SANTA CLARA COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
Job Description

ASSISTANT TO THE COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS

SUMMARY: Assists the County Superintendent of Schools in the administration of specific mandates related to the Williams Case and plans, organizes and directs special projects assigned by the County Superintendent. Coordinates the activities of the legislative committee, supports the County Superintendent regarding matters relating to the administration of the Office; and performs all other related duties.

70% ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

Assists the Superintendent to implement COE responsibilities as defined in the Williams lawsuit; assists the Superintendent with school district intervention plans whenever necessary; works with the Communications Services to develop comprehensive communications relating to specific projects; represents the County Superintendent of Schools in meetings with district superintendents, board members, and the community on school district monitoring responsibilities and management processes; and works with districts in their development of a facilities inspection system.

15% LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE/MONITORING

Coordinates the activities of the Office’s joint legislative committee; interacts with senior management, community employee representatives, Board members and other interested parties to discuss and develop legislation or legislative positions; assists in the direction of activities of contract lobbyists, whose duties include monitoring state legislation to determine the fiscal impact on the County Office, monitoring the formulation and development of the State budget and other duties as assigned.

15% RELATED ACTIVITIES

Performs administrative work of considerable complexity in executing programs and projects for the County Superintendent; coordinates the activities of the Administrative Council; ensures execution of directives from the County Superintendent; and performs all other related duties.

DECISION-MAKING AND PROBLEM-SOLVING: Forecasts trends and sets direction for the County Office of Education and participates in planning and problem solving; recommends new or revised standards, policies, etc. Uses specialized techniques in analysis of collected data; situations are frequently highly complex; and participates in decisions that have major impact on the entire Office.

REQUIRED MINIMUM SKILLS AND ABILITIES: Knowledge of effective project management; organizational development and management; and policy and procedure development. Knowledge of federal, state and local laws, policies, rules and regulations pertaining to county offices of education and school district administration. Ability to conceptualize and be creative; synthesize facts, concepts, and influences that affect systems and procedures; interpret appropriate laws, codes, rules, and policies as they relate to a variety of situations; ability to work well with educational, business and community leaders. skill in the analysis of organizational and administrative problems and in developing appropriate recommendations for problem resolution; skill in maintaining a broad array of documentation and publications; mastery skill in communicating in critical situations; ability to compose written documents with precision in grammar, spelling, punctuation, document construction and editorial enhancement; mastery skill in creative program planning, implementation, and evaluation; advanced skill in managing personnel; and working with others in both authority and non-authority relationships.

REQUIRED MINIMUM TRAINING, EDUCATION, AND LICENSING: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in educational, governmental or business administration or a related field; a Master’s degree is desirable; and a valid California driver's license.

REQUIRED MINIMUM PRIOR WORK EXPERIENCE: Five years of job-related experience with demonstrated competence. Management experience in a public school system, institution of higher learning or government is highly desirable.

REQUIRED INTERACTION (NON-AUTHORITY): Contacts have little or no predetermined structure; are primarily with the highest level individual both inside and outside the Office, such as Board of Education members, assistant superintendents, and school district superintendents; and contacts require decision-making and problem solving where Office-wide, cross-divisional concerns are at stake.

SUPERVISION: This position reports to the County Superintendent of Schools and may directly supervise support staff.

Approved by the Personnel Commission: September 28, 2004