Personnel Commission
CLASS TITLE: Seminar Specialist
DESCRIPTION OF BASIC FUNCTION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
To perform administrative-technical support functions related to educational development, personal enrichment, and staff development seminars and other specialized training services sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Employees in this classification receive limited supervision within a framework of standard policies and procedures. Employees in this job class may serve as a lead or direct the work of others. This job class coordinates a variety of administrative details in the planning, processing, and implementation of a successful seminar-training program.
DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
The job class of Seminar Specialist performs administrative-technical support functions related to educational development, personal enrichment, and staff development seminars and other specialized training services sponsored by the Office. Positions allocated to this job class are designated as advanced journey-level. Incumbents possess desktop publishing skills and demonstrate abilities to resolve problems, use independent judgment, and make decisions that relieve the program manager of administrative details.
The next lower journey level job class of Seminar Assistant is distinguished by its narrower scope of work assignments to support of seminar-training programs requiring journey-level knowledge and work experience limited to the assigned seminar-training area. Incumbents in this job class possess clerical/secretarial skills and demonstrate the ability to make independent decisions without the immediate review of the program manager.
TYPICAL DUTIES
Performs a variety of highly responsible clerical and support functions related to the production, coordination, and administration of educational development, personal enrichment, and staff development seminars
Keyboards/types, verifies, files, and duplicates a variety of materials including catalogs, course outlines, contracts, and announcements from written and/or oral instructions
Assists in arranging for facilities and scheduling seminars; reserves necessary audio and presentation equipment; prepares and submits appropriate forms and documents
May contact instructors and presenters to schedule seminar-training activities
Processes registrations for seminar and training program courses; enters, edits, and retrieves information into word-processing and data base files; mails registration confirmation materials, and processes course fees
Provides seminar and training activities information by telephone, mail, and/or in person regarding courses offered, course content, fees, registration and withdrawal procedures, program policy, course changes, and continuing education units
Prepares and distributes course brochures, fliers, and announcements to publicize seminar-training programs and activities
Develops and prepares seminar/training workshop packets including class rosters, evaluation forms, name tags, certificates, badge holders, registration forms
Establishes and maintains accurate records; prepares reports related to program/course enrollment, instructors/presenters, attendance, program fees, course offerings, course calendar, course descriptions, mailing lists, financial information
Maintains accurate budget records of expenditures related to seminar-training activities and operations entering expenditures into budget records and comparing against monthly computer printouts
Calculates, verifies, and completes purchase requisitions, purchase orders, sub-purchase orders, and budget revisions related to assigned activities and operations; prepares and processes contracts for seminar instructors
Receives and processes seminar evaluation forms as required; maintains and updates seminar mailing lists and mails course catalogues and assigned
Uses word-processing, data base, desktop publishing, and other software programs to prepare a variety of correspondence, letters, forms, memorandums, and routine reports
Develops computer-based solutions to simple data-management problems.
Assists in the training of and serves as a resource and lead to other seminar personnel
Recommends improvements or enhancements to seminar support procedures and policies
Performs related duties as required.
EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS
Knowledge of:
Modern office methods and procedures, and equipment
Correct English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and punctuation
Seminar-training course format and scheduling factors
Seminar-training class arrangement options and audio-visual requirements
Specialized procedures related to large-complex training programs
County office policies and procedures including contract administration and office communication standards
Resources preparing, printing, and distributing large quantities of written materials
Microcomputer operations and office software programs for spreadsheet, database, word processing and desktop publishing functions
The principles and processes of Quality Improvement (QI) and customer service
Ability to:
Apply specified seminar-training program, office communication standards, and other related policies, rules, and procedures
Perform arithmetical calculations with speed and accuracy
Establish and maintain efficient record keeping/filing systems
Prepare and distribute seminar-training course fliers and announcements independently
Understand and carry out both oral and written instructions and effectively communicate and carry out both oral and written instructions
Keyboard/type accurately at a rate required for successful job performance
Analyze problems, issues, or situations; determine problem causes; and take appropriate action to resolve problems identified
Recommend improvements or enhancements to seminar-training procedures and policies
Operate a variety of standard and specialized office machines and equipment including typewriter, microcomputer, copier, fax machine and other peripheral equipment
Effectively and tactfully communicate in both oral and written form
Maintain and retrieve seminar-training data in a variety of formats
Summarize information clearly, concisely, and accurately
Assist in the training of seminar assistants
Serve as a lead or direct the work of others
Provide effective solutions to problems related to the delivery of seminar-training programs and services
Frequently shift priorities and manage multiple tasks with stringent deadlines
Establish and maintain effective work relationships with those contacted in the performance of required duties.
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE
Generally, the required knowledge and abilities will have been acquired through any combination of training and experience equivalent to three years of experience in personnel, public relations, or special events coordination including one year using data base program to input, update, and retrieve data.
Bargaining Unit: Office, Technical, and Business Services (OTBS) Unit
Personnel Commission Approval: July 5, 2000