Administrative Services Receptionist

Description

Join Our Team: City Hall Reception & Administrative Support

Are you a warm, organized, and resourceful professional with a passion for public service?

The City of Milwaukie is looking for a community-focused individual to serve as the primary support presence at our City Hall front desk. In this vital role, you will be more than just a receptionist; you are the face and voice of the city. You will be the first point of contact for our community members, helping them navigate city services while providing compassionate, efficient, and solution-oriented support.

To learn more about working for the wonderful City of Milwaukie, please visit the Careers and Culture pages.

Essential Functions

What You’ll Do

• Be the Face of the City: Serve as our primary public-facing representative. You will welcome visitors, manage a multi-line phone system, and oversee shared email communications with efficiency and professionalism.
• Guide and Connect: Listen to community members’ needs and accurately connect them to the right departments—whether it’s utility billing, municipal court, community development, the finance team, or administration.
• Provide Compassionate Service: Help community members who may be experiencing frustration or financial hardship. You will use active listening, tact, and de-escalation strategies to turn tense moments into positive, supportive interactions.
• Keep Operations Running Smoothly: Handle payments for city services (utilities, court, development), process mail, manage room and vehicle reservations, and coordinate with third-party vendors to keep our office equipment running flawlessly.
• Maintain the Details: Enter and maintain accurate records across court, utility, building, and parking permit databases, ensuring high data integrity and compliance with records retention laws.

Education & Experience

Who We’re Looking For

• An Experienced Professional: You have at least 1 year of administrative, clerical, or customer service experience, backed by a High School diploma or GED.
• A Tech-Savvy Organizer: You have intermediate to advanced skills in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Access) and are comfortable learning new software and maintaining filing systems.
• A Calm & Adaptable Problem Solver: You are comfortable dealing with ambiguity, can manage multiple tasks simultaneously without losing your attention to detail, and have a strong public service mindset.
• A Team Player: You work exceptionally well independently but also value collaboration and contributing to a positive team culture.

The Requirements

• Ability to achieve Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) clearance within 30 days of hire.
• Ability to obtain certification as a Notary Public in the State of Oregon within 6 months.
• Must possess or be able to obtain a valid driver’s license or alternate means of transportation.
• Physical Requirements: Primarily an office setting requiring extended periods of sitting and computer use. Occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds (e.g., boxes of paper) may be required.
• Schedule: This position is a Monday to Friday 8 am – 5 pm onsite position which may also include occasional evening or weekend meetings and events, depending on assignment.

Additional Information

Our Core Values

At the City of Milwaukie, we believe in supporting our community in all work interactions and activities. The ideal candidate will reflect our core values ofaccountability, accessibility, efficiency, collaboration, and equity.

How to Apply:

To be considered for this exciting opportunity, please submit the following:

• Complete Job and Education History: Please include all applicable Experience and Education, including certifications, in your application. We use your application details to determine your step placement on our salary schedule.

• Supplemental Questions: Please provide thorough and genuine answers to the supplemental questions. Your responses will be used in the application review process to help rank candidates. We acknowledge the usefulness of AI tools, but this is your opportunity to highlight your unique lived experiences and demonstrate why you are the best candidate.

Diversity and Inclusion: At the City of Milwaukie, we understand that a diverse workforce strengthens our organization. We value diversity and support a positive and welcoming environment where all of our employees can thrive.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified persons will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, familial status, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability for which a reasonable accommodation can be made, or any other status protected by law.

Accommodation: Reasonable accommodation is available to anyone whose specific disability prevents them from completing this application or participating in this process. To obtain confidential assistance, please contact Human Resources at 503-786-7509.

Veterans' Preference: The City of Milwaukie provides qualifying veterans and disabled veterans with preference in employment in accordance with state law. Any candidate wishing to have their qualifying veteran's preference applied to the process must submit a qualifying document (DD Form 214 or 215) at the time of application, providing proof of eligibility, including discharge status. Disabled veterans must also submit a copy of their Veteran's disability preference letter from the US Department of Veterans Affairs at the time of application, unless the information is included in the DD Form 214 or 215.