Administrative Assistant IV

Administrative Assistant IV

Salary

$50,581.23 - $88,517.10 Annually

Location

PUBLIC SAFETY HQ, 12099 GOVERNMENT CENTER PKWY, FAIRFAX (EJ28), VA

Job Type

FT Hourly W BN

Job Number

26-01072

Department

Fire & Rescue

Opening Date

07/18/2026

Closing Date

7/24/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

S17

Posting Type

Open to General Public

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Announcement

This position works within our payroll department as subject matter expert of county and departmental payroll policies and procedures supporting general county, law enforcement, and fire protection personnel. Duties and responsibilities include:

• Provides information, assistance, and problem resolution in written and verbal form to employees, supervisors, and outside contacts, as appropriate.
• Researches and resolves payroll issues.
• Coordinates all activities to ensure that employees are paid accurately and on time by prescribed

deadlines.

• Reviews and processes a large number of personnel actions (e.g., transfers, promotions, laterals, data changes) in the countys payroll system and pay/leave adjustment computations in compliance with payroll policies, procedures. and deadlines.
• Performs audits and review of time and attendance reports ensuring accurate coding of time.
• Assists with the training for the on-line time and attendance.
• Completes payroll transactions for retro-active pay adjustments.
• Creates and maintains reports using FOCUS, Microsoft Word, Excel, and/or PEAQ.
• Completes time and attendance processing of military deployments.
• Maintains current knowledge of county and fire and rescue department policies and procedures.

This position works under general supervision.

Note: The assigned functional areas of this position include general administration, payroll, time keeping, and/or customer service.

Illustrative Duties

(The illustrative duties listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list. A complete list of position duties and unique physical requirements can be found in the position job description.)

General Financial Duties

Reviews and approves disbursement forms;

Recommends changes to agency/work unit administrative policies, procedures and methods;

Uses existing spreadsheets and databases to interpret and organize resource information;

Provides customized reports to analysts or others in the unit.

Fiscal Administration

Approves and authorizes accounts through corporate system;

Monitors external accounts and resolves discrepancies;

Reviews and reconciles status reports.

Accounting

Supervises staff performing clerical accounting duties at the Asst. II and III levels;

Resolves problems by performing qualitative review of individual cases;

Enters data into corporate accounting systems and reconciles a wide variety of accounts receivable/payable;

Performs petty cash custodial duties;

Audits clerical accounting procedures in other agencies.

Purchasing

Researches and recommends equipment/vendors and prices;

Determines substitutes for supplies and low value equipment;

Verifies the accuracy of and updates the department equipment and/or fixed asset inventory;

Authorizes requests for goods and services in corporate system;

Monitors contract compliance (e.g., expirations, payment terms, costs);

May act as procurement card manager.

Scheduling & Coordinating for others

Manages supervisors calendar which may require negotiating time and place;

Researches and negotiates with hotels, etc. for best logistical arrangements for rooms;

Makes complex scheduling arrangements involving multiple parties, including informing all relevant parties;

Independently makes and cancels meetings depending on the subject and attendees;

Determines what confidential information can be disseminated and to whom;

Arranges for special room or equipment needs and/or multiple locations & individuals;

Coordinates domestic and foreign travel arrangements for executive/work unit head, unit personnel, and visitors;

Participates in the planning and coordination of national and international meetings (e.g., reserves sites, meeting logistics, publicity.

Communication

Independently composes original correspondence (e.g., preparation of replies to non-technical requests) for the executive/work unit heads review and signature;

Coordinates data collection and provides information to others including executive/work unit head;

Explains policies of the functional area (e.g., purchasing, travel, and leave).

Office Management

Performs/supervises several administrative functions (e.g., records management, reception);

Manages a small work unit;

Analyzes short-term administrative needs of the unit (e.g., status of supplies and equipment, determining if work order is needed);

Notifies relevant individuals of work progress and inquires as to its status.

General Administrative

Develops filing systems (paper and/or electronic);

Develops internal mailing processes and procedures;

Prepares non-routine responses to correspondence;

May supervise general administrative functions.

Receptionist/Public Contact

Oversees or resolves non-routine/difficult situations based on knowledge and interpretation of established policies & procedures;

Interprets county rules & regulations to employees, management, and the public using discretion as to proper application.

Word Processing/Typing

Develops macros;

Serves as unit expert or lead over other clerical/administrative positions.

Information Systems/Software

Develops macros;

Creates and maintains databases;

Generates unique reports;

Creates complex spreadsheets for work unit;

Diagnoses and resolves simple software/hardware problems;

Maintains Web pages;

Designs and lays out publications using specialized software packages;

May supervise.

Reports

Prepares routine reports and statistics based on information compiled from various sources;

Determines report format and elements.

Payroll

Prepares and/or supervises preparation of complex payroll (e.g., shift differential, overtime, multiple grants, 56 hour workweek, FLSA).

Researches payroll issues (e.g., overtime, leave hours).

Interprets policies & procedures.

Personnel

Initiates the full range of processing for complex personnel actions;

Conducts new employee orientation within assigned agency, including notifying employees of Period of Initial Eligibility and the importance of compliance;

Counsels employees on basic benefit questions;

Uses Human Capital Management Enterprise Resource Planning system regularly to process departmental HR transactions;

Updates job descriptions using information obtained from employee, supervisor, evaluations and samples;

Resolves personnel processing problems on personnel policy/procedures with interpretation from appropriate resource (e.g., DHR);

Completes job recruitment packages including drafting advertisement language for non-professional job announcements;

Serves as liaison between supervisor/manager and HR regarding routine personnel actions;

Advises supervisor and provides information regarding HR policies and procedures.

Prepares diversity report.

Required Knowledge Skills and Abilities

(The knowledge, skills and abilities listed in this specification are representative of the class but are not an all-inclusive list.)

Knowledge and understanding of the programs or activities of the unit served, as well as of the county and departmental administrative guides;

Position may require knowledge of basic principles and methods of a technical or professional field.

Math Skills

Basic math skills.

Word Processing/Typing

Intermediate skills in use of applicable Microsoft Office Word.

PC Skills

Intermediate skills in the use of applicable Microsoft Office Suite software;

Intermediate skills in the use of agency specific software applications.

Communication

Ability to communicate well through written and oral means.

Information Abilities

Ability to gather, integrate, and analyze simple data.

Interpersonal Abilities

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with both external and internal contacts.

Purchasing and Accounting

Ability to perform data entry into Purchasing/Logistics Enterprise Resource Planning systems and/or Financial

Enterprise Resource Planning systems in at least five functions.

Personnel and Payroll

Ability to perform complex Human Capital Management Enterprise Resource Planning system functions (e.g., establish a position, create a PCF, determine cost center codes, etc.).

Executive Assistance

Ability to maintain confidentiality and be sensitive to political issues.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Any combination of education, experience and training equivalent to high school graduation and three years of experience providing administrative support in the assigned functional area(s).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Payroll processing experience.
• Knowledge of payroll policies, procedures, and deadlines.
• Experience working with HRM or HCM systems.
• Ability to analyze data, identify discrepancies, and communicate effectively across multiple teams.
• Strong planning and organizational skills and attention to detail are a must.
• Strong Microsoft Office Outlook, Word, and Excel skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills and great customer service.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENT:

The appointee to the position will be required to complete a criminal background check and credit check to the satisfaction of the employer.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Employee may be required to lift up to 25 lbs. Job is generally sedentary in nature; however, visual acuity is required to read data on computer monitor, incumbent must be able to operate keyboard driven equipment. Must communicate with others. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel interview; may include exercise.

Fairfax County is home to a highly diverse population, with a significant number of residents speaking languages other than English at home (including Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and many others.) We encourage candidates who are bilingual in English and another language to apply for this opportunity.

Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov. EEO/AA/TTY.

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Merit Positions

Fairfax County is proud to offer employees an attractive and comprehensive benefits program, including the following:

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage
• Group Term Life Insurance
• Long Term Disability
• LiveWell Program
• Flexible Spending Programs
• Paid Leave (annual, sick, parental, volunteer activity, and more!)
• Paid Holidays
• Contributory Retirement Plan
• Deferred Compensation
• Employee Assistance Program
• Employees Child Care Center
• Continuous Learning Opportunities

Please click here for a summary of our benefits.

NOTE: Fairfax County Government is a qualifying employer under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. For more information about the PSLF program: Public Service Loan Forgiveness | Federal Student Aid

For additional details please visit the Countys benefits webpage.

Non-Merit Positions

• Non-Merit Benefit Eligible: scheduled to work a minimum 1,040 hours and no more than a maximum of 1,560 hours in a calendar year.

• Medical/Vision/Dental Insurance Coverage

• Flexible Spending Program

• Deferred Compensation

• Temporary: scheduled to work a maximum of 900 hours in a calendar year.

• No benefits

01

What is the highest level of education that you have completed?

• Less than 12th grade
• High school diploma or GED
• Some college
• Associates degree
• Bachelors degree
• Masters degree
• Doctorate degree

02

If you answered "Some college" for the highest level of education completed, please indicate the number of quarter or semester hours you have completed towards a degree.

• Less than 45 quarter hours
• 45 to less than 90 quarter hours
• 90 to less than 135 quarter hours
• 135 to less than 180 quarter hours
• 180 or more quarter hours
• Less than 30 semester hours
• 30 to less than 60 semester hours
• 60 to less than 90 semester hours
• 90 to less than 120 semester hours
• 120 or more semester hours
• Not applicable

03

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have providing administrative support in the following functional areas: general administration, payroll, time keeping, and/or customer service?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

04

How many years of experience do you have working with an automated payroll and personnel processing system in a fast-paced environment?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

05

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have processing personnel transactions (e.g., appointments, transfers, data changes, etc.) using Human Resources Information Systems, such as FOCUS HCM or similar?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

06

How many years of full-time equivalent payroll processing experience do you have?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

07

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have providing front-line customer service, which includes responding to internal and external customer inquiries face-to-face, by telephone, and in writing?

• None
• Less than one year
• One to less than two years
• Two to less than three years
• Three to less than four years
• Four to less than five years
• Five or more years

08

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Word.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of creating, editing, formatting, and saving simple documents; inserting simple tables; and proofreading documents for accuracy)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of common commands such as creating a title; using, modifying, and creating styles; setting up the ruler; indenting paragraphs, using tabs and tables; inserting captions, footnotes, endnotes, special characters, or hard page breaks; using page numbering; creating headers and footers; inserting graphics; inserting an equation, adding comments and tracking changes.)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of almost all function of program including mail merge, macros, creating a table of contents, creating bookmarks and cross-referencing.)
• No experience

09

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Excel.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of creating a worksheet; performing calculations in a worksheet; modifying and formatting a worksheet; printing workbook contents)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of inserting and modifying graphic objects in a worksheet; customizing and enhancing workbooks; analyzing data using Pivot Tables, Slicers, and Pivot Charts)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of increasing productivity and improving efficiency by streamlining workflow; collaborating with others using workbooks; auditing worksheets; analyzing data; working with multiple workbooks; importing and exporting data, using Excel with the web)
• No experience

10

Please indicate your level of proficiency with Microsoft Outlook.

• Beginner (Basic knowledge of identifying the components of the Outlook environment; composing email messages; sending and receiving email messages; organizing email messages into folders; managing contacts; scheduling appointments; scheduling meetings, managing tasks, notes and journal entries)
• Intermediate (Knowledge of customizing message settings; organizing and locating Outlook messages; setting calendar options; tracking activities using the Journal; assigning and tracking tasks; sharing folder information; customizing the Outlook environment)
• Advanced (Extensive knowledge of almost all functions of program including personalizing your email; organizing Outlook items; managing data files; managing contacts and contact information; saving and archiving email; creating a custom Outlook form; working offline and remotely)
• No experience

Required Question

Employer Fairfax County

Address 12000 Government Center Pkwy. Suite 270

Fairfax, Virginia, 22035

Phone 703-324-3311

Website http://agency.governmentjobs.com/fairfaxcounty/default.cfm