Administrative Specialist 4

New Jersey Courts; Paterson (NJ); Hybrid; USD 82,000 - 128,000; Full time

Job summary

New Jersey Judiciary seeks an Administrative Specialist 4 (AS4) in Passaic Vicinage to review court filings for compliance, mediate cases, and provide case management assistance to the Presiding Judge for specialty case types. Experience in civil practice and as a mediator is preferred but not required.

The role supports a hybrid work schedule with potential for up to two remote workdays, subject to MFA app and home internet requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required and four years of professional case management or dispute resolution experience.
• Experience in civil practice relating to Landlord Tenant matters, litigation or dispute resolution preferred but not required.
• Experience as court-appointed mediator or settlement agent preferred but not required.
• Experience working with multilingual customers helpful.

Responsibilities

• Prepare for and convene mediation hearings and report results to the Court.
• Facilitate communication between counsel and parties to identify issues and move toward resolution.
• Conduct settlement conferences in Landlord Tenant, Small Claims and Special Civil cases.
• Demonstrate persuasive communication, listening, negotiating, and understanding of the litigation process.
• Review, interpret and analyze written materials and develop procedures to ensure efficient operations.
• Possess strong decision-making skills and provide direction and feedback.
• Analyze cases in accordance with laws, regulations, or professional practices.
• Respond to complaints from employees, attorneys, litigants or citizens.
• Explain judiciary policies or procedures to clients or customers.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Skills

Mediation

Case management

Communications

Legal research

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

If another position becomes available within five months of this recruitment’s closing date, the applicant pool from this posting may be used to fill additional vacancies.

When you come to work for New Jersey Judiciary you will join an 8500-member strong TEAM that operates with the highest standards of independence, integrity, fairness and quality service. You will be engaged with work that has purpose, meaning and makes a difference in lives of the public we serve. We work hard every day to build the public’s trust and confidence in our court system, which includes issues such as bail reform, marijuana decriminalization and recovery court. Whether it be in a courtroom, an administrative office, a courthouse training room, an IT office or in the field, our Judiciary workforce is improving the lives of countless individuals and families every day. We honor the dignity and individualism of each member of our organization while fostering professionalism and continuous improvement in our work.

Salary: The salary range for this position is $81,866.60 to $127,586.80 for Schedule A, and $81,866.60to $121,207.46 for Schedule B. For newly hired individuals, the starting salary will normally be at the minimum of the salary range. For current Judiciary employees, salary upon promotion or advancement will be an increase of 5% of base salary, not to exceed the maximum of the range, or the minimum salary of the band/level, whichever is greater. Judiciary employees hired prior to June 3, 2014, are considered Schedule A. Newly hired individuals, and Judiciary employees hired on or after June 3, 2014, are considered Schedule B.

The Judiciary offers a strong opportunity for growth.

The Passaic Vicinage is seeking a highly motivated, dependable, professional individual to assist the Civil Division as an Administrative Specialist 4 (AS4). Under the general direction of the Court Executive 2b (Civil Division Manager) or Court Executive 1b (Assistant Civil Division Manager), the AS4 will be responsible for reviewing court filings for compliance with statutes and directives, mediating Civil Division cases where cases are not disposed by virtue of mandatory or other court annexed CDR programs (for example, arbitration or presumptive mediation), and providing case management assistance to the Presiding Judge for specialty case types. Experience in the field of civil practice relating to Landlord Tenant matters, litigation or dispute resolution and prior experience as a court appointed mediator or settlement agent is preferred. Experience working with a diverse and multilingual customer base of limited English language proficiency is helpful. Experience in civil practice relating to litigation or dispute resolution, prior experience serving as a court‑appointed mediator or settlement agent, and graduation from an accredited law school with a Juris Doctor degree are preferred but not required.

Remote Work

The Judiciary currently offers a hybrid work schedule, and this position may qualify for up to 2 days of remote work outside of Judiciary buildings. To participate in this program, in addition to installing a multifactor authentication app on your phone or tablet, you will be required to have high speed home internet access.

Example of Duties

• Prepare for and convene mediation hearings and report results to the Court.
• Facilitate communication and the exchange of information between counsel and parties in order to identify case issues and problems, in an attempt to bring the matter to resolution without the necessity of trial, or to assist with the preparation of the case for trial.
• Conduct settlement conferences in Landlord Tenant, Small Claims and Special Civil cases.
• Demonstrate excellent persuasive communication, listening, and negotiating skills, as well as excellent creative thinking skills and an understanding of the litigation process.
• Review, interpret, and analyze written materials, as well as develop administrative control systems and policies or procedures to ensure efficient operations.
• Possess strong decision‑making skills.
• Provide direction and feedback.
• Analyze cases in accordance with existing laws, regulations or professional practices.
• Respond to employee, attorney, litigant or citizen complaints.
• Explain judiciary policies or procedures to clients or customers.
• Perform other related duties as required

Regular and predictable physical presence at the worksite is an essential function of this position.

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and four years of experience in professional case management and/or dispute resolution.

Substitution

Applicants who do not possess the required education may substitute additional paraprofessional and/or professional experience on a year-for-year basis with one year of such experience being equal to 30 semester hour credits. An associate degree from an accredited college or university and two years of additional paraprofessional and/or professional experience may be substituted for a bachelor’s degree.

A master’s degree from an accredited college or university may be substituted for one year of experience.

A law degree from an approved American Bar Association law school may be substituted for two years of experience.

Note: A master’s degree or a law degree from an accredited college or university, may be used as a substitution, not both.

Education Note

Degrees conferred outside of the United States must be evaluated by a recognized evaluation service. (See https://naces.org/members/)

Driver's License

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.

Authorization to Work

US citizenship is not required. Selected candidate must be authorized to work in the US according to Department of Homeland Security, US Citizenship and Immigration Services regulations.

Special Note

Newly hired employees must agree to a thorough background check that will include fingerprinting. All data received will be kept in strict confidence except to inform the individual of the findings and what action will be taken as a result of this information.

Residency Law

In accordance with N.J.S.A. 52:14-7 (L. 2011, Chapter 70), the "New Jersey First Act," all persons newly hired by the Judiciary within one year must establish, and then maintain, principal residence in the State of New Jersey. Any person may request an exemption from that requirement from the Employee Residency Review Committee in the Department of Labor & Workforce Development on the basis of either hardship or employer critical need.

The New Jersey Judiciary consists of: the Supreme Court, the Superior Court including the Appellate Division and the Trial Court of the 15 vicinages in New Jersey, the Tax Court and the Municipal Court System. The Administrative Office of the Courts provides technical assistance, operational support, training, research and development, budget and personnel coordination, and development and operation of information systems for the Courts of New Jersey.

The Judiciary of New Jersey is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action

Employer Committed to Ensuring an Open Door to Justice

NeoGovapplicant supportat 1-877-204-4442 (toll free call) Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM Mountain Time (MT)