Support Staff Vacancy

Description of Duties: Describe in detail the duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. Descriptions should include the major end result of the task. Example: Types correspondence, reports, and other various documents from handwritten drafts for review and signature of the supervisor.

An employee in this job plays a critical and central role in the day-to-day functioning and operations of the legal office. The incumbent is responsible for performing advanced legal, administrative, and analytical work as well as providing programmatic services to the Chief Counsel and other agency legal counsel.  This individual serves as the office manager for the Department of Aging’s legal office; manages support staff functions in PDA’s complex legal office as defined by OGC; and performs specialized administrative or analytical staff support work for complex legal office programs or projects.

The position requires significant independence, individual initiative, and knowledge of federal and Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure, electronic filing requirements of federal and state courts, thorough understanding of the General Rules of Administrative Practice and Procedure, the Commonwealth’s administrative due process structure and its interrelationship with the Executive Branch of state government, Management Directives as well as OGC’s policies and procedures.  This person will assist with discovery, help manage contract execution, and the promulgation of regulations.

In addition, the individual:

• Must understand and comply with agency regulations as well as applicable state and federal privacy and confidentiality laws relating to appropriate storage, use, access, and disclosure of consumer information in day-to-day activities of the agency and legal office. 
• Must have familiarity with relevant agency legal terminology.
• Must be an effective communicator (oral and written).
• Must be an organized, creative, and independent thinker with the ability to work without much supervision.
• Must possess superior organizational and analytical skills necessary to conduct legal research and put together client PowerPoint presentations.
• Must be technologically proficient and able to create and maintain digital records.  
• Must possess excellent time management and interpersonal skills.
• Must have excellent multi-tasking skills to work on a variety of tasks and projects.
• Must have the ability to prioritize tasks.
• Must possess the ability to identify the need for and developing proposed changes to operating practices, programs, and policies. 
• Must possess the demonstrated capacity for assuming increasing responsibility as necessary for the needs of the client or the necessary and effective operations of the legal office.

SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY

Excellent time management and prioritization skills.  Excellent written and verbal skills.  Able to interact with tact and diplomacy.  Ability to handle and manage high-level scheduling and communications (both internally and externally), and the daily operations in a fast-paced environment, to ensure the freeing up of the Secretary’s time.  Proactive, problem-solver with the ability to anticipate needs, troubleshoot under pressure, and work with a high level of autonomy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Calendar Management – manage complex, shifting schedules, prioritize meeting requests, resolve scheduling conflicts.  Ability to use tools such as Outlook and Google Calendars, TEAMS and other scheduling software tools.
• Gatekeeping and Communications - screen and handle incoming communications (emails, phone calls and in-person visits); draft correspondence; act as the primary liaison between the Secretary and internal and external personnel
• Travel and Logistics – Ability to coordinate detailed travel itineraries and accommodations and related expenses reports
• Meeting and Event Coordination – organize and set up meetings (internal and external), prepare agendas, attend meetings and take notes, set up and organize meeting materials
• Project and Data Management – coordinate and track special projects, format and prepare information and PowerPoint and other presentations
• Discretion- Ability to handle highly sensitive and confidential information
• Proficient in MS Word, SharePoint, Teams and other virtual meeting applications, Outlook and Google calendars

WORK PERFORMED IN AGING’S LEGAL OFFICE

Serves as the office manager for Aging’s legal office with responsibility for overseeing the daily operations of the legal office. The work is performed with significant independence and requires a combination of quick decision making and long-term planning. This work requires playing an integral role in ensuring the smooth operational needs of the legal office by creating, implementing and maintaining tools and processes to enhance efficiency and to track due dates and deadline dates for legal work including those relating to discovery, agency informal hearings and appeals, subpoenas, contracts, and Right to Know Law matters. 

Manages all matters related to law student externs including reviewing packets submitted by law schools; communicating with incoming law students and the school’s administrative staff and professors; supervising law student assignments to ensure full understanding of projects; previewing all extern work prior to submission and offering feedback; meeting with legal team to provide updates and feedback on externs.

Manages administrative and, in part, substantive aspects of the agency’s appeals process that was previously handled by a protective services supervisor and staff.

• Presenting to the client’s executive staff on high level legal research involving multiple states’ legislation and policy issues.
• Reviewing, researching, and drafting proffered legislative, internal policies, and county-level policies and regulatory matters affecting the agency.
• Assisting with contract and agreement review, analysis, and drafting.
• Actively participates in high level litigation document review while recommending edits and suggesting a plan of action.
• Coordinates assignments, sets performance standards, goals and checkpoints, initial and preliminary reviewer of legal work of externs.
• Attends off-site quarterly meetings for county directors and supervisors.
• Attends off-site meetings with county-level teams for meet and greets, other engagements and working to address county-level specific issues.   
• Attends executive level meetings with attorneys meeting with clients, county solicitors, county directors and supervisors.  
• Conducting relevant legal research as directed by attorneys regarding policy and statutes to determine applicability.
• Formulating and recommending revisions to agency policies, procedures and protocols designed to enhance the legal office. 

Assists with reviewing researching and drafting legislation.  This includes coordinating edits between the Office of Chief Counsel and Aging staff, ensuring documents are properly formatted, and transferred to OGC, as appropriate.

Assists with reviewing and drafting agency and county Area Agencies on Aging policies. 

Reviews and assists agency counsel in responding to subpoenas.  This includes processing the subpoena, calendaring and tracking due dates, gathering responsive documents, and reviewing and redacting them, as necessary.  This employee work with OGC when utilizing enterprise-wide tools to conduct document review when warranted.

Provides oversight and complex legal administrative support to Right-to-Know Law (RTKL) requests and appeals including logging, tracking, and dissemination; record collection and redaction; response preparation and dissemination.  Independently reviews and handles incoming RTKL requests and appeals, which includes, among other things, disseminating requests to appropriate record holders, establishing response deadlines, redacting protected information from records, preparing and distributing responses.  Works closely with RTKL attorneys to log, track, and ensure complete and timely responses to RTKL requests.  Coordinates RTKL record collection, redaction, and response preparation and dissemination.  Communicates with executive staff to timely obtain documents for RTKL and other document requests. Secures files in appropriate locations so that file loss is mitigated to the fullest extent possible.

Serves as Liaison with the Office of the Attorney General and other Commonwealth agencies regarding representation in connection with civil litigation cases.  Reviews submitted request memoranda and supporting documentation, identifies any issues prior to final review by a Deputy General Counsel.  Responsible for creating policies and procedures as it relates to referral and delegation of matters. Analyzes, evaluates, recommends, and implements new procedures as approved by the Chief Counsel and Deputy Chief Counsel.

Tracks Contracts, Amendments, MOU’s, LOU’s, Interagency Agreements, and Management Directives.

Processes non-PO invoices and receipts via the SAP system for payments to Vendors and employee reimbursements and pays conference registration fees via the office Pcard. 

Prepares Out-Service training documents for attorneys to attend conferences and obtain their Continuing Legal Education credits.

Processes good receipts via SRM for payment of Thomson West PO invoices.

Assists with preparation of purchasing-related documents for supplies and office equipment.

Generates work orders and any other necessary forms needed for services or products provided to the OCC by the Department of General Services.

Coordinates schedules for internal meetings and access to relevant conference rooms.  Ensures that all necessary equipment is available for all meetings.

Interacts with executives, outside counsel, and the public.  Greets visitors that come to the OCC.  Answers and screens incoming telephone calls; provides appropriate guidance and responses to relevant questions.   

Analyzes, recommends, and implements improvements to support staff structure and assignments to the Chief Counsel.

Reviews all existing policies and makes recommended improvements to the Chief Counsel.

Acts as the legal office liaison with the administration bureau and makes recommendations for maintenance, staffing supplies, equipment, invoicing, and other resources including cost saving methods and more efficient processes. 

Responsible for maintaining project management systems, file systems, information research and retrieval systems, and the development and maintaining of systems to ensure that court and other deadlines are met.

Exercises discretion and independent judgment and maintains confidentiality.

Maintains files in compliance with established record retention schedules.

Analyzes, recommends, and implements improvements to Aging’s daily workflow, record retention, task management, calendaring, and other essential functions to the Chief Counsel.

Plans, coordinates, organizes and manages all aspects and operations of the legal office.

Represents the legal office at internal and external meetings with other bureaus, departments, agencies and entities as necessary.

Assists executive administrative staff in providing office-wide coordination of people resources for major projects or events.  

Undertakes other duties and special projects as assigned by the Chief Counsel.

ADDITIONAL DUTIES

General – Administrative

• Ability to create, establish and maintain a filing system and maintained files for:
  • Subpoenas
  • Consumer Complaints
  • Misc. Requests and Responses
  • Protective Services Appeals
  • Contracts
  • Research
  • Mailings and Correspondence
  • Litigation
  • Legal Library
• Suggests improvements to tracking systems. 
• Handles legal team’s mailings and correspondence.
• Prepares documents and materials.
• Takes notes and effectively communicates content.
• Event and meeting planning and participation
• Scheduling and booking travel.
• Crafts a new employee helpful how-to guide.
• Contracts:
  • Final formatting review
  • Oversees review-and-signature process.

Externs – Administrative

• Administrative coordinating (schedules, new employee items, etc.).
• Preparing introductory materials;
• Explain Department structure and background;
• Created new extern Department guide

Appeals – Administrative

• Handle communications between protective services personnel, the legal office, the appellants and the county Area Agencies on Aging relating to all appeals. Handle mailings
• Start informal appeals process – alerting relevant individuals, scheduling preparation meetings, hearings, maintaining legal’s files, etc.
• Maintain PS Appeals tracking log to ensure deadlines are met
• Coordinate Informal Hearing scheduling
• Maintain legal files related to each case (virtual and hard copy)
• Draft, format, grammatical/formatting review, finalize, mail, distribute, and track all mailings and correspondences
• Ensure all documents noted as a part of an investigative file are included in each appeals packet.
• Perform all other attendant duties relating to ensuring the appeals process is completed in an organized, timely and accurate manner. 

Litigation – Administrative

• Maintain program notes, including list of recurring items and definitions of terms

Miscellaneous – Legally Substantive

• External communications
  • Assist with drafting subpoena responses
  • Assist with drafting consumer complaint responses
  • Assist with draft cease and desist letters and track updates of all related posts and promulgations.
• Legislation
  • Assist with legal research and review of upcoming or proposed legislation /bills relevant to or affecting the Department
  • Assist with researching and compiling the origin, development and implementing of similar pending legislation/bills in other jurisdictions.
  • Assist with engaging with and providing updates to attorneys and the policy office on similar legislation in other jurisdictions.

Contracts

• Constructive and substantive contract and agreement review, analysis, and drafting
• Assist in drafting, suggesting language and researching clauses as needed.