Chief Deputy Clerk

United States Courts; Greensboro (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

11 paid holidays

Paid vacation and sick leave

Federal Employees Retirement System

Thrift Savings Plan

Federal Health Insurance option

Job summary

United States Courts in Greensboro, NC seeks a Chief Deputy Clerk (Type II) to lead court operations, docketing, and CM/ECF management. The role involves policy development, budget and HR matters, and acting as Clerk in their absence. Strong leadership and legal process knowledge are essential.

Requires at least six years of progressive administration experience and a Bachelor's degree; a J.D. is not required.

Qualifications

• Minimum six years of progressively responsible administrative, supervisory, technical, professional or managerial experience.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to a wide variety of people.
• Educational substitutions may be made; a J.D. is not required for this position.

Responsibilities

• Develops and communicates policies, procedures, and objectives of management to employees to enhance productivity.
• Develops the master court schedule under direction of the Court.
• Assists with the formulation, implementation, monitoring, and modification of organizational policy and court rules.
• Assists with the implementation of automated systems.
• Interacts with Judges, Administrative Office, and others to resolve complex issues of practice and procedure.
• Acts as Clerk in the Clerk's absence, including ruling on motions and governing HR matters.

Skills

leadership

organizational

analytical

communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Word

Excel

Job description

Overview of the Position The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina seeks applications from qualified candidates for the position of Chief Deputy Clerk (Type II). This position is located in Greensboro, North Carolina, and reports directly to the Clerk of Court.The Chief Deputy Clerk is primarily responsible for the administration and supervision of court operations, the largest section in the Clerk’s Office. Although Information Technology, Finance, Facilities, and Human Resources report separately to the Clerk, the Chief Deputy also plays a key role as trusted advisor in these areas and, in the absence of the Clerk, assumes his functions and responsibilities. Thus, the incumbent will need to become familiar with, and capable of handling, duties and responsibilities related to procurement, budget, restitution, registry, technology, information security, and the administration of human resources policies and practices.In addition to the day-to-day duties of the position, the Chief Deputy manages or personally handles special projects and assignments as needed and helps to develop court-wide policies. The position of Chief Deputy Clerk requires a strong knowledge of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Local Rules of the Middle District, as well as the procedures utilized by the different sections of the Clerk’s Office.

The incumbent assists the Clerk in providing leadership, management, and supervision for all aspects of the Clerk’s Office with a primary focus on court operations, including court schedules, intake, docketing, courtroom services, jury management, the Case Management/Electronic Case Filing (CM/ECF) system, records management, statistical reporting, and quality assurance. Specific duties include the following:

• Develops and communicates policies, procedures, and objectives of management to employees to enhance the productivity of the entire organization
• Develops the master court schedule under direction of the Court
• Assists with the formulation, implementation, monitoring, and modification of organizational policy and court rules
• Assists with the implementation of automated systems
• Interacts with the Judges, Administrative Office, Federal Judicial Center, other federal courts, the bar, government agencies, and the public to resolve complex issues of practice and procedure
• Special projects including, but not limited to, studies of operational areas, implementation of new local or national programs, and various types of writing assignments
• Acts as the Clerk in his absence, which includes ruling on motions under the Court’s Standing Order 40, entering defaults, and ruling on bills of costs; approving payments; and evaluating leave requests and other human resource matters
• Under the current organizational structure of the office, the Chief Deputy Clerk directly supervises the Operations Manager, CM/ECF Administrator, Jury Administrator, and a case manager with responsibility for interpreter scheduling and naturalizations. The Operations Manager, in turn, supervises the Docketing Supervisor, court reporters, and case managers/courtroom deputies. The Docketing Supervisor leads a team of deputy clerks with responsibility for intake and docketing.

Qualifications

Candidates must have a minimum of six years of progressively responsible administrative, supervisory, technical, professional or managerial experience that provided an opportunity to gain: (1) a thorough knowledge of management practices and administrative processes; (2) skill in dealing with others in person-to-person work relationships; (3) the ability to exercise mature judgment, and (4) the ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing to a wide variety of people. At least three of the six years of experience must have been in a position with substantial management responsibility. The successful candidate should be a leader, motivator, highly organized, and possess a high degree of integrity. Applicants should be proficient with word processing applications, such as Word and other administrative applications (e-mail, spreadsheets, recordkeeping). A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required. Educational substitutions may be made for some experience requirements. A J.D. is not required for this position.

Specialized Experience

Preferred qualifications include:

• Supervisory experience and experience in a legal environment, especially the federal courts.
• A proven leader with a record of team building, collaboration and problem-solving ability.
• Maintains and encourages positive relationships with team and colleagues.
• Strong organizational and analytical skills.

Employee Benefits

Federal benefits include 11 paid holidays, paid vacation and sick leave, participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System and matching and tax-deferred Thrift Savings Plan. Optional participation in Federal Health Insurance, Supplemental Dental/Vision Insurance, Federal Group Life Insurance Program, and Flexible Benefits Program. A comprehensive summary of benefit information is available for review via Benefits | U.S.Courts (uscourts.gov) .

The selectee for this position is subject to a criminal record check and satisfactory adjudication by the employing office to be eligible for employment. Due to the sensitivity level of this position, candidates may be asked about their criminal history prior to receiving a tentative offer of employment. Candidates completing the AO-78 must complete questions 18-20 regarding their criminal history. Criminal history is not in itself disqualifying. All available information, past and present, favorable, and unfavorable, about the reliability and trustworthiness of an individual will be considered when making an employment suitability determination. Providing false and/or misleading information may be grounds for removal from the application and selection process, as well as disciplinary action if discovered after an individual’s date of hire.

Due to the volume of applications received, only the best qualified applicants will be invited for personal interviews. The U.S. District Court is a smoke-free environment. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible to work in the United States.

About the Court and the Clerk’s Office
The Middle District of North Carolina is a young Court, established in 1927 in response to an influx of bootlegging cases from Prohibition. Later, as the region became the manufacturing hub of the state, the Middle District grew in importance. Now, as the Court looks to celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2027, it continues to hear a wide variety of civil and criminal cases. The Court currently has four authorized district judgeships and three magistrate judges. The Court prides itself on its collegiality and civility, both internally and externally with the Bar, litigants, and external partners. It has three courthouses. Greensboro and Winston-Salem have both district and magistrate judges. Durham has one magistrate judge. The district does not have divisions.

The Clerk’s Office has 37 employees. All but five are stationed in Greensboro. They come from a diverse range of backgrounds. Some have decades of experience in the Middle District, while some (including the Clerk) joined after serving in other fields and professions. They share a common pride in supporting the Court and its Judges. The Clerk’s Office’s current strategic priorities include modernization, automation, and developing recruitment pipelines for future employees and leadership opportunities for current ones, all while being good stewards of taxpayer resources.

Conditions of Employment
Employment will be considered provisional pending the successful completion of a ten-year, full-field Office of Personnel Management background investigation. The incumbent will be subject to updated background investigations every five years. Employees of the U.S. Courts serve under “Excepted Appointments” and are considered “at will” employees.

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.