Job Description:

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

CLERK OF COURT / DISTRICT COURT EXECUTIVE

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: 24-WAW-23
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: July 29, 2024

CLOSING DATE: Open until filled; Position available around October or November 2024.

The United States 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.

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.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

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.

SALARY RANGE: Judiciary Salary Plan – Court Unit Executive
JSP 16, Step 1 – 10, $188,765 - $243,300
JSP 17, Step 1 – 10, $216,793 - $243,300
Depending on experience and qualifications.

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:
1. Describe your experience with managing multiple priorities and a high volume of work.
2. 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: seattle_personnel@wawd.uscourts.gov

Or to:

Human Resources (#24-WAW-23)
U. S. District Court
700 Stewart Street, Suite 2218
Seattle, WA 98101

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 www.uscourts.gov.

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

This is an executive-level, high-sensitive position within the Judiciary. The United States
District Court requires employees to follow the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.
Reference checks with current and former employers will be conducted on top candidates.
Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. A preliminary background
investigation with law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint and criminal record checks,
will be conducted as a condition of employment. Employment is provisional pending the
successful completion of a ten-year, full field OPM background investigation, and favorable
suitability determination. Investigative updates will be additionally required every five years.
Unsatisfactory results may result in termination of employment.

Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States. Employees
of the United States District Court are considered “at will” employees.

The Federal Financial Management Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages.
The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is an Equal
Opportunity Employer. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals and seek a
diverse pool of applicants in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and
expression, sexual orientation, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, disability, religion,
and socio-economic circumstance.

The Court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a
reasonable accommodation, please notify Human Resources. The decision on granting
reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw
the announcement, or to fill the position sooner than the closing date, any of which may
occur without prior written or other notice. If a position becomes vacant in a similar
classification, within a reasonable time from the original announcement, the Clerk’s Office
may select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement
without posting the job announcement again.

The United States District Court is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the work place.

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