Administrative Assistant II
About WestEd As a community of over 1,000 researchers, practitioners, consultants, and administrative professionals from all backgrounds and life experiences, we are committed to making a qualitative difference in the lives of youth, children, and adults. We conduct and apply research, develop evidence-based solutions, and provide consulting services across the country in both rural and urban communities to improve equitable outcomes for individuals from infancy through adulthood. Serving as trusted partners in the areas of education, health, and justice, our teams enhance capacity within communities and school districts to prioritize impact - asking the right questions, customizing methodologies, developing relevant tools, and implementing best practices specific to a diverse range of stakeholder needs.
WestEd supports individual initiative, excellence, and hard work of all individuals in our hiring and work practices. WestEd complies with all applicable federal and state anti-discrimination laws, as well as OFCCP requirements. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, or status as a protected veteran.
SPECIAL NOTICE REGARDING THE WORK LOCATION OF THIS POSITION - WestEd has an interest in building community in our local areas and has a strong preference for staff to live in proximity and regularly come to one of our anchor offices in Alameda, Seal Beach, or Washington DC. Other WestEd offices or remote work will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The Opportunity WestEd's teams rely on administrative professionals who keep complex work moving, and you will be one of them. In this role you will support a center, infrastructure unit, or department with limited supervision, and colleagues will count on you to handle details accurately and on time. As the Administrative Assistant II for the Seal Beach office, you will be a steady, dependable presence for colleagues, clients, participants, and vendors, keeping meetings, events, and day-to-day office activity on track. In addition, you will support workplace experience initiatives, and administrative tasks within the Property & Facilities Management Department. This position is office-based, 5 days a week.
Core Focus Areas and Responsibilities
Scheduling, Events, Logistics, and Site Coordination
- Serve as the primary point of contact for visitors and employees, managing front desk operations, communications, mail and deliveries, visitor access, and a professional reception environment.
- Assist on-site safety team with annual evacuation drills, help inventory and restock emergency supplies.
- Independently coordinate travel, meetings, and events that have multiple components.
- Manage participant communication and logistics, and communicate with staff, clients,and participants in writing and verbally.
- Work with vendors and operating units, and act as a delegate for calendars, travel, and expenses as needed.
- Document meetings and follow team processes for those materials.
- Support the timeline, production, and delivery of materials for on-site events, collaborating with other departments or teams.
Business Operations Administration
- Process and track business transactions accurately, including travel expenses, invoices, and P-card transactions.
- Process and track contract information and participant incentives.
- Initiate routine vendor transactions.
- Follow up on reconciliation.
- Maintain adequate inventory of kitchen and office supplies to ensure daily operations run smoothly and efficiently.
Project and Initiative Support
- Track project deliverables and deadlines across assigned tasks and flag issues affecting timelines or quality.
- Maintain project documentation and files following team processes.
- Coordinate logistics for project meetings and events, including participant communication.
- Build familiarity with the subject area, funder requirements, or geographic context of your assigned work, and use it to complete tasks with less direction.
- Support special projects by coordinating logistics and tracking deliverables as assigned.
Technology, Systems, and Process Effectiveness
- Use multiple administrative systems, such as travel, expenses, databases, and calendars, effectively.
- Troubleshoot routine issues.
- Maintain data security and accuracy.
- Provide basic technical support for virtual meetings, including setup, hosting, and follow-up.
What We're Looking For Experience and Qualifications Required
- High school diploma or equivalent required; associate or bachelor's degree preferred.
- 3+ years of experience in office administration, administrative support, scheduling, or customer service.
- Strong customer service and interpersonal skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet timelines.
- Experience coordinating travel, meetings, or events, including working with vendors.
- Experience processing and tracking transactions such as expenses, invoices, or purchasing card activity.
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel) and videoconferencing tools such as Zoom.
- Ability to learn new administrative systems quickly and maintain data accuracy and security.
Preferred
- Associate or bachelor's degree.
- Experience supporting a department, center, or project team.
- Experience tracking project deliverables and deadlines.
- Experience with travel, expense, or database systems.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across departments.
How You'll Approach the Work
We're looking for someone who:
- Follows established procedures, recognizes when a task doesn't fit the usual pattern and raises it with a supervisor, and tries alternative approaches with guidance when the first one isn't working.
- Responds to requests from staff, clients, and participants with courtesy and attentiveness, follows through on commitments, and flags needs outside their scope to a supervisor.
- Completes tasks accurately and on time, asks for guidance when uncertain, alerts supervisors when work is at risk, and follows ethical standards, confidentiality requirements, and WestEd policies.
- Participates constructively in team settings, listens attentively, follows through on commitments to colleagues, and treats coworkers, clients, and visitors with respect.
- Recognizes personal triggers and limitations and manages emotions constructively, adjusts to shifting priorities, and receives feedback openly and applies it to later work.
Location and Work Arrangement
- Location/geography: Seal Beach, CA
- Work arrangement: In office
- Travel: none
Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Successful candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.
WestEd conducts a criminal background check, fingerprint validation and education verification for all new hires. Any offers of employment will be contingent on receiving a clear background check in accordance with applicable law.
Salary and Benefits The full salary range for this position, WestEd Level 6, is $59,600 to $93,100 but WestEd does not typically hire at or near the top of the salary range. The typical hiring range for this role is $59,600 to $74,500. The actual offer considers multiple factors including but not limited to education; experience; internal equity, and other organizational needs.
In addition to the base salary, benefits include:
- 15% contribution toward retirement effective day 1 of employment and immediately 100% vested
- Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Account option
- All health/welfare benefits are effective first of the month following hire date
- PTO: 19 days (increases to 21 days beginning the third year of employment) and 12 paid holidays
- Life Insurance: value of 3x gross salary, max of 500K
- Opportunities for annual merit-based performance increases + annual incentives
- Professional development opportunities & mentorship program
#LI CA, #Circa CA
For more detail about our benefits, go to: https://www.wested.org/work-at-wested/benefits/ Committed to the diversity of race, ethnicities, perspectives, and opportunities, WestEd offers a variety of social and professional learning communities, such as Employee Resource groups, the Data Intelligence, Insights, and Innovation PLC, and the WestEd Parent Community, just to name a few. We hope you'll consider joining us to build better schools, communities, learning pathways, and more!
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)
