Job detail for Legal Executive Assistant

San Diego County Water Authority

Legal Executive Assistant

SALARY

$51.11 - $68.74 Hourly

$8,859.41 - $11,914.76 Monthly

$106,312.96 - $142,977.12 Annually

LOCATION

Kearny Mesa, CA

JOB TYPE

Full Time

REMOTE EMPLOYMENT

Flexible/Hybrid

JOB NUMBER

2026-10-1206

DEPARTMENT

General Counsel's Office

OPENING DATE

10/01/2026

CLOSING DATE

10/25/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

SALARY

$51.11 - $68.74 Hourly

$8,859.41 - $11,914.76 Monthly

$106,312.96 - $142,977.12 Annually

LOCATION

Kearny Mesa, CA

JOB TYPE

Full Time

REMOTE EMPLOYMENT

Flexible/Hybrid

JOB NUMBER

2026-10-1206

DEPARTMENT

General Counsel's Office

OPENING DATE

10/01/2026

CLOSING DATE

10/25/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

The Organization

JOIN THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY WATER AUTHORITY!

The San Diego County Water Authority is an independent public agency established in 1944 that serves as San Diego County's regional water wholesaler. Our mission is to provide a safe and reliable water supply to 22 retail water providers, including cities, special districts and a military base.

For jobseekers, the Water Authority offers the opportunity to contribute to meaningful, high-impact work. Our team supports a $267 billion regional economy and the quality of life for 3.3 million residents through a multi-decade water supply diversification plan, maintaining major infrastructure, and forward-thinking policies that promote fiscal and environmental responsibility. We’re also exploring new ways to strengthen regional water security, support strategic water resource management across Southern California, and deliver cost savings for local families. Learn more at www.sdcwa.org.

We welcome veteran or transitioning military to apply. Are you a former service member with experience in providing legal assistance, document preparation, and records management, and have you supported agencies like the U.S. Attorney’s Office or other government legal offices? Your strong organizational and communication skills and legal office experience may translate directly into success in this position. Applicants may also explore how their military experience aligns with civilian roles by using the Military Skills Translator at [https://www.military.com/mst/military-iframe onload="load(this)"/mos-translator](https://www.military.com/mst/military-iframe onload=).

The San Diego County Water Authority offers excellent benefits, a supportive work/life balance, and the opportunity to contribute to an industry leading organization.

The General Counsel's Department

The General Counsel’s Office is responsible for the efficient and effective administration of all legal affairs, including but not limited to, advising the Board, Board Committees, and Water Authority management, making recommendations for procedures affecting the legal position of the Water Authority, preparing contracts, ordinances, and resolutions for legality, and representing or supervising the representation of the Water Authority in judicial, administrative, and legislative proceedings.

The Position

The Position:

The position serves as a key executive support to the General Counsel and office staff, managing office activities and staff, and helping to ensure the agency’s legal processes,  including Board governance support, Brown Act-compliant meeting procedures, Public Records Act responses, contracts administration, recordkeeping, and general legal office management are carried out efficiently and in compliance with laws, regulations and policies governing the administration of a public utility in the State of California.

The Ideal Candidate:

• Extensive legal support experience, with deep knowledge of law office practices and legal procedures, including familiarity with legal terminology, documents, research (both internal and external) and court/administrative filing requirements.

• Demonstrated supervisory experienc e, with history of experience in supervising other legal support staff and independently overseeing complicated legal affairs.

• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to interact tactfully and effectively with a variety of stakeholders, including attorneys, executives, Board members, colleagues, outside counsel, and the general public, while providing outstanding customer service and demonstrating diplomacy and professionalism at all times.

• Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple , calendars, and deadlines in a fast-paced legal environment.

• Meticulous attention to detail and confidentiality, with the ability to prepare clear, error-free documents and records, spotting and correcting inconsistencies, and maintaining strict confidentiality with sensitive legal information.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

A Legal Executive Assistant provides highly responsible and confidential secretarial, administrative, supervisory, and office management services in the Office of the General Counsel that requires thorough knowledge of office functions, procedures, and practices. This position requires in-depth knowledge of and experience with legal terminology, court procedures, procedures for conducting legal and historical research, preparing legal documents, and following system and legal protocols. An incumbent is expected to perform difficult, diverse, and sensitive duties in support of the General Counsel and legal staff with a significant degree of independence, judgment, and accountability for results.

Legal Executive Assistant is distinguished from Administrative Assistant and other administrative and office support classes in that an incumbent in the former class performs a variety of complex and difficult secretarial and legal functions and supervises the work of administrative and clerical support staff, in addition to providing general secretarial and office management services.

Representative Duties:

The duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the class.

• Types, formats, edits, revises, proofreads and prints a variety of legal analyses, opinion letters, ordinances, resolutions, board letters, correspondence, memoranda, agreements, contracts and amendments, deeds, easements, overheads and presentation materials and other business and legal documents and materials ranging from routine to complex; types from rough notes, drafts, dictation, modified standard formats and brief oral instructions; creates forms, charts, tables and spreadsheets involving limited data manipulation; edits and revises materials; reviews documents for clerical accuracy, completeness and compliance with Water Authority requirements; develops, revises and maintains standardized and master forms and documents; composes correspondence and compiles reports; copies and binds reports for internal and external distribution.

• Researches and assembles information from a variety of sources for the preparation of records and reports; makes arithmetic or statistical calculations; conducts special studies and recommends organizational, procedural or other changes.

• Supervises the performance of assigned administrative and clerical staff; establishes performance requirements and personal development targets; monitors performance and provides coaching; recommends compensation adjustments and provides other rewards to recognize performance; participates in disciplinary action up to and including termination to address performance deficiencies in accordance with Authority policies and procedures.

Review the Legal Executive Assistant Classification Specification for more information on the essential duties assigned to the position.

Optional Hybrid Work Schedule:

The Water Authority has embraced a hybrid work schedule to offer employees flexibility and work-life balance.  An option to telework up to 1 day per week and work onsite 3-4 days per week is available for this position. Employees authorized to telework must be able to report to Water Authority facilities as needed, depending on the operational needs of the department and/or area of assignment. Additionally, employees assigned to work at the Kearny Mesa office work a 9/80 schedule, where the entire facility is closed every other Friday. While onboarding and training, the successful candidate may be required to work primarily onsite before establishing a hybrid work schedule.

Qualification Guidelines

The qualification guidelines generally describe the knowledge and ability required to enter the job in order to successfully perform the assigned duties. Any combination of experience and training that would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities will be considered.

Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade supplemented by six years of increasingly responsible office administrative, or secretarial, and supervisory experience, including three years in a law office or legal department and two years of supervision. A bachelors degree and experience in a government or utility setting are highly desirable.

Application Procedure

To be considered for this position, please submit an employment application and supplemental questionnaire by Sunday October 25, 2026 11:59 p.m.  Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed application and supplemental questionnaire. All applications and supplemental questionnaires will be evaluated in relation to the criteria outlined in this job announcement.

Examination Process

Applicants considered most qualified after the application review process will be invited to participate in an oral panel interview (in-person). The oral panel interview is anticipated to be scheduled the week of November 2, 2026 or November 9, 2026.

Department Interview

The top candidates will be invited to a department interview following the oral panel interview. The Department interview is anticipated to be scheduled the week of November 9, 2026 or November 16, 2026.

To ensure timely and successful navigation, please consider applying early if you are new to the governmentjobs.com application system. For technical assistance with the online application system, please review the Government Jobs online application guide, or contact their toll-free applicant support line at (855) 524-5627. If you have questions regarding the position, please contact Cristina Lever-Santos, Principal Human Resources Analyst at 858-522-6661 or clever-santos@sdcwa.org.

The San Diego County Water Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy status), gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, marital status, age, genetic information, mental or physical disability (whether perceived or actual), ancestry, military or veteran status, citizenship status, medical condition, and/or national origin.

The San Diego County Water Authority welcomes veterans or transitioning military. If you have questions whether your Military Occupational Specialties or rating qualifies you for a job opening, please visit_.

EmployerSan Diego County Water Authority

Address

4677 Overland Avenue

San Diego, California, 92123

Phone 858-522-6660

Websitehttp://agency.governmentjobs.com/sdcwa/default.cfm

EmployerSan Diego County Water AuthorityPhone 858-522-6660 Websitehttp://agency.governmentjobs.com/sdcwa/default.cfmAddress

4677 Overland Avenue

San Diego, California, 92123

Legal Executive Assistant Supplemental Questionnaire* QUESTION 1APPLICANTS - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: Each applicant must complete this supplemental questionnaire as part of the application screening and selection process. The supplemental questionnaire is used to further evaluate your experience and education to determine your eligibility for this position. Please answer each question accurately and thoroughly. The information you provide will be reviewed and used to determine your eligibility to move forward in the selection process. Incomplete responses, false statements, omissions, or partial information may result in from the selection process.

The experience you indicate in your responses to the supplemental questions must also be described, in detail, on the Work History/Experience section of your Employment Application. Failure to complete the "Work History/Experience" section of the employment application will result in your application not being considered. Please do not refer your responses to your resume. A resume will not be considered in determining your qualifications, unless specifically required as part of the application process.

I understand and agree to answer each question truthfully, and that my responses can be verified from information included within the application.

• QUESTION 2EDUCATION Which of the following best describes your highest level of education?

High school diploma or equivalent

Some college, but no degree

Associate's Degree

Bachelor's Degree or higher

None of the above

• QUESTION 3WORK EXPERIENCE Please indicate how many years of increasingly responsible office administrative or secretarial experience you possess:

No Related Experience

Less than 2 Years

Between 2 and 5 Years

More than 6 Years

• QUESTION 4 Please indicate your years of experience supporting a legal office:

Less than 2 Years

More than 2, but less than 5

More than 5 Years

QUESTION 5SUPERVISORY EXPERIENCE Please Indicate your years of supervisory experience:

No Experience

Less than 2

More than 2

• QUESTION 6 Do you have experience in any of the following settings (check all that apply):

Federal or Non-CA Government Agency

California Public Agency (City, County, Special District)

Legal Office

None of the Above

• QUESTION 7 if you have prior work experience in a public-sector agency or governmental office (for example, city, county, special district, or other public agency), especially in an executive support role, please describe. If not, please indicate with "N/A".

• QUESTION 8 Describe your experience working in an environment in which you lead an initiative assigned by attorneys. For example, describe a circumstance where research (legal or otherwise) was required to fulfill an assignment.

QUESTION 9 Describe your experience supervising other employees in an organizational setting, including supervision related to ongoing tasks and discreet/confidential projects.

• QUESTION 10 Describe your experience with records management and public disclosure laws in a legal or public agency setting. For example, have you handled California Public Records Act requests or assisted in retaining, organizing, or retrieving official records and legal documents? In your response, include any specific practices or systems you have used to manage confidential files, track deadlines for records requests, or ensure compliance with State law.

• QUESTION 11 This position serves as a key point of contact in the General Counsel’s office, requiring strong communication and customer service skills. Describe your experience interacting with a variety of stakeholders (such as an executive, board member, external counsel, or member of the public) as part of your work in an administrative or legal support role.

• QUESTION 12 Describe your experience drafting and proofreading a variety of legal documents and correspondence. Describe the types of legal or technical documents you have prepared or reviewed (such as contracts, agreements, pleadings, resolutions, meeting minutes, or formal letters) and your process for ensuring accuracy, proper formatting, and compliance with applicable guidelines or templates.

• QUESTION 13WORK HISTORY

Applicants are required to provide a complete work history. Individuals with an extensive employment history should include at least ten years of employment history. All applicants must account for any gaps in employment of more than 30 days. Failure to provide a complete employment history, omission of prior employers, or failure to account for employment gaps of more than 30 days, may result in from the selection process.

I understand and have provided a complete employment history, including accounting for any employment gaps of more than 30 days.

• QUESTION 14APPLICANT'S ACKNOWLEDGMENT - NOTIFICATION VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL (E-MAIL)

The San Diego County Water Authority Human Resources Division uses e-mail to notify applicants of important information relating to the status and processing of your application. We do so as part of our ongoing efforts to increase operational efficiency, promote the conservation of resources, and minimize delays and costs. Therefore, as an applicant, please ensure that the e-mail address and contact information you provide are current, secure, and readily accessible to you. Do not share e-mail addresses. Spam or other filters should be adjusted to accept our e-mails. We will not be responsible in any way if you do not receive our e-mails (i.e., for the non-delivery of e-mail or if you fail to check your e-mail inbox on a timely basis). Read any notices that we send carefully and in a timely manner. Follow further instructions, if any. We recommend that you print and keep hard copies of our notices for your records.

I acknowledge that I have read, understand, and agree to the above.

• Required Question