The position reports to the Senior Management Analyst responsible for the department's business operations and works closely with the Chief Building Official, Assistant Chief Building Official, Development Center Permit Manager, Inspection Manager, Building Inspection staff, Plan Check staff, Project Coordinators and Fire, Public Works, and Utilities staff.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to providing customer service to members of the public by phone, email, and in person; supporting Development Center operations; administering Public Records Requests and subpoenas; coordinating Use & Occupancy Certificates; processing refunds, invoices, returned payments, and other financial transactions; supporting employee onboarding activities; coordinating fleet and facility-related functions; maintaining records and operational tracking systems; and assisting with departmental purchasing and administrative functions.

The position also supports required state reporting programs, coordinates with internal departments and external agencies, assists with permit-related processes, and serves as a liaison between customers, staff, consultants, contractors, and partner agencies. The successful candidate must be able to manage multiple priorities, exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and communicate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders.

For the complete Administrative Associate III position description, click HERE.

The Ideal candidate:
The ideal candidate is customer service focused, organized, detail-oriented, self-motivated, innovative, collaborative, and a life-long learner, takes initiative and pride in their work, and is passionate about improving processes.

The ideal candidate excels at communicating, staying calm under pressure, and ensures visitors' experience is positive.

The ideal candidate will have strong verbal and writing skills, be knowledgeable in Microsoft software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Teams) and have the ability to learn various software solutions (Accela, DigiPlan, etc.).

Essential Duties

Essential and other important responsibilities may include, but are not limited to:
  • Ongoing office management tasks requiring prioritization and assignment of work for other clerical or secretarial staff; provide technical guidance to same; coordinate information from and act as the liaison for the department.
  • Assigned duties consisting of a variety of difficult or complex tasks requiring the frequent use of independent judgment. Such judgment involves a thorough knowledge of department policies, programs, procedures, rules, regulations, and scope of jurisdiction while maintaining confidentiality.
  • Contact with the public, City government officials and others requiring tact, diplomacy, and the use of discretion in responding to inquiries.
  • Prepare or compose from brief oral instructions, written draft correspondence requiring discrimination and judgment in the selection of data or interpretation of laws, rules, or policies.
  • Establish and maintain confidential files concerned with personnel and/or policy matters; record actions taken on sensitive issues; and is responsible for releasing information to authorized parties.
  • Arrange schedule of appointments for supervisor and staff, exercising discretion in committing supervisor’s time and in referring caller or visitor to another appropriate source of information or service.


Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

Equivalent to graduation from high school and 4 years of progressively responsible administrative experience.

Special Requirements:
Specified assignments may require possession of a valid California Driver’s License.

Supplemental Information

More than one position may be filled by this posting.

Benefits: Fantastic benefits package! To learn more, click HERE.

Compensation (SEIU): Comprehensive compensation plan. To learn more, click HERE.

This position is represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO). In compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both perspective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.

Closing Date/Time: 7/9/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
City of Palo Alto

City of Palo Alto

650-329-2376

The Community


The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-News

City Government

Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.

Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.

Join an Award Winning Team 

Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.

Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."

Contact Us

Phone: 650-329-2376   

Email: Recruit@paloalto.gov   

Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map

 

Show more
Apply Now Employer Profile

MORE JOBS

Show More