Administrative Assistant PositionIAOM Logo
Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in the Administrative Assistant position. There is a lot more to this position than we could include in the posting you read, so we wanted to give you some more information on the position itself, and what we’re looking for in a successful candidate.

Position Description:

Working under the supervision of the executive vice president, the full‐time (40 hours) administrative assistant’s duties include, but are not limited to general clerical, receptionist, and project-based work. The successful candidate needs to project a professional company image through in-person and phone interaction.

Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Oversee all aspects of general office coordination
  • Answer the phone and accurately screen and direct calls to staff
  • Write correspondence
  • Handle general office tasks (bookkeeping, copying, faxing, mailing and filing)
  • Process and administer registrations for annual meetings, district meetings, educational programming
  • Organize, staff and supervise registration desk at annual conference and select district meetings (travel required)
  • Update and maintain member database
  • Maintain confidentiality in all aspects of client, staff and association information
  • Interact with clients, vendors and visitors
  • File and retrieve organizational documents, records and reports
  • Monitor and assist with maintenance of the organization’s website
  • May conduct research, compile data and prepare papers for consideration and presentation to the Executive Vice President, staff, and Board of Directors
  • Collect and maintain inventory of office equipment and supplies
  • Research, price and purchase office furniture, equipment and supplies
  • Arrange for the repair and maintenance of office equipment
  • Support staff in assigned project‐based work
  • Other duties as assigned

Specific Skills You Should Have:

  • Extraordinary personal, written, and phone communication skills
  • Experience in Microsoft Office 2013 Applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and QuickBooks
  • Excellent spelling, grammar, and editing skills
  • Fanatical attention to detail, accuracy, and deadlines
  • Experience with association database applications a plus
  • Website content management skills a plus
  • Working with associations and/or nonprofit organizations a big plus
  • Ability to work with individuals with various ethnic backgrounds
  • Excellent writing, analytical and problem‐solving skills
  • Ability to interact effectively and professionally and provide exceptional service, both internally and externally at all times
  • Ability to work with more than one project at a time
  • Ability to perform effectively with little to moderate supervision and initiate work projects independently
  • Enforce policies and procedures as established by supervisor
  • Ability to prioritize projects and operate under the pressure of deadlines
  • May require some lifting of materials up to 30 pounds
  • Knowledge of Spanish a plus

Personality Wise, We’re Looking for:

  • Someone who is upbeat, personable, and gets along well with members, volunteer leaders, and co-workers; someone who has no problem picking up the phone and talking to a stranger, helping someone out, or setting someone straight in a customer friendly yet firm way.
  • A dynamic person who can switch projects and focus with ease, track where you left off, and can easily multi-task between various projects. Things can and do change directions, and this should be both expected and anticipated!
  • Someone who loves (not likes, but loves) organizing projects, helping association staff leaders stay on target, and assisting members by email. This is critical as you will be the primary point of contact for members and volunteer leaders.
  • An “If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find it” personality. We encounter new opportunities every day and don’t always have the answers internally. You’ll often have to pick up the phone, “dig around,” or do some research to get an answer.
  • Someone who can take a project and just “get it done.” We don’t want to hear about the problems that come up, we simply want the results agreed upon to be completed on schedule and to spec, no excuses.
  • Someone who loves schedules and understands the importance in adhering to them. You make and manage your own calendar and get things done on (or ahead of) schedule.
  • Someone who can work independently. The Executive Vice President travels a great deal, and you need to be able to work on your own, answer your own questions and move ahead without waiting. This also means the ability to work without disrupting us or others. We’ll have scheduled times to catch up on projects, go over any questions, etc., but you MUST be able to do your tasks and projects on your own with minimal interaction.
  • Someone who will take ownership of and accountability for open issues or tasks. For example, if a vendor misses a commitment, or doesn’t deliver, you’ll straighten it out, and do whatever it takes to resolve the issue.
  • Someone who always says “Good morning!” and leaves their personal life at home. When you’re here, you’re here. No matter what happened before you walked in the door, you’re “present” and pleasant when you’re in the office.

This is NOT the Right Position for You If You Are:

  • A 9-to-5, punch-the-clock “Hey, I got done what I could today but I’ve gotta get going now, oh well, maybe tomorrow…” kind-of person
  • Only seeking short-term work – this position offers long-term, full-time employment with opportunities to grow professionally
  • Just looking for a “hobby” to get you out of the house – this is a real position with real responsibilities critical to the success of our business
  • Someone who comes in and thinks “Hmm… what should I do today?” (Hint: before you leave, you should already know what you’re doing the next day.)
  • Someone who likes to chit-chat with co-workers or get caught up on Facebook while – or instead of – actually working
  • Just starting out and have no real office experience
  • Unable to provide UP-TO-DATE business references

Who We Are:

We are the headquarters office for a 118-year-old professional society of grain millers, with members spanning around the globe. We are a small office of four full-time employees, who work hard to meet our members’ needs, grow the visibility of the association, and achieve its mission, all in a financially responsible and sustainable manner.

Where You’ll Be Working:

We have a professional, well-maintained, office environment in Johnson County, Kansas. The pace is fast, the expectations are high and the work satisfying – meeting the needs of our members. You’ll be working directly with volunteer leaders, an association executive, meeting planner, and professional development director. You’ll have your own desk, computer, phone, email. You will use a current version of several Microsoft Office products, Adobe Acrobat and a relational membership database to get your work done.

When You’ll Be Here:

This is a full-time (40 hour/week) position. You need to be at your desk and working 8:00 am and conclude your day at 5:00 pm with a 60-minute lunch break. You can bring your lunch and eat in our employee break room, using a company-provided refrigerator and microwave, or you can go out for lunch.

What You Can Expect From Us:

We are very focused on the business of serving our members, communicating electronically and through website and social media postings about the products, services and educational programs our association offers. We expect you to maximize your productivity and make the best use of your time and ours. We don’t take missed deadlines, error-prone work or excuses lightly, but we do keep an open line of communication during projects if you need help or guidance.

There is a 6-month probationary period, but it takes at least one year to go through our association’s business cycle and see or perform your job functions at least once. Your performance is evaluated by your supervisor. Performance evaluations are conducted at the end of your probation period, and annually thereafter. A staff member’s value to our organization is demonstrated through exemplary performance evaluations which is a major factor in salary increases.

We’re looking for qualified candidates only, and a full background and reference check will be conducted.

 

If You Think This Is You…

If you are uncomfortable or offended by anything you’ve read so far, we understand – this isn’t the right position for everyone. If, on the other hand, you’re intrigued by what you have read, then our company has a lot to offer.

Our staff is treated with great respect, presented with an opportunity to work in the association management field, and offered a position with great variety – you’ll never get bored, and you’ll gain knowledge and experience that will help you in all parts of your life.

If you think you might be a good fit, we’d be interested in talking with you further.

To submit an application, please click here.

Thank you!