City and County of San Francisco

Under direction, the 1408 Principal Clerk performs highly responsible, important, and difficult clerical work requiring extensive knowledge of departmental functions, and performs related duties as required. Essential functions of the classification include: supervising, planning, assigning and evaluating subordinate personnel engaged in a wide variety of office clerical work
and/or disseminating, explaining and interpreting information requiring specialized knowledge of the policies and procedures of a department; handling confidential correspondence and sensitive and/or personal information; developing staff procedures; resolving day-to-day problems and/or complaints encountered by staff, the public, department representatives, and
others; supervising and/or participating in the preparation and maintenance of statistics and records for reports using applicable computer systems; and supervising and/or preparing the processing and handling of administrative documents. May collect, calculate and process applicable charges, fees, taxes, etc. This position requires proficiency in basic computer application programs.

Incumbents in this class serve as supervisors in the clerical series, overseeing the work of clerks and clerk-typists and are responsible for performing highly responsible and difficult clerical work involving extensive knowledge of departmental functions, including serving as a department's primary public contact person to explain important and specialized policies, procedures, and regulations. Positions in this class are distinguished from those of the 1410 Chief Clerk in that the latter supervises a larger unit of clerical staff, performs more independently and/or provides specialized information that is more complex in nature.

Supervise employees involved in clerical work.

According to Civil Service Commission Rule 109, the duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to this job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive list.

1. Supervises, plans, assigns and evaluates subordinate personnel to ensure conformance with departmental regulations and policies, existing office procedures, and applicable laws and regulations. This includes maintaining personnel action requests, personnel files and other personnel records. Disseminates, explains and interprets important information requiring specialized knowledge of the policies and procedures of a department, as well as the regulations enforced by the department to the public and/or employees, contractors, vendors, etc.
2. Performs highly responsible, important and difficult clerical work involving the exercise of individual judgment by knowing the applicable departmental procedures to which assigned.
3. Reviews and resolves day-to-day transactions, problems and/or complaints encountered by co-workers and/or affiliated parties (members of the public, volunteers, students, city departments and other government agencies, etc.).
4. Supervises and/or participates in the preparation and maintenance of a wide variety of records and reports by preparing, compiling, and maintaining statistics and records for these reports using applicable computer systems.
5. Supervises and/or prepares the processing and general handling of administrative documents such as licenses, permits, purchase orders, work orders, requisitions, contracts, etc. This includes verifying the timeliness and accuracy of these documents.
6. May collect, calculate and process applicable charges, fees and taxes, etc.
7. Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

 

Knowledge of: Clerical and office methods, practices and procedures.

Ability and Skill to: Plan, direct, monitor, and evaluate the work of staff, delegate responsibility, and provide training; prepare annual performance appraisal reports and handling disciplinary cases; identify problems, recommend possible solutions and implement the appropriate solution in accordance to applicable laws, rules, regulations and departmental policies and procedures; prioritize and accurately handle detailed and difficult clerical work; interact effectively and courteously with the public and City employees in all situations especially those requiring sound judgment and professional demeanor; communicate effectively and courteously with the public, staff, and departmental personnel; express ideas clearly, concisely and accurately when writing correspondence and reports; access and use relevant computer software applications and database systems to process records, documents and applicable fees and prepare correspondence and reports.

These minimum qualifications establish the education, training, experience, special skills and/or license(s) which are required for employment in the classification.  Please note, additional qualifications (i.e., special conditions) may apply to a particular position and will be stated on the exam/job announcement.

Education:

 

Experience:

Three (3) years (equivalent to 6,000 hours) of verifiable 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:

Completion of a clerical training program (240 hours) OR 15 semester units (or equivalent quarter units) of coursework from an accredited college or university may be substituted for six (6) months (equivalent to 1000 hours) of the required experience.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION

ORIGINATION DATE: 1/12/1961

AMENDED DATE: 09/05/03; 01/12/07; 03/18/08; 08/19/09; 12/04/09; 02/02/16

REASON FOR AMENDMENT To accurately reflect the current tasks, knowledge, skills and abilities defined in the most recent job analysis conducted for this job code.

BUSINESS UNIT(S): COMMN SFMTA SFCCD SFUSD

All City and County of San Francisco employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law (California Government Code Section 3100-3109). Employment with the City requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to complete all Disaster Service Worker-related training as assigned, and to return to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.