Administrative Assistant 2 - Polk Co

Posting number: 27-00281

Department: 009 Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship

Job classification: Administrative Assistant 2

Posting type: Open

Categories: Administration, Agriculture

Summary

The approximately 345 employees of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS)are responsible for programs that impact the quality of life of every Iowan. From supporting Iowa agriculture to protecting consumers and ensuring food safety, the work of IDALS touches communities across the state every day. Your work behind the scenes helps ensure Iowa consumers have access to safe, high-quality meat and poultry products.

The Meat & Poultry Inspection Bureauis seeking a full-time Administrative Assistant 2 to join our team at the Hoover State Office Building in Des Moines.

In this role, you will provide administrative and operational support that helps advance the Bureau's mission of inspecting locker plants, small packing plants, and other meat processing facilities to ensure compliance with food safety and humane animal handling standards under the Iowa Meat and Poultry Inspection Act. Your work will help keep Iowa's food supply safe while supporting one of the state's most important industries.

What You'll Do

• Provide administrative support to the Bureau Chief, assisting with bureau operations, program coordination, and communication with other bureaus, agencies, industry partners, and the public.
• Serve as the Bureau's primary coordinator for information technology needs, including onboarding new employees, coordinating hardware and software updates, and administering higher-level user roles within Workday and the USDA Public Health Information System.
• Collect, review, and maintain bureau data, including field staff reports, plant production totals, inspection records, and laboratory sample results while organizing data through spreadsheets and reporting tools.
• Assist in developing and managing the Bureau's annual budget requests by tracking expenditures, fees, and costs in partnership with the Accounting team.
• Coordinate the Bureau's laboratory sampling programs by serving as the primary liaison with laboratory staff, communicating sampling needs, and tracking testing results.

What Will Help You Succeed

• Demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to build positive working relationships with coworkers, partner agencies, industry representatives, and the public.
• Be highly organized, self-motivated, and capable of managing multiple priorities while working independently in both office and remote environments.
• Have experience managing and analyzing data using Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, or similar programs, and presenting information in clear, meaningful reports.
• Possess experience developing, monitoring, or supporting budgets and funding requests.
• Have experience onboarding and training employees, coordinating user access to systems, and managing agency technology resources and equipment.
• Be comfortable using Workday or similar human resource information systems to support staff and troubleshoot routine personnel or system-related questions.

Applicants are encouraged to attach a resume and cover letter during the application process. Documents may be uploaded in the Attachments section of the application.

Why IDALS?

At the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, our work matters. Every day, our employees help protect Iowa's food supply, support agricultural innovation, promote environmental stewardship, and serve the people who make Iowa a national leader in agriculture.

Joining IDALS means becoming part of a collaborative team dedicated to public service, continuous improvement, and meaningful work that makes a difference across the state. Whether you're supporting our inspectors behind the scenes or working directly with stakeholders, your contributions help strengthen Iowa's agricultural future.

Benefits

As a State of Iowa employee, you'll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Affordable, high-quality health insurance with low monthly premiums.
• Dental insurance at no cost for single coverage.
• Employer-paid basic life insurance and long-term disability insurance, with optional supplemental life insurance available.
• Membership in the Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS), a defined-benefit pension plan.
• Optional deferred compensation plan with a State match of up to $75 per month.
• Generous paid time off, including holidays, vacation, sick leave, military leave, and jury duty leave.

Learn more about the outstanding benefits available to State of Iowa employees by visiting the State of Iowa Benefits webpage.

E-Verify and Right to Work: The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov. 

Qualifications

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

1. Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a bachelor's degree in any field, and experience equal to one year of full-time administrative support (e.g., screening visitors and callers; opening/distributing mail, typing/proofing documents, letters, and reports; organizing files; scheduling meetings/appointments; arranging travel; processing travel claims; ordering supplies/equipment) or technical support work (e.g., determining budget, personnel, and equipment needs; compiling/evaluating statistical, historical, economic, business, financial or technical program data; interpreting or securing compliance with laws, rules and regulations; reviewing operating records/reports and evaluating their effectiveness).
2. A total of five years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in number one) where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university course work in any field equals one year of full-time experience.
3. Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes experience equal to 12 months of full-time work as an Administrative Assistant 1.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.