Administrative Assistant

The Building People has an opening for an Administrative Assistant at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Manhattan, KS. Candidates for this position must be skilled in performing administrative support activities to assist the federal team in keeping organized and completes tasks that allow executives to focus on more advanced responsibilities. Administrative assistant duties include organizing meetings for administrators, greeting office visitors and composing documents. Administrative assistants will oversee routine and advanced duties for other professionals. They work closely with administrators and other employees to organize files, create correspondence and prepare reports or documents. Their job is to complete a range of clerical tasks including managing calendars, sorting mail and preparing invoices. Administrative assistants may also be responsible for helping to plan events and managing their supervisors’ schedules.

• Answer phones and greet visitors
• Schedule appointments and maintain calendars
• Schedule and coordinate meetings
• Collate and distribute mail
• Prepare memos, emails, invoices, reports and other correspondence
• Write and edit communications, from letters to reports and instructional documents
• Create and maintain filing systems, both electronic and physical
• Manage accounts and perform bookkeeping
  
  

Requirements

These positions support USDA’s National Bio-Agro Defense Facility (NBAF) biocontainment facilities with Biosafety Levels (BSL) of BSL-3, BSL-3e (enhanced), BSL-3ee, BSL-3 Ag, and BSL-4. Special Agency Check (SAC) and full background investigation required for positions working with BSL-3 (or higher) agents, or in BSL-3/BSL-4 facilities. To comply with USDA personnel security requirements and requirements of the Federal Select Agent Program (FSAP) for access to information and areas with Biological Select Agents and Toxins (BSAT), including Tier One Select Agents at NBAF, the incumbent must meet the following:

• Pre-employment and random testing of substances of abuse
• Participation in and adherence to the facility’s Occupational Health Program
• Participation in and adherence to the facility’s Personal Reliability Program
• The ability to obtain/maintain favorably adjudicated Background Investigations or Security clearances (required by USDA)
• The ability to obtain/maintain a favorable Security Risk Assessment (required by FSAP)
  
  

These positions are Public Trust Positions and requires that the incumbent be a United States Citizen. As a condition of employment, the requirements listed above must be met.

As a condition for employment, all personnel entering these areas at NBAF shall not be in contact with specific susceptible animals and their premises away from NBAF for a period of five (5) days after leaving the area. Currently, restricted species are cattle, sheep, goats, deer, other ruminants, and swine. Contact with horses, birds (agricultural and pet birds) and rabbits are normally permitted, but restrictions may be placed on staff working with or near infectious agents affecting these species. Restricted livestock or other restricted animals may not be housed on the premises where the employee lives and where the quarantine cannot be enforced. Employees who violate this requirement may be removed from employment or subject to other disciplinary actions.

Required Experience & Skills

• Microsoft Office Suite
• Strong writing and editing skills
• Decision-making: administrative assistants need to make independent decisions daily, addressing the best way to handle specific tasks.
• Communications and collaboration: An administrative assistant must collaborate with other administrators, support personnel, management and clients on a regular basis.
• Organizational skills: The ability to maintain order helps ensure executives do not miss appointments or deadlines.
• Professional writing skills: Their emails, letters, documents and social media posts reflect upon their employers, therefore, professional writing skills using proper spelling and grammar is essential.
• Effective time management, organizational skills, written and verbal communication skills, business management, attention to detail, and the ability to learn new computer programs
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 suite of software packages
• Sufficient aptitude in mathematics and general accounting, bookkeeping, and billing knowledge
  
  

Required Education

• Minimum Education: B.S. or B.A. in Business Management or other appropriate discipline. Four (4) years of experience substituted for education is allowed.
• Our positions may require a background screening and clearance directly from the Government.
• Please note that telework arrangements are subject to change based on customer requirements.
  
  

Additional Information

Competitive benefits for eligible employees include:

• Medical & Rx
• Dental
• Vision
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Life Insurance/AD&D
• Long Term Disability and Short-Term Disability
• Paid Time Off
• Holiday Pay
  
  

All positions require a background check after acceptance of our offer. The selected candidate will be eligible to begin employment before the background check has been finalized. However, continued employment will be contingent upon the results of your reference/background check from The Building People, LLC. Your position may require special credentialing, clearance, and access as a condition of employment. In the event the government or client does not sponsor or approve your clearance, it may result in termination of your employment.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at [email protected] and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this e-mail address.

For more information, view the EEO is the Law Poster and Pay Transparency Statement.