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Financial ServicesISCO 2422

Civil service administrative officer

A civil service administrative officer is a person who keeps a government department running day to day: the records, the correspondence, the enquiries from the public, and the support that senior staff depend on.

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Rate 5 of the 12 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.

use spreadsheets software

ensure information transparency

manage administrative systems

respond to enquiries

supervise daily information operations

About civil service administrative officer

The administrative officer job description is built around records and information. The officer maintains the department's documentation and archives the files that have to be kept, handles enquiries that arrive by phone, email or at a counter, and releases information to the public where it may be released. Questions are answered or passed to whoever can answer them, and the officer keeps a record of the tasks carried out so that a file shows who did what and when. The officer also ensures transparency of information.

An administrative officer also works inward. The role supports senior staff, keeps information moving between sections, liaises with elected politicians and their offices, and runs the administrative systems the department operates on. Where legislation is being prepared, the officer handles the paperwork the legislative procedure requires.

The post calls for accuracy with documents, plain writing, discretion about what crosses the desk, and courtesy with people who may already be frustrated by the time they get through. Qualifications are set by the civil service of each country, through its own recruitment and grading rules.

European Skills Framework

Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.

Essential (12)

bookkeeping regulationsbookkeeping regulationsThe methods and regulations involved in the process of accurate bookkeeping.legislation procedurelegislation procedureThe procedures involved in the making of laws and legislation, such as which organisations and individuals are involved, the process of how bills become laws, the proposal and reviewing process, and o...public financepublic financeThe economic influence of the government, and the workings of government revenue and expenditures.use spreadsheets softwareuse spreadsheets softwareUse software tools to create and edit tabular data to carry out mathematical calculations, organise data and information, create diagrams based on data and to retrieve them.ensure information transparencyensure information transparencyEnsure that required or requested information is provided clearly and completely, in a manner which does not explicitly withhold information, to the public or requesting parties.use different communication channelsuse different communication channelsMake use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.keep task recordskeep task recordsOrganise and classify records of prepared reports and correspondence related to the performed work and progress records of tasks.archive documentation related to workarchive documentation related to workSelect relevant documentation related to the ongoing or complete work and take steps to archive it in a way that ensures its future accessibility.manage administrative systemsmanage administrative systemsEnsure administrative systems, processes and databases are efficient and well managed and give the sound basis to work together with the administrative officer/staff/professional.respond to enquiriesrespond to enquiriesRespond to enquiries and requests for information from other organisations and members of the public.supervise daily information operationssupervise daily information operationsDirect daily operations of different units. Coordinate program/project activities to assure the respect of costs and time.liaise with politiciansliaise with politiciansLiaise with officials fulfilling important political and legislative roles in governments in order to ensure productive communication and build relations.
Optional (19) — show
audit techniquesaudit techniquesThe techniques and methods that support a systematic and independent examination of data, policies, operations and performances using computer-assisted audit tools and techniques (CAATs) such as sprea...budgetary principlesbudgetary principlesPrinciples of estimating and planning of forecasts for business activity, compile regular budget and reports.office softwareoffice softwareThe characteristics and functioning of software programs for office tasks such as word processing, spreadsheets, presentation, email and database.inspect government expendituresinspect government expendituresInspect the financial procedures of a government organisation which deals with budget and resource allocation and spending to ensure that no faults are being made and no suspicious activity occurs in ...order suppliesorder suppliesCommand products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.coordinate eventscoordinate eventsLead events by managing budget, logistics, event support, security, emergency plans and follow up.manage budgetsmanage budgetsPlan, monitor, report on the budget and prepare set production budgets.liaise with local authoritiesliaise with local authoritiesMaintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities.manage staffmanage staffManage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the wor...recruit employeesrecruit employeesHire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.conduct workplace auditsconduct workplace auditsConduct work site audits and inspections in order to ensure compliance with rules and regulations.maintain relationships with government agenciesmaintain relationships with government agenciesEstablish and maintain cordial working relationships with peers in different governmental agencies.write meeting reportswrite meeting reportsWrite complete reports based on minutes taken during a meeting in order to communicate the important points which were discussed, and the decisions which were made, to the appropriate people.inspect government incomesinspect government incomesInspect the resources available to a national or local government organisation, such as tax incomes, to ensure that the incomes are compliant with the income expectations, that no faults are being mad...fix meetingsfix meetingsFix and schedule professional appointments or meetings for clients or superiors.ensure compliance with policiesensure compliance with policiesTo ensure compliance with legislation and company procedures in respect of Health and Safety in the workplace and public areas, at all times. To ensure awareness of and compliance with all Company Pol...manage accountsmanage accountsManage the accounts and financial activities of an organisation, supervising that all the documents are correctly maintained, that all the information and calculations are correct, and that proper dec...use microsoft officeuse microsoft officeUse the standard programs contained in Microsoft Office. Create a document and do basic formatting, insert page breaks, create headers or footers, and insert graphics, create automatically generated t...handle financial transactionshandle financial transactionsAdminister currencies, financial exchange activities, deposits as well as company and voucher payments. Prepare and manage guest accounts and take payments by cash, credit card and debit card.

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Frequently asked questions

What does a civil service administrative officer do?

Civil service administrative officers perform administrative duties in civil service organisations and government departments. They ensure record maintenance, handle enquiries and provide information to the public, either in person, through emails or phone calls. They support senior staff, and ensure a fluent internal flow of information.

What skills does a civil service administrative officer need?

A civil service administrative officer needs 12 essential skills, including bookkeeping regulations, legislation procedure, public finance, use spreadsheets software, ensure information transparency.

Will AI replace civil service administrative officer jobs?

The AI disruption score for civil service administrative officer is 78/100 (very high risk). Skills most exposed to automation: fix meetings, bookkeeping regulations, keep task records. Most resilient: maintain relationships with government agencies, liaise with politicians, office software.

AI Replacement Risk

78/ 100
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Quick Facts

SectorFinancial Services
ISCO GroupBusiness and administration professionals
Essential Skills12

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