ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III - SES - 42002018

Requisition No: 874937 

Agency: Agriculture and Consumer Services

Working Title: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III - SES - 42002018

 Pay Plan: SES

Position Number: 42002018 

Salary:  $57,000.00 - $64,000.00 

Posting Closing Date: 05/05/2026 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT III-SES

FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL

***OPEN COMPETITIVE OPPORTUNITY***
 

CONTACT:              

John Minnick, 850-245-1023

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

A high school diploma or its equivalent and seven (7) years of administrative or clerical experience; or

An equivalent combination of education and experience which equals seven (7) years can substitute for the above requirements; or

A bachelor's degree (4 years) from an accredited college or university and three (3) years of administrative experience; or

A master's degree (6 years) from an accredited college or university and one (1) year of administrative experience.

EDUCATIONAL NOTE: Graduates utilizing education attained in the United States to meet the minimum requirements of a position will not be appointed until verification of the applicable degree has been obtained. Foreign trained graduates utilizing a degree attained outside of the United States to meet the minimum requirements of a position must be prepared to provide a copy of a credential evaluation conducted by an Approved Credential Evaluation Agency.  A list of approved agencies can be viewed at “Approved Credential Evaluation Agencies, Florida Department of Education.” Approved Credential Evaluation Agencies (fldoe.org) 

***ATTENTION CANDIDATES***

To be considered for a position with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services:

• All fields in the Candidate Profile must be completed (an attached resume is not a substitution for the information required on the candidate profile).
• Work history, duties and responsibilities, hours worked, supervisor, and formal education fields, etc. must be filled out to determine qualifications for this position.
• Responses to Qualifying Questions must be verifiable in the Candidate Profile.
  
  

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services values
and supports employment of individuals with disabilities. Qualified
individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

NOTES:

To maintain fairness and integrity, applicants are required to provide honest and authentic responses during all stages of the evaluation and selection process. Applicants must rely on their own personal knowledge, thoughts, and impressions. A candidate’s use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to answer qualifying questions or participate in interviews will be taken into consideration when determining qualification for the position.

Successful candidate must pass a background screening, including fingerprinting, as a condition of employment.

JOB DUTIES:

The employee fulfilling the duties of an Administrative Assistant III-SES is performing the most responsible assistance to the General Counsel for a state agency and works directly with the General Counsel in a confidential environment where communications frequently concern complex, sensitive and urgent department matters.  A high degree of independent, managerial responsibilty, initiative, planning and goal setting on general directions and supervision, effective analytical and problem solving skills, and an ability to manage complex tasks are required.  An Administrative Assistant III-SES must also have a high degree of skill to deal effectively with conflict and change, to develop and maintain strong working relationships and effective lines of communication to deal diplomatically and discreetly with all levels of the department and the public.

Responsible for the management of the Legal Office, supervising legal support staff to best accomplish the work of the Legal Office as determined by the General Counsel; recommending support staff changes to the General Counsel; preparing and issuing performance evaluations for the support staff under the supervision of this position; coordinating litigation support and data entry to ensure that all activities are completed according to schedule; reviewing records, reports and documents prepared by support staff for conformity with policies, procedures and guidelines estabished by the General Counsel and the department; tracking leave time and personal holidays for all staff, coordinating holiday schedules to ensure adequate coverage of the office during holiday periods; reviewing timesheets, travel reimbursement vouchers and other documents submitted by Legal staff for the General Counsel's signature; maintaining the Procedures Manual for the Office of the General Counsel, revising and updating as necessary.

Responsible for maximizing time effectiveness by organizing the General Counsel's incoming mail, prioritizing work ensuring that all outgoing mail, including forwarding of assignments and files, are done timely and efficiently; responding constantly to changing priorities and circumstances; answering and screening telephone calls for the General Counsel; maintaining a calendar for the General Counsel, making appointments and coordinating meetings; making meeting and travel arrangements; completing travel expenditure forms; keeping minutes of staff meetings; maintaining a calendar for the legal office staff activities.

Responsible for performing complex administrative duties; having a significant knowledge of the policies, procedures and organization of the department; serving as Records Management Liaison for the Legal Office in accordance to established guidelines.  Responsible for maintaining a file system appropriate to a Legal Office of a state agency, handling of open files to ensure all files are properly labeled, organized and tabbed in accordance with office procedures, maintaining files of all department legislative bills for Senate and House during the legislative sessions and preparing legislative bills and amendments for transmittal to legislative coordinators, accessing and retrieving legislative bill history and information when necessary; filing and maintaining General Counsel's work-in-progress files, research files, Legal Office staff personnel files, general division correspondence files, and other special files, various manuals and publications as needed.

Responsible for maintaining and updating of databases for a legal docket tracking system, including adding new cases, modifying existing information, analyzing data and compiling information for various reports as requested by the General Counsel; maintaining and updating databases for agency orders submitted to the General Counsel and signed by the Commissioner or Assistant Commissioner, for tracking Risk Management cases and for contracts assigned to attorneys for review and approval; compiling reports such as tallies of case load and open cases; assisting the General Counsel in compiling and preparing status reports for distribution to the Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner and Auditor General on cases being handled by the General Counsel's office.

Assists the General Counsel in working with the Office of Policy and Budget in the preparation of the annual operating budget and preparing the legislative budget request.  Responsible for reviewing monthly fiscal reports from the Bureau of Finance and Accounting and reconciling expenditures within the General Counsel’s operating budget ensuring the Legal Office is within its allotted annual budget and operating in accordance with sound financial principles.  Serves as Purchasing Administrator for the Legal Office reviewing and/or approving all purchase requests to ensure compliance with department policies, procedures and state rules and issuing Field Purchasing Orders as necessary; authorizing and/or reviewing all payments made either by voucher or invoice, maintaining all budget records and documentation for audit purposes.  Works with other divisions in processing contract amendments and payments, securing funds for contracts, and maintaining all documentation regarding same, including up-to-date history of payment of invoices, remaining balances, and contract period.

Responsible for maintenance of the legal library, ensuring that all library filing is kept current in a timely manner; coordinating purchases for the library with the General Counsel; being knowledgeable of the function and use of library materials.

Responsible for the maintenance and repair of all office equipment, ensuring that all equipment is operating properly and being operated by all legal staff in a responsible and acceptable manner; providing information, support and technical assistance to the Legal Office in the use and application of standard personal computer software, responding to routine questions, resolving problems and researching new applications to address program needs.

Responsible for ensuring sufficient and appropriate office supplies are available to staff for their required tasks; assessing training needs of the staff and scheduling training as deemed appropriate; coordinating training for all legal staff on all computer software used by the Legal Office; tracking attorney CLE (Continuing Legal Education) credits to ensure compliance with professional requirements; assisting support staff in daily work as needed.

Responsible and accountable for managing budget/dollars/resources (staff, vehicles, computers, cell phones, etc.) of any assigned programs in an efficient and accountable manner.

Responsible for ensuring that assigned program areas have operational procedures and processes which result in accountability and compliance with division and department policies and procedures.

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck.  The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits;
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal holiday each year;
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision and other supplemental insurance options;
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please visit www.myfrs.com;)
• Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Tuition waivers;
• And more!

For a complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

For an estimate of the total compensation package for this position, please visit the “Total Compensation Estimator Tool” located above under the “Posting Closing Date.”

SPECIAL NOTES:

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.