Library Administrative Assistant

Library Administrative Assistant

Salary

$33.96 Hourly

Location

City of Bellingham, WA

Job Type

Full Time

Job Number

26-Library Administrative Asst

Department

Library

Opening Date

05/15/2026

Closing Date

6/1/2026 8:30 AM Pacific

FLSA

Non-Exempt

Bargaining Unit

Eteam

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Nature of Work

The Bellingham Public Library is excited to welcome motivated, detail-oriented candidates to apply for our on-site Library Administrative Assistant position, where youll play a key part in supporting the Library Director and helping keep our library running smoothly.

The Library Administrative Assistant serves as the confidential administrative assistant to the Library Director and performs a variety of administrative, office management, payroll, executive support, and budgeting and accounting support duties for the Library.

SALARY AND BENEFITES:

This position will start at Step 1 ($33.96/hour). The current full hourly range for this position is $33.96/hour - $41.28/hour. Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the E-Team Handbook and City policy. For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.

At the City of Bellingham, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that helps you thrive in both your career and personal life. Join our team and enjoy peace of mind knowing that you and your loved ones are well cared for. Heres a closer look at the outstanding benefits that come with being part of our team. You can find more details on our employment benefits page and labor agreements page.

• 13.33 hours of vacation leave per month, with increased accrual over time
• 12 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday per year
• 40 hours of sick leave upon hire + 8 hours accrued monthly
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families
• Life insurance and long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts and medical insurance opt-out program
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Washington State Retirement plan (DRS) for retirement security
• Optional 457 deferred compensation savings plan and 401(a) Retirement Savings Plan with employer match

Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employees to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.

Closing Date/Time: Mon. 06/01/26 8:30 AM Pacific Time

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB:

• Supports work of the Library Director. Screens incoming calls, mail, visitors, and meeting requests. Manages Library Directors calendar. Communicates information on behalf of the Director. Prepares reports, grant applications, policies, studies, Powerpoint slides, and illustrative graphs and charts.
• Prepares routine and confidential correspondence. Receives, redirects, and responds to a variety of general and confidential inquiries from citizens and employees; assists in coordinating responses.
• Supports work of the Library Board of Trustees under direction from the Library Director. Prepares and publishes meeting agendas, board packets, and makes all meeting arrangements, including noticing meetings to local media. Assures Board members receive meeting information in a timely manner. Serves as assistant to the Library Board, attends Library Board meetings, takes notes, and prepares Board minutes. Assembles and compiles information for statistical activity reports. Schedules appointments and arranges meetings for Library Director and Board members.
• Manages office operations for the Library. Develops office procedures and performs administrative tasks involving payroll, timekeeping, budgeting, accounting, and personnel. Orders and maintains inventory of all office supplies.
• Responsible for Departments records system. Develops and maintains the administrative office filing system, maintains accurate record of contracts and other important documents, routing for signature as required, and updates various policies and procedure manuals under direction of the Library Director. Prepares records retention schedules, arranges for transmittal of records to Records Center for storage and/or destruction and arranges retrieval of materials as needed. Responds to Public Record requests under direction of the Library Director.
• Prepares Librarys annual budget documents and monitors and records budget expenditures, including: gathering and compiling budget information; estimating the needs and costs for supplies and equipment; researching information needed for purchase requisitions; determining areas of potential over or under expenditures; and initiating journal entries. Initiates and prepares appropriate City Council agenda bills relating to the Librarys budget. Prepares a variety of financial reports for the Director and Library Board of Trustees. Assists in the preparation of Librarys annual financial and statistical reports.
• Performs all accounts receivable and payable activities: prepares requisitions for Purchase Orders; reviews vendor invoices for accuracy and enters them into financial software for payment and archiving; maintains Gift Fund accounts and monitors Whatcom Community Foundation accounts; counts and reconciles money from coin-operated equipment and ensures equipment is maintained in good operating condition; reconciles Point of Sale revenues with Integrated Library System reports; prepares daily deposit; verifies and remits refunds; tracks and monitors grants; maintains petty cash accounts; and reconciles all Library credit card statements.
• Acts as primary time administrator for department. Initiates and processes all electronic personnel actions for Library staff including appointments, terminations, and changes. Collects and maintains record of Volunteer background checks.
• Collects compensation and comparative data for union negotiations and provides confidential negotiations support.
• Arranges local and out-of-town reservations for conferences, transportation, and lodging. Initiates travel authorizations and compiles back-up documentation.

ADDITIONAL WORK PERFORMED:

• Responsible for office asset inventory.
• Distributes and maintains records for meter passes and temporary parking permits.
• May type and track management proposals and prepare spreadsheets and other documents for presentation in negotiations.
• Performs other related work of a similar nature and level.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Work is performed primarily in an office setting with the majority of time at a computer workstation. Work requires sitting or standing for extended periods of time, using a computer workstation and other office equipment and receiving visitors to the Library Directors office. Work may include support for meetings outside the usual work day. This is a sedentary position with minimal physical exertion requirements.

Physical ability to perform essential functions of the job, including:

• Frequently operate a computer and other office machinery such as a keyboard, mouse, phone, and fax machine;
• Frequently communicate accurate information and ideas with others;
• Frequently remain stationary for long periods of time;
• Occasionally transport objects weighing 10-15 pounds.

Experience and Training

• High school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED).
• Three years of responsible experience in accounting support and office management.
• Strong experience utilizing computer applications for word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, and database management.
• Keyboarding at 45 WPM.
• One year of relevant post-secondary vocational or college training preferred.
• Experience utilizing computer graphics preferred.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to provide the applicant with the knowledge, skill and ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the job will be considered.

Necessary Special Requirements

• Verification of ability to work in the United States by date of hire .
• Employment contingent upon passing a criminal convictions check and child and vulnerable adult abuse records check (see Fair Hiring Practices below).

Selection Process

You are encouraged to print a copy of this job announcement for your reference as the process moves along

Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and supplemental questions). Application materials should comprehensively document your experience and skills related to the position responsibilities and experience/training requirements. As part of the Citys commitment to reducing bias in the hiring process, Human Resources redacts personally identifiable information for reviewers. Only the documents listed as required will be reviewed.

Interviews for the most qualified candidates are tentatively scheduled for June 17, 2026. Invitations to participate in the Interview process will be sent via e-mail on or around June 11, 2026.

Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.

Equal Opportunity:

The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not make decisions on the basis of an individuals race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.

Fair Hiring Practices

• The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment.
• The City will not inquire about an applicants criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made.
• The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied.
• The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.

There are many good reasons for working at the City of Bellingham. The work is rewarding and you have an opportunity to serve your community. Another good reason is the great benefits that the City offers its employees. See our benefits section for additional information.

This position is unrepresented. Specific benefit information including Holidays, Vacation Accruals, Health, Dental and Vision Plans with cost sharing and Deferred Compensation Match can be found in the E-Team Handbook.

This position is covered by the State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems PERS plan. PERS requires mandatory employee and City contributions. Please visit the DRS website for more information on PERS.

01

Thank you for your interest in this position at the City of Bellingham! To ensure a consistent review, only the City of Bellingham job application and required supplemental documents will be reviewed. Cover letters and resumes are not reviewed unless they are required as part of the process. When applying for this position, you must thoroughly complete each section of your application, and provide a thorough response to each of the supplemental questions. Please do not indicate "see resume" or copy content that is unrelated to the position being applied for from your resume when answering these questions.

Have you read and understood the information listed above?

• Yes
• No

02

Do you have a High school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED)?

• Yes
• No

03

Do you have three years of responsible experience in accounting support and office management?

• Yes
• No

04

Do you have strong experience utilizing computer applications for word processing, spreadsheets, presentation software, and database management?

• Yes
• No

05

Are able to type on a keyboard at 45 words per minute?

• Yes
• No

06

Or, In place of the above requirements, do you have an equivalent combination of education and experience that provides you with the required knowledge, skill and ability to be considered? If yes, please briefly describe.

07

Please describe any relevant post-secondary vocational or college training. Note: This is preferred.

08

Please describe any relevant experience utilizing computer graphics. Note: This is preferred.

09

Describe your experience providing office management and accounting support within a department or to a department director or similar leader. In your response, focus on the specific accounting, budgeting, timekeeping, and administrative responsibilities you routinely performed and the level of independence or complexity involved.

How We Count Work Experience: Your experience must be equal to full-time paid work. If you worked part-time, well calculate your experience based on the total number of hours you worked in a year. For example, if you worked 10 hours per week for 12 months, that equals 3 months of full-time experience (10 hrs x 52 weeks= 520 hrs/173.33 full time hrs per month = 3 months).

10

Describe your experience or training using software such as Word, Excel, and systems for computerized record-keeping and file management. Include examples of tasks you regularly perform with these tools.

11

Describe a recent period in your job when you were responsible for managing your workload independently with little direction. Explain the situation, how you decided what to prioritize, the steps you took to stay on schedule, and the outcome. Include enough detail so we can understand your role and decision-making process.

Required Question

Employer City of Bellingham

Address 104 West Magnolia Street

Bellingham, Washington, 98225

Phone 360-778-8228

Website http://www.cob.org/employment