Salary: $71,448.00 - $100,588.80 Annually
Location : Tacoma, WA
Job Type: Non-Classified
Job Number: 0738-26
Department: Customer Experience & External Affairs
Division: TPU Customer Service
Opening Date: 09/25/2026
Closing Date: 10/5/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

Position Description
The Office Administrator for TPU Customer Service serves as a key administrative and operational partner to the Customer Services Division Manager and senior management team. The position works with a high degree of independence to anticipate needs, coordinate priorities, provide administrative coordination for division initiatives and special assignments, support sensitive customer and leadership matters, and ensure timely follow-through.

The position requires strong judgment, initiative, organization, and relationship-building skills. The successful candidate will be comfortable shifting between leadership-level coordination and hands-on administrative support based on the needs of the division. This position supports five senior management team members and approximately 130 employees.

Primary Responsibilities:
Division Leadership and Administrative Support

• Provide direct administrative and operational support to the Customer Services Division Manager and senior management team.
• Manage complex scheduling and calendaring, proactively identifying conflicts, competing priorities, preparation needs, and opportunities to protect and maximize efficient use of leadership time.
• Anticipate upcoming deadlines, meetings, decisions, and administrative needs and take appropriate action with limited direction.
• Draft, edit, and coordinate sensitive correspondence, division communications, presentations, reports, and leadership briefing materials.
• Coordinate requests involving Executive Leadership, the Public Utility Board, City Attorney's Office, Human Resources, labor partners, and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Serve as a central point of coordination for administrative functions and ensure timely response and follow-through.
• Provide hands-on logistical and administrative support to the Division Manager, anticipating day-to-day needs and responding flexibly to changing priorities.
• Coordinate travel, training, reimbursements, purchasing, invoices, and related financial administrative activities.

HR Liaison

• Serve as the primary administrative liaison between Customer Services leadership and Human Resources.
• Create requisitions and role requests and coordinate associated HR processes.
• Maintain confidential personnel records in accordance with applicable requirements.
• Coordinate onboarding and offboarding activities, including equipment, system access, and orientation.
• Support compliance with HR policies and labor agreements and appropriately elevate questions requiring HR or management review.

Customer and Leadership Support

• Provide administrative support for sensitive or elevated customer matters and leadership requests.
• Coordinate with appropriate Customer Services staff to gather account information, documentation, and other information needed to respond to inquiries.
• Route matters to the appropriate manager or subject-matter expert for review and resolution and follow up on outstanding responses.
• Maintain records of elevated matters and track assigned follow-up through completion.
• Prepare correspondence and organize supporting information for Division Manager or leadership review.
• Develop familiarity with Customer Services programs, policies, and processes to effectively route inquiries and coordinate administrative support.

Leadership and Meeting Operations

• Coordinate senior management meetings, division meetings, town halls, workshops, employee events, and other special activities.
• Develop agendas, prepare materials, document decisions and action items, and track commitments through completion.
• Follow up directly with managers, principals, and other staff on behalf of the Division Manager regarding assigned actions, deadlines, and information requests.
• Maintain visibility into significant division initiatives and upcoming deadlines and proactively identify items requiring Division Manager attention.
• Support leadership preparation for Public Utility Board meetings, leadership briefings, presentations, and other high-level meetings.
• Coordinate hybrid and virtual meeting logistics and ensure appropriate technology, materials, and resources are available.

Administrative Coordination and Follow-Through

• Provide administrative coordination and support for division initiatives and special assignments.
• Organize meetings, materials, schedules, deadlines, and other administrative needs associated with assigned work.
• Maintain action-item and assignment trackers and follow up with staff regarding established deadlines and commitments.
• Coordinate information and materials from multiple teams to support timely completion of assignments and leadership requests.
• Keep the Division Manager informed of upcoming deadlines, outstanding items, and matters requiring attention.
• Assist with implementing administrative processes and tools that improve organization and follow-through.

Qualifications

Minimum Education*
High School Diploma or GED

Minimum Experience*
5 years of office administration and/or program support experience including 1 year of prior advanced level experience

*Relevant education and experience may substitute for one another on a year-for-year basis.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience providing administrative or operational support to senior-level management.
• Experience coordinating administrative initiatives, special assignments, or work involving multiple stakeholders and deadlines.
• Knowledge of customer service, utility, contact center, or other complex operational environments.

Knowledge & Skills

Proactive and Forward-Thinking
Anticipates leadership and organizational needs, identifies emerging issues, and takes appropriate action without waiting for detailed direction.

Independent Judgment
Works with a high degree of independence, prioritizes competing demands, and determines when an issue requires leadership attention.

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
Evaluates information, identifies key issues, supports practical solutions, and anticipates potential problems.

Organization and Follow-Through
Organizes assignments, coordinates with multiple stakeholders, monitors deadlines, and follows through on established commitments.
Process Improvement
Identifies inefficient or unclear administrative processes and recommends practical improvements to strengthen organization and service delivery.

Relationship Building and Organizational Awareness
Develops trusted relationships across teams and organizational levels, maintains awareness of emerging issues, and effectively navigates the organization to accomplish work.
Influence Without Authority
Coordinates work and supports accountability through effective communication and follow-through without formal supervisory authority.

Communication and Synthesis
Communicates clearly and professionally and organizes information into concise summaries and materials for leadership review.

Discretion and Professional Judgment
Handles sensitive customer, employee, legal, labor, and leadership matters with appropriate confidentiality and judgment.

Adaptability and Service Orientation
Responds effectively to changing priorities and is willing to provide both high-level coordination and hands-on administrative and logistical support as business needs require.

Selection Process & Supplemental Information

Apply

Interested individuals should apply online by completing the application and attaching a resume and cover letter by the closing date and time listed on the job announcement. Applications received without attaching the required materials may not progress in the selection process.

This position is covered by a Labor Agreement between the City of Tacoma and Local 483.
Compensation & Benefits
Pay Details:
Hourly Rate: $34.35 - $48.36
Work Schedule
Telework may be available on a limited basis based on business needs.

This position requires flexibility to support changing business needs. Occasional work outside of regular business hours, including overtime, may be required to support division events, urgent matters, or other operational needs.

Get Assistance

For assistance with the application process or questions regarding this job announcement please contact the Human Resources office at (253) 591-5400 by 4:00 p.m. of the closing date of the job announcement.

For technical difficulties using the NEOGOV system, call the applicant support line at 1-855-524-5627 between 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time. This will allow us to assist you before the job announcement closes.

Communication with the City of Tacoma

We primarily communicate via email during the application process. Emails from Tacoma.gov and/or governmentjobs.com should be placed on your safe domain list to ensure that you receive notifications in a timely manner. As a precaution, you may also want to check your junk email folders.
The City of Tacoma provides excellent medical, dental and vision plans for the whole family; paid holidays and paid leave; participation in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System (alternate plan for Police/Fire); continuing education and advancement opportunities and a growing variety of City-sponsored health and wellness opportunities and incentives.

Medical Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Dental Coverage: For eligible employees and their families, including domestic partners and dependent children age 26 or younger.

Vision Coverage: For eligible employees and their eligible dependents.

Paid Leave: City employees are entitled to received paid holidays, sick/vacation leave or personal time off (PTO), depending upon union affiliation and appointment type.

Insurance Plans: Employees are covered by a long-term disability plan. Short-term and expanded long-term disability insurance plans are also available to employees. The State Industrial Insurance Act also covers employees.

Deferred Compensation: Income can be set aside on a pretax basis and invested for supplementation of normal retirement income.

Retirement: All employees of the City, except members of the Police and Fire services, Tacoma Rail and certain project employees, are included in the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System. Information on the Tacoma Employees' Retirement System can be found at www.cityoftacoma.org or by calling (253) 502-8200.

Other Employment Information

Direct Deposit: Employees are paid on a bi-weekly schedule by direct deposit.

Salary Increases: Based on satisfactory job performance, the City provides for a regular progression of salary increases for most classifications according to the salary schedule.

Union Affiliation: Many job classifications are covered by union security provisions which require union membership, dues, or payment of equivalent service fees.

Note: The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.
01

Do you have an equivalent combination to a high school diploma or GED AND 5 years of office administration and/or program support experience including 1 year of prior advanced level experience?*Relevant education and experience may substitute for one another on a year-for-year basis.

• Yes
• No

02

This position requires anticipating the needs of the Division Manager and taking action with limited direction. Describe a time when you recognized an upcoming need, competing priority, risk, or deadline before being asked. What action did you take, and what was the outcome?
03

Describe an initiative, special assignment, or complex administrative effort you coordinated with limited direction and without direct authority over everyone involved. How did you organize the work, manage competing priorities, follow up with others, and ensure deadlines and commitments were met?
04

This position supports a fast-paced operational division where priorities can change quickly. Imagine the Division Manager has several critical assignments underway, a full meeting schedule, an upcoming leadership deadline, and a sensitive customer matter requiring attention. How would you assess the situation, determine what you could handle independently, and decide what requires the Division Manager's immediate attention?
05

One of the City's Principles that guides us is Equity. Describe what equity means to you and describe any experience you have working with diverse groups of people.
06

Pleas