Job Details for Clerk of Court/District Court Executive
| Court Name/Organization: | Washington Western District Court |
| Overview of the Position: | The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington is seeking a dynamic, inspiring, and effective leader for the position of Clerk of Court / District Court Executive. This is an executive-level management position, responsible for operational and administrative management of the court. The clerk of court collaborates with other districts within the Ninth Circuit and the Administrative Office on a national level. |
| Location: | Seattle, Tacoma, WA |
| Opening and Closing Dates: | 12/05/2024 - Open Until Filled |
| Appointment Type: | Permanent |
| Classification Level/Grade: | JSP 16 - JSP 17 |
| Salary: | $188,765 - $243,300 |
| Link to Court Careers Information: | https://www.wawd.uscourts.gov/careers-job-openings |
| Announcement Number: | 24-WAW-23 |
| Link to Job Announcement | |
Position Description
The Western District of Washington covers the area west of the Cascade Mountains and from Oregon to the Canadian border, with courthouses in Seattle and Tacoma. The office serves eighteen U.S. District Judges (active and senior), and nine Magistrate Judges. The clerk of court serves under the direction of the chief district judge and is responsible for performing the statutory duties of the office of the clerk pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §751. The clerk of court acts as liaison and works cooperatively with other federal and local government agencies, bar groups, media representatives, and the public. The clerk of court provides leadership and direction to approximately 50 staff members of the clerk’s office, which is organized in a non-hierarchical team-based structure. The Western District of Washington is a shared services district. The 24 employees in shared services (IT, human resources, budget, procurement, space and facilities) are employees of both the district court and probation and pretrial services. The clerk of court and chief probation and pretrial services officer co-manage shared services. This position will require frequent travel within the district to both the Seattle and Tacoma courthouses, as well as regular out of district travel for national and Ninth Circuit meetings and conferences.
Responsibilities
The clerk of court’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Working closely with the chief judge regarding court administration
- Developing innovative approaches to achieving the court’s mission
- Managing the district court’s annual budget
- Directing the court’s financial, procurement, and facilities services functions
- Ensuring comprehensive human resources services to the court
- Serving as the custodian of federal funds and property
- Analyzing and making recommendations on statutes, local rules, and procedures affecting the operation of the court
- Directing the processing of civil and criminal cases, the issuance of process, and the maintenance of official records in the custody of the court
- Serving as liaison for the court to federal and local government agencies, bar groups, media representatives, and the public
- Serving as the court’s public information officer
- Overseeing the court’s IT infrastructure and cybersecurity initiatives
- Directing development and administration of comprehensive emergency preparedness plans
- Coordinating statistical studies and reports as required by the court, the circuit, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
- Providing general assistance to the court in the performance of day to day responsibilities
- Embracing and supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace
Qualification
This position requires a minimum of ten years of progressively responsible administrative experience in public service or business. This experience should provide a thorough understanding of the organizational, procedural and human aspects of managing an organization. At least three of those ten years must include substantial management experience at an executive level. Such experience typically includes the oversight of budget and financial management, human resources, procurement and contracts, information technology, space and facilities management functions, and long and short-range planning.
Preferred Qualifications
Completion of a master’s degree in court, public, or business administration. Prior federal court administrative experience at the chief deputy or other manager level. Knowledge of federal court operations, policies, and procedures.
Education
A bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in government, public, business, or judicial administration or related field is required.
Benefits
Judiciary employees participate in the federal employees retirement system, thrift savings plan (similar to a 401K), health and life insurance benefits, long term disability and long-term care options, annual and sick leave accrual, and eleven paid holidays per year. Judiciary employees are not covered by the Office of Personnel Management’s civil service classification system or regulations. For additional information on employment with the Federal Courts, please visit the U.S. Courts website.
How To Apply
Procedures for Selection
The court will screen all applications and the best qualified applicants will be invited for interviews. After applications are screened, selected applicants will be interviewed by the recruitment committee (judges and employees) and then considered for an interview by the managers and employees committee. Finalists from the second interviews will be interviewed by all the judges of the court. Applicants selected for all interviews must travel (for in-person interviews) or connect via Zoom (for remote interviews) at their own expense. Some relocation expenses may be reimbursable to the person selected for the position.
Qualified applicants are required to submit the following:
- Cover letter.
- Completed AO 78 form
- Statement of qualifications
- Resume detailing years of specialized experience, including management experience, functions managed, and the number and composition of personnel supervised
- List of at least three professional references along with contact information. The references will be contacted only after notifying the applicant and during the final stage of the recruitment process
- Provide examples that demonstrate a variety of oral and written skills. Please include writing samples and limit your response to three pages or less
- Responses to the following two questions. Please use 500 words or less for each response:
- Describe your experience with managing multiple priorities and a high volume of work.
- The Western District of Washington encompasses a broad geographical area and the court consists of diverse generations of employees and judges. Provide examples of how you have managed or dealt with people of various generations and personalities as well as differing work cultures.
All documents listed above must be submitted for the applications to be considered complete. Incomplete applications will not be considered for the next steps in the recruitment process. Please submit completed application packets as a single Word or Acrobat .pdf document via e-mail to [email protected], or to:
Human Resources (#24-WAW-23)
U. S. District Court
700 Stewart Street, Suite 2218
Seattle, WA 98101
The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.