Housing Services Administrative Secretary

Job Description:

Housing Services Administrative Secretary

Description

Distinguishing Features of the Class

The Des Moines Municipal Housing Agency (DMMHA) is seeking a customer service-oriented individual to join the team as a Housing Services Administrative Secretary. This position, under general supervision, performs various clerical tasks of moderate difficulty and maintains several series of logs and files of an administrative nature. An employee in this position also enters, retrieves, revises, stores, and maintains data and information electronically.

Work Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Additional work hours may be required.

Ideal candidates will have experience providing administrative support, knowledge of federally-funded housing programs, and excel in customer service .

The City of Des Moines promotes a healthy work life balance and offers a comprehensive benefits package including:
- Residency Incentive
- Alternative Work Schedule Options
- Paid Volunteer Time-Off
- Parental Leave
- Vacation and Sick Leave Accruals
- 12 Paid Holidays
- Health/Dental/Life/LTD Insurance
- Wellness Programs and Activities
- Tuition Reimbursement and Continuing Education Programs
- Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Benefit
- Defined Benefit Pension Plan through IPERS
- Deferred Compensation Plan matching up to 2.5%
- Voluntary Insurance Benefit Options
- Employee Discount Program

Acceptable Experience and Training

• Graduation from high school including or supplemented by courses in typing, keyboarding, word processing, and/or use of computer data entry devices; and
• Three years of clerical experience in a business environment or an equivalent combination in which each additional year of education can be interchanged for one year of experience.
• Ability to type at 40 WPM

If education is being substituted for required experience, college transcripts must be submitted with your application or separately to the City of Des Moines Human Resources Department by email to humanresources @dmgov.org, by fax to 515-237-1680, or by mail to 1200 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309 on or before the application deadline.

Required Special Qualifications

• Candidates for positions in this class must pass a post-employment offer physical examination and drug screen. Ability to pass a background check.
• A minimum typing speed of 40 wpm.

COMPLETION OF TYPING TEST:

Please go to speedtypingonline.com to complete a free 5-minute typing test (the site defaults as a 1-minute test but you will need to change this to 5 minutes) .On the site you are able to “Personalize Results”. Please type in your first and last name as it appears on your application. The online typing test can be accepted if it is from this site only and witnessed by another person. Results printed from the testing website must meet the following requirements. Submitted exam results must show:

• Net number of words typed (Speed).
• Show that you completed a Five-minute timed test.
• Your name (on the site you are able to “Personalize Results”. Please type in your first and last name as it appears on your application) and the date the exam was completed.
  • Name and date must be shown on the printed results from the testing website not handwritten or added by someone. Again, you can “Personalize Results” on the site.
• Witness signature, witness printed name, and valid email address for the witness. Witness must be age 18 years or older.
  • If you do not have printing capabilities, please email your results to [email protected] and your witness. Your witness may then "Reply All" to the email stating their name and that they witnessed you completing the online typing test on the specified date. It is your responsibility to make sure your witness responds by the exam deadline.
• You must submit exam results to the City of Des Moines Human Resources Department via email ( [email protected] ) by the application closing date and time. Passing score is 40 net words per minute (Speed).
  
  IN LIEU OF THE TYPING TEST : Applicants must currently hold a City of Des Moines Civil Service position requiring a typing speed of 40 WPM or higher OR have previously taken the online timed typing test resulting in a score of 40 WPM or higher within 1 YEAR of the application deadline. Applicants are required to contact the City's Human Resources Department at (515) 283-4213 or by email at [email protected] to attach a previously submitted typing test to their current application by the application deadline.

Examples of Essential Work (Illustrative Only)

• Maintains a variety of office records.
• Tracks Housing Assistance Payment Contracts.
• Generates a variety of logs, compiling tabular data, and inventory and complaints reports.
• Prepares and transcribes oral, written, and machine dictation of letters, newsletters, inspection letters, complaints, contracts, and memoranda.
• Composes letters of a routine nature. Types letters and documents to landlords and tenants.
• Performs varied administrative duties with respect to housing assistance programs.
• Collects program information by conducting surveys and disseminates program information both orally and in writing.
• Acts as office receptionist, greets and assists the public, answers telephones, takes complaints and routes callers to appropriate personnel.
• Opens and closes Work Orders in the computer system.
• Performs various clerical duties such as photocopying, filing, sorting mail, completing mailings, and performs other related duties as required.

Click here for benefit summary

Closing Date/Time: 3/9/2026 4:00 PM Central

Salary:

$20.98 - $25.89 Hourly