Career Opportunity

(1408) Front Desk Clerk/Commission Secretary - Human Rights Commission

Recruitment: RTF0145160-01152228

Published: March 13, 2024

Apply using SmartRecruiters, the City and County of San Francisco's application portal.

About:

The roots of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC) go back to 1964, when the modern day civil rights movement manifested in San Francisco through demonstrations against hotels, supermarkets, drive-in theaters, and automobile showrooms that discriminated against African Americans. In early 1964, Mayor John F. Shelley appointed an interim committee on human relations, which subsequently recommended to the Board of Supervisors that a permanent Human Rights Commission be established.

Today, the Human Rights Commission advocates for human and civil rights, and works in service of the City’s anti-discrimination laws to further racial solidarity, equity, and healing. For over 60 years, HRC has grown in response to San Francisco’s mandate to address the causes of and problems resulting from prejudice, intolerance, bigotry, and discrimination through the following work:

• Advocating for human and civil rights
• Investigating and mediating discrimination complaints
• Resolving community disputes and issues involving individual or systemic illegal discrimination
• Providing technical assistance, information, and referrals to individuals, community groups, businesses and government agencies related to human rights and social services.

Role description

The 1408 Principal Clerk is responsible for supporting the Human Rights Commission front counter operations and serves as the HRC Commission Secretary

Under supervision of the Executive Director, the HRC Front Desk Clerk/Commission Secretary provides quality customer service and serves as a primary contact for the general public and the HRC Commission.  Performs complex clerical tasks; provides information related to Human Rights Commission or provides referrals to other departments within the City and County of San Francisco.

Work Schedule and Location:  This position requires working in person full-time during standard business hours at the Human Rights Commission main offices located at 25 Van Ness. The schedule includes working alternating Thursday evenings at City Hall located at 1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place.

Front Desk Support & Operations

• Provides customer service to the general public on a daily basis in-person, by email, and over the telephone.
• Assist the public with intake process for filing discrimination complaints, which includes explaining the investigation and or mediation process.
• Handles confidential information related to potential or pending investigations and hands it to the appropriate authorized investigator.
• Screens and directs inquiries to the appropriate contact or division.
• Greets and directs visitors to the appropriate meeting locations per departmental protocol.
• Immediately reports incidents which impact or disrupt daily operations to supervisor and/or management. These types of incidents may include but are not limited to calling security, equipment failure or malfunction, or guests who become upset and/or threatening.
• Inspects and distributes U.S. Postal mail and interdepartmental mail, parcels, and packages:
  • Sorts and groups incoming mail for distribution to various units within the department.
  • Receives shipments from UPS, FedEx, and other couriers, which includes examining the packages and properly notifying the recipient of the delivery.
• Enters information into database to document and generate reports of new intakes.

Commission Secretary

The Commission Secretary will provide positive leadership, strong project management, administrative expertise, and exceptional organizational and communication skills.  The individual is expected to exercise independent judgment and discretion, demonstrate initiative and be able to carry out responsibilities with little direction.  The ideal candidate will be a self-motivated professional who can demonstrate tact and courtesy in politically sensitive situations, has excellent problem-solving and decision-making ability, is detail-oriented and able to manage to tight timelines, possesses high ethical standards of integrity, and has experience working collaboratively in a diverse and dynamic environment. 

The Commission Secretary is responsible for managing the administrative activities of the Commission including the following essential functions:

• Schedules and coordinates Commission meetings including preparation, posting and dissemination of Commission agendas, public notices, meeting minutes, resolutions, information, and other important documents. Ensures compliance with all timely public posting requirements.
• Attends all Commission meetings in person and serves as the Parliamentarian for the Commission with familiarity with formal meeting procedures and parliamentary rules for Commission meetings.
• Supports smooth administration of all Commission meetings, including ensuring that meeting space is reserved, sending out meeting invites and virtual meeting links to Commissioners and departmental staff, and interfacing with Media Services team or SFGov-TV, and HRC staff to ensure that hybrid meeting technology is operational and that meetings are recorded.
• Provides administrative support to Commission members and ensures Commissioners are informed in a timely fashion of relevant information and activities, including outside normal business hours as necessary and in emergency situations.
• Interacts regularly with a diverse population including Commissioners, the HRC Director and other members of the department’s leadership team, the City Attorney’s Office, departmental staff, clients of the department, the public, governmental officials, staff of public and private agencies and others that fall under the functional jurisdiction of the Commission. 
• Works well with others, demonstrates diplomacy, has excellent oral communication skills, maintains confidentiality, exercises critical thinking and good judgment, and has the ability to prioritize assignments in a fast-paced environment;
• Ensures that the Commission is informed of and operates in accordance with the City Charter, Administrative Code, Brown Act and City policies, such as Statement of Economic Interests (Form 700) and Statement of Incompatible Activities; and ensures that Commissioners keep current on mandated trainings.
• In coordination with the department’s DHR Consultant, supports Commissioners with matters related to compensation and leave.
• Ensures public access to Commission meetings, arranging disability accommodations, translation and interpretation services as required.
• Coordinates work with other internal and external offices, programs or sections to ensure that Commission meeting documents are accurate and presented in a way that meets the Commission’s expectations. Read, write, and edit documents in a clear, concise and effective manner using accurate grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.
• Reviews or directs others to review a wide variety of documents as to form, content, consistency of application and adherence to established laws, policies, rules and regulations, i.e., Commission packets.
• Maintains the information on the Commission’s website page to ensure it reflects the most relevant and current information.
• Serves as the Commission’s custodian of records, maintains and manages onsite and electronic Commission records.
• Prepares and responds to requests for information from the general public, governmental officials, and other interested parties concerning Commission policies, procedures, actions, meetings and meeting access, in consultation with the HSH Sunshine Office as appropriate.
• Signs official documents attesting to Commission action, as authorized; and
• Performs related duties and responsibilities as required.

How to qualify

Minimum Qualifications

Experience:

Three (3) years of highly responsible and diversified clerical experience including preparing and processing complex detailed work impacting an entire department or section; responding to and resolving difficult day-to-day problems and/or complaints encountered by staff, the public, other individuals, etc. on office operations and procedures; and explaining and interpreting complicated information to departments, staff, the public and/or others.

License and Certification:

Substitution:

Any one of the following may substitute for six (6) months of the required experience:

Completion of a clerical training program (240 hours); OR

15-semester units (or equivalent quarter units) of coursework from an accredited college or university; OR

Completion of an approved City and County of San Francisco Clerical Administrative training program (as designated on the job announcement).

Desirable Qualifications

• Multilingual in Spanish and/or Cantonese

One year full-time employment is equivalent to 2,000 hours (2,000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above 40 hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualification requirement by the final filing date unless otherwise noted.

What else should I know?

• Compensation: 1408 Principal Clerk
• Application Deadline: March 27, 2024

Additional Information Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

• Information About The Hiring Process
• Conviction History
• Employee Benefits Overview  
• Equal Employment Opportunity 
• Disaster Service Worker
• ADA Accommodation
• Veterans Preference
• Right to Work
• Copies of Application Documents
• Diversity Statement

Exempt employment

This role is exempt from the San Francisco Civil Service Rules, and employment is at the discretion of the appointing officer. (Category 4)

For any questions regarding the position or hiring process- please contact the recruitment analyst, Kristen Erbst at kristen.erbst@sfgov.org

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.