Executive Assistant and Payroll/Personnel Specialist (Administrative Assistant V)

Executive Assistant and Payroll/Personnel Specialist (Administrative Assistant V)

Salary

$55,417.02 - $96,979.79 Annually

Location

FX. CTY. GOVERNMENT CENTER, 12000 GOVERNMENT CENTER PKWY., FAIRFAX (EJ32), VA

Job Type

FT Hourly W BN

Job Number

26-01584

Department

Cable & Consumer Services

Opening Date

10/17/2026

Closing Date

10/23/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Pay Grade

S19

Posting Type

Open to General Public

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Job Announcement

Join our team and play a key role in supporting a dynamic, high-performing department. In this multifaceted position, you will work closely with the department director and senior leadership to advance our mission, strengthen customer service, and enhance administrative excellence.

You will serve as the department's primary payroll/personnel contact, managing all aspects of payroll and personnel processing for approximately 66 employees (merit and non-merit). In addition, you will provide executive-level support to the director, handle general administrative functions, and offer backup support to other senior leaders as needed.

This role is ideal for a self-directed professional who is highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable handling confidential information. You will use your strong communication skills to build relationships across the organization, support information systems/software needs, and contribute to continuous improvement efforts that make our services more efficient and effective.

If you are adept at multitasking, proficient in Microsoft Office, and motivated to make a meaningful impact in a complex public sector environment, we encourage you to apply.

The main duties of the position include:

• Serves as the payroll/personnel contact for the department. Manages and performs all aspects of payroll and personnel for the department of approximately 53 merit employees and 13 non-merit positions.
• Provides executive assistant support to the department director. May provide backup support to other senior leadership positions as necessary.
• Performs general administrative duties for the department director. May provide backup support to other senior leadership positions and/or the department as necessary.
• Manages Information systems/software support for the department.
• Performs other assignments as requested and additional duties as required.

Functional areas: payroll/personnel, executive assistance, general administrative assistance, and/or information systems/software

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 Executive Assistance

Provides advice and counsel to members of the executive/work unit heads functional area;

Exercises discretion in administrative policy interpretation;

Resolves a wide variety of operational problems requiring sound judgment.

Acts as the liaison between the executive/work unit heads functional area, other county offices, and external agencies;

Recommends exceptions to administrative policies that are subject to review.

Scheduling & Coordinating for Others

Supervises or handles the most complex, non-routine activities where consequence of error is high;

Coordinates all logistic activities for visits by external groups;

Schedules/sets up presentation rooms, obtains required audiovisual equipment, schedules order of presentations, length, etc.;

Verifies travel arrangements made by visitors (e.g., travel to/from hotel);

Makes all arrangements required by visitors regarding catering or supplies;

Directs or performs the scheduling, organizing, coordinating and making of arrangements for national and international meetings;

Negotiates prices for goods and services required at meetings;

Manages the calendar of the executive/work unit head with authority to make commitments of the executive/work unit heads time and to distinguish higher from lower priorities in the executive/work unit heads schedule.

Communication

Independently composes original correspondence (e.g., preparation of replies to non-technical requests) for the functional area under their own signature;

Explains and interprets policies as they apply to unique situations with potential legal and safety implications;

Researches, coordinates, and provides information to others including citizens, executive/work unit head, and/or BOS members/staff;

Informs internal staff regarding executive/work unit heads decisions regarding procedural issues and provides the reasons for those decisions.

Office Management

Supervises several dissimilar or specialized functions each with unique training requirements;

Devises procedures for complex or specialized functions;

Anticipates and develops procedures/tools to prevent problems; solves unusual problems;

Provides administrative support to the functional area (e.g., reviews, evaluates and prioritizes all requests and communications;

Analyzes short and long-range administrative needs such as space, staffing of functional area).

General Administrative

Responsible for and determines administrative procedures.

Receptionist/Public Contact

Answers questions requiring decisions that tend to establish a precedent and/or commit a unit or supervisor to a course of action;

Recommends procedural changes;

Interprets policies and provides oral and/or written interpretations/procedures for non-routine/complex problems referred by front line staff.

Word Processing/Typing

Supervises word processing staff including training of staff;

Edits for style, format, and/or layout.

Information Systems/Software

Trains staff in use of agency information systems/software;

Researches & selects hardware/software;

Creates complex spreadsheets for department;

Operates/manages complex databases & other software using advanced functions;

Diagnoses and resolves hardware/software problems using substantive computer/software knowledge.

Reports

Prepares one of a kind reports, gathers statistics based on information compiled from various sources, draws conclusions, and makes recommendations.

Personnel

Supervises all personnel administrative functions for the department;

Reviews new departmental policies for HR implications and recommends and implements administrative changes;

Researches and recommends solutions to non-routine/one-of-a-kind problems;

Drafts and coordinates approval of documents that include "boilerplate" language for matters related to HR (e.g., underfill agreements);

Works with hiring manager to coordinate appointment and review process;

Reviews class specifications and recommends requested job classification;

Develops administrative HR-related procedures for agency.

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 of county policies within functional area of responsibility. This may include knowledge of an outside institution, dissimilar operational unit within the county or the basic principles and methods of a professional field.

Executive Assistance

Thorough knowledge of the executive/work unit heads program/area and of county administration and organization.

Ability to maintain confidentiality and be sensitive to political issues.

Knowledge and sensitivity to issues, priorities, protocol, etc.

Math Skills

Basic math skills.

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;

Ability to speak in front of a group.

Information Abilities

Ability to gather, integrate, and analyze complex data.

Interpersonal Abilities

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

Personnel and Payroll

Ability to perform all human Capital Management Enterprise Resource Planning system functions.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following: (Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies) High school graduation and four years of experience providing administrative support in the assigned functional area(s).

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

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

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Strong payroll/personnel processing experience.
• Proficient experience in web content management and supporting information systems/software.
• Experience providing executive assistance to a department director and/or senior leader.
• Experience providing general administrative support to a department/work unit
• Intermediate proficiency in using Microsoft Office Suite software such as Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Experience maintaining confidentiality and demonstrating sensitivity to political and organizational issues.
• Demonstrated experience as a self-directed executive assistant with excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Job is usually sedentary in a normal office environment; however, requires the ability to do some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of items under 20 pounds in weight. Ability to see, hear, and speak clearly. Ability to communicate with others and make presentations and speeches in public. Visual acuity is required to read data on computer monitor; incumbent must be able to operate keyboard driven equipment. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:

Panel Interview and may include a practical exercise.

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.

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: payroll/personnel, executive assistance, general administrative assistance, and/or information systems/software?

• 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 full-time equivalent years of experience do you have performing payroll/personnel functions, using a human capital management enterprise resource planning system?

• 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 providing executive assistance to a department director and/or senior leader?

• 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 experience do you have providing administrative support in the assigned functional areas of general office administration, receptionist/public contact, information systems/software, and/or records management?

• 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

What is your level of experience in creating, updating, and maintaining department web pages (internal and external) using a web content management system?

• Low (make basic edits to existing pages (e.g. text changes, minor formatting); used a CMS a few times with guidance or step-by-step instructions; familiar with logging in, finding a page, and publishing simple updates.)
• Moderate (Regularly updates pages with text, images, links, and attachments; creates new pages or news items using existing templates; understands basic navigation structure and where content should live; knows basic accessibility and style guidelines (e.g., headings, alt text).
• Intermediate (Independently creates, updates, and organizes multiple pages/sections; comfortable using page templates, components, and layout tools in the CMS; manages menus, navigation links, and internal/external linking; applies best practices for accessibility, readability, and basic SEO (titles, metadata); troubleshoots common formatting or display issues; coordinates content updates across a department and maintains consistency.)
• Advanced (Serves as a go-to person or administrator for department web content; designs or significantly restructures sections of the site (information architecture); configures advanced CMS features (modules/plugins, content types, workflows); implements and enforces web standards: accessibility, branding, SEO, governance; trains others to use the CMS and creates documentation or guidelines; works with central IT/web teams on more complex integrations or redesigns.)
• None of the above

08

How many years of full-time equivalent experience do you have providing general administrative support to a department and/or work unit?

• 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

09

Please indicate the following areas you have working knowledge and experience in. Check all that apply.

• Using Human Capital Management Enterprise Resource Planning system to regularly process human resource transactions
• Acting as a liaison between department director and senior leadership, other county offices, and external agencies
• Researching, coordinating, and providing information to others including residents, senior leadership, and/or Board of Supervisors members/staff
• Preparing one-of-a-kind reports, gathering statistics based on information compiled from various sources, drawing conclusions, and making recommendations
• Receiving Board of Supervisors, County, resident, and business inquiries and complaints via phone, email, and in person and entering and tracking them using customer relationship management software
• Assisting with Virginia Freedom of Information Act requests using customer relationship management software
• Training staff in use of department information systems/software
• Creating, updating, and maintaining department web pages (internal and external) using a web content management system
• Maintaining confidentiality and being sensitive to political issues
• Working in a diverse yet collaborative environment
• Working in a team environment
• Providing a high level of administrative support
• None of the above

10

Are you proficient, at an intermediate level, in any of the following Microsoft Office Suite software? Check all that apply.

• Outlook (In addition to beginner level functions, intermediate proficiency in customize command sets, configuring mail accounts, setting global options, performing advanced searches, applying filters to intercept mail and control spam, creating rules to automate many management tasks, working with calendars and contacts, managing tasks, protecting data with archiving and data files, as well as sharing and delegating access to your workspaces.)
• Word (In addition to beginner level functions of creating, editing, and saving documents; navigating through a document; and printing, intermediate proficiency in creating complex and professional documents with a consistent look and feel, automating tedious tasks such as preparing a letter to send to every customer of your organization.)
• Excel (In addition to beginner level functions, intermediate proficiency in creating advanced workbooks and worksheets that provide a more in-depth understanding of organizational intelligence, analyzing massive amounts of data, extracting actionable information from it, and presenting that information to decision makers at a high level.)
• None of the above

11

Please indicate the following roles/positions you have held in Fairfax County Government. Check all that apply.

• Payroll/Personnel processor with Human Capital Management (HCM) software platform (such as FOCUS) access.
• Executive Assistant (directly supporting a county department director or member of department's senior leadership team)
• General Administrative Assistant (e.g., Administrative Assistant I, Administrative Assistant II, Administrative Assistant III, Administrative Assistant IV, Administrative Assistant V, Administrative Associate)
• Information Systems/Software contact
• Web Content Management processor with WCM access
• None of the above

12

Due to the nature of the department's operations and the responsibilities associated with the position, the working hours may vary to include overtime on occasion. Are you willing and able to work varying work schedules to include occasional nights, weekends, and overtime as needed?

• Yes
• No

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