A secretary job description needs to be written for a specific context, because the title means genuinely different things in different settings. A school secretary, a legal secretary, a medical secretary and a committee secretary share a name and little else. This page provides a complete, adaptable secretary job description together with the guidance needed to fit it to your own organisation.
Secretary Job Description Overview
The secretary manages correspondence, documentation, meetings and records for an organisation, department or office, producing and maintaining the written record on which others rely.
Before adapting this description, settle the context. In a school, the secretary is usually the first point of contact for parents and handles learner records and admissions administration. In a legal practice, the role involves document preparation, court filing deadlines and client confidentiality. In a medical practice, it centres on patient bookings, medical aid administration and health record confidentiality. In a governance setting, the secretary convenes meetings, records resolutions and maintains statutory registers. Each requires different knowledge.
A workable overview reads: the secretary provides comprehensive secretarial support including correspondence, document preparation, meeting coordination and minute-taking, and maintains accurate records and filing systems in support of the department’s work. For the duty detail see secretary duties.
Secretary Job Description Duties and Responsibilities
Correspondence and Documents
- Typing, formatting and proofreading letters, reports and documents.
- Drafting routine correspondence for approval and signature.
- Managing incoming and outgoing correspondence and routing it appropriately.
- Preparing documentation packs for meetings, audits or inspections.
- Maintaining document templates and house style.
Meetings and Minutes
- Scheduling meetings and circulating notices and agendas.
- Attending meetings and taking accurate minutes.
- Producing, distributing and filing minutes and recording resolutions.
- Tracking action items arising from meetings and following them up.
- Maintaining attendance registers and meeting records.
Records and Administration
- Maintaining filing systems for correspondence, documents and records.
- Maintaining registers and statutory documents where required.
- Managing diaries and appointments for staff or committees.
- Answering telephone calls and dealing with enquiries.
- Making travel and accommodation arrangements.
- Processing routine invoices, claims and petty cash within delegated limits.
Confidentiality
- Maintaining confidentiality of documents, discussions and personal information.
- Handling personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act.
- Controlling access to sensitive records and correspondence.
- Securing confidential material at the end of each day.
Secretary Job Description Skills and Requirements
- Matric, with a secretarial or office administration qualification commonly preferred.
- Fast, accurate typing and strong word processing capability.
- Excellent written English including spelling, grammar and formatting.
- Minute-taking skill, particularly the ability to capture decisions precisely.
- Strong organisational and filing discipline.
- Computer literacy across word processing, spreadsheets and email.
- Clear verbal communication and a professional telephone manner.
- Discretion and confidentiality with sensitive material.
- Attention to detail in documents and records.
- Ability to work to deadlines around meeting cycles.
- Any sector-specific knowledge the role genuinely requires.
How to Use This Job Description Template
Name the context first. State whether this is a school, legal, medical, corporate or governance role, and who the secretary supports. This single decision determines most of the specialised knowledge required and is the detail candidates use to judge whether they are suitable.
Be specific about minute-taking, because it is a genuine skill that not every administrative candidate has. State how many meetings per month, at what level, and whether the minutes serve a formal governance or statutory purpose. Minutes for a board or a school governing body carry a different standard from notes of a team catch-up, and candidates should know which they are being asked for.
State the sector-specific requirements honestly. A legal secretary role may require familiarity with court filing deadlines and legal document formats. A medical secretary role may require knowledge of medical aid claim processes and patient confidentiality obligations. If the role requires this knowledge, say so; if you will train the person, say that instead, because it widens your field considerably.
Clarify the boundaries. Secretary roles frequently absorb reception, bookkeeping support or general administration, and adverts often omit this. List what is genuinely included so candidates understand the full scope.
Finally, address confidentiality explicitly, particularly in legal, medical, human resources and governance contexts where the obligations are strict. Ensure the terms comply with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, and use Admin Job Description Template for a reusable structure across office roles.
Editable Job Description Structure
- Job title, department and location
- Context: school, legal, medical, corporate or governance
- Reporting line and who the secretary supports
- Purpose of the role, in two or three sentences
- Key duties grouped by theme
- Meeting and minute-taking requirements, including volume and formality
- Sector-specific knowledge required or provided
- Whether reception, bookkeeping or general administration is included
- Confidentiality obligations
- Qualifications, experience and typing requirements
- Systems and software used
- Working hours and contract type
Related Duties Pages
For the detailed duty breakdown behind this description, read secretary duties. Candidates preparing applications will find secretary duties for CV useful. For related office roles, browse admin and office duties.
FAQs
What should a secretary job description include?
It should name the context, whether school, legal, medical, corporate or governance, state who the secretary supports, group the duties by theme, specify the minute-taking requirements and their formality, list any sector-specific knowledge required, clarify whether reception or general administration is included, and set out confidentiality obligations.
What are the main duties in a secretary job description?
The main duties are typing and formatting documents, managing correspondence, scheduling meetings and circulating agendas, taking and producing minutes, tracking action items, maintaining filing systems and registers, managing diaries and appointments, and maintaining confidentiality.
How specific should the minute-taking requirement be?
Very. State how many meetings per month, at what level, and whether minutes serve a formal governance or statutory purpose. Board and governing body minutes require a materially higher standard than notes of a team meeting, and candidates need to know which is expected.
Does a secretary job description differ by sector?
Substantially. Legal secretaries need familiarity with court deadlines and document formats, medical secretaries with medical aid administration and patient confidentiality, school secretaries with learner records and parent communication. Name your context rather than publishing a generic description.
Which related page should I read next?
For the duty detail, read secretary duties. For a reusable structure across office roles, use the Admin Job Description Template.