Lead Court Clerk

City of Puyallup; Puyallup (WA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Puyallup's Municipal Court is seeking a Lead Court Clerk to supervise the court clerk team and handle advanced case processing and calendar management. The role requires leadership and strong knowledge of court operations to ensure accurate, timely processing and confidentiality in a public service environment.

The successful candidate will coordinate daily work, assist with caseload management, and support the Court Administrator in implementing changes to procedures and policies while

Qualifications

• Knowledge of court rules, regulations, forms, and procedures.
• Ability to supervise, train, and evaluate subordinates.
• Strong organizational and data entry skills.

Responsibilities

• Supervise Court Clerks and support staff; assign tasks and provide training.
• Ensure proper application of court procedures and deadlines.
• Develop goals to prioritize and manage caseloads and calendars.
• Assist with implementation of new policies and changes in law.
• Process court documents from origin to disposition and maintain records.

Skills

Leadership

Court procedures

Time management

Communication

Education

High school diploma

Tools

Judicial Information System (JIS)

Office software

Job description

Definition

The Puyallup Municipal Court is hiring a Lead Court Clerk to join the clerk team! Applicants with strong leadership and court experience, and a desire to serve the Puyallup community, are encouraged to apply. This job posting is open until filled and applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to receive priority consideration.

It is impactful to join Team Puyallup and provide meaningful work in support of public service and the wellbeing of our community. We value our culture of demonstrating excellence in our work, being service focused, supporting collaboration, and having integrity in all that we do. We encourage those that share these values to apply to our open positions and/or forward to colleagues who may be ready for their next career advancement opportunity.

The successful applicant will perform technical and clerical work in support of the municipal court. The incumbent coordinates the daily work activities of subordinate staff to ensure coverage of all courtrooms. This position requires technical expertise in those aspects of the court operation in which consequences of a clerical error would be significant. This position maintains a high level of responsibility, confidentiality, and necessitates the ability to be in personal contact with police, attorneys, defendants, and other agencies where considerable independent judgment is required. This classification requires solid organizational skills.

The City of Puyallup is a community of 44,000 and is situated at the foot of scenic Mount Rainier. The city is known as a regional commercial center, and serves its residents and neighbors with a strong, diversified economy. Our employees live in and support a community that has excellent schools, amazing parks and recreational activities, and a vibrant downtown with a variety of restaurants and retail establishments.

Essential Functions

• Assigns specific tasks, provides work direction and trains Court Clerks and Office Assistant(s);
• Makes every effort to properly apply procedures within responsibility areas and provides feedback to the Court Administrator on the team's work performance and production;
• Develops specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work.
• Assists Court Administrator in determining effective caseload management techniques;
• Assists with implementation of change within the department to accommodate new policies, laws, etc.;
• Performs a variety of duties such as: processes forms, orders and documentation for court cases from origin to final disposition;
• Assists the public and explains court procedures;
• Sets cases for various types of hearings including arraignment, pre-trial, trial, mitigation, contested, show cause and motions;
• Prepares court calendars and notifying parties related to case by subpoena, summons, officer notice and bonding company notice;
• Processes continuance requests and notifying parties involved;
• Tracks cases with continued, suspended or deferred status;
• Obtains record checks;
• Reviews compliance and non-compliance reports, sends notices and prepares calendar;
• Maintains warrant control;
• Issues, recalls, processes and purges warrants;
• Maintains failure to appear control;
• Maintains time pay accounts, sends statements and delinquent notices;
• Prepares bench warrants for non-payment or prepares cases for review hearing;
• Tracks prisoners in custody awaiting arraignment, trial or review hearing;
• Maintains jail commitments and follow-up proceedings;
• Serves as Court Clerk while court is in session and records and documents proceedings;
• Performs work assignments as directed by the Court Administrator;
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Knowledge of:

• Court rules, regulations, policies, procedures and practices;
• Legal forms, documents and terminology;
• General office practices and procedures;
• Correct punctuation, spelling, grammar and word usage;
• Operation of personal computer and associated software;
• The Right to Privacy and Public Disclosure laws;
• Office practices; ability to plan, assign, supervise and evaluate the work of subordinates;
• Work related codes, laws and legal terminology;
• Operation of the municipal court and all aspects of case processing activity;
• Accounting principles and procedures.

Skill to:

• Operate the equipment used in the department;
• Manage one's own time and the time of others;
• Talk to others to convey information effectively.

Ability to:

• Process a wide variety of legal forms and documentation;
• Perform basic arithmetic computations and data entry functions accurately;
• Express ideas concisely and communicate effectively both orally and in writing;
• Serve as a Court Clerk as needed while court is in session;
• Read, interpret, apply and explain rules, regulations, polices and procedures;
• Use independent judgment to make decisions in accordance with laws, regulations and court policies and procedures;
• Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense;
• Analyze and evaluate accounting problems and discern those requiring policy determinations by supervisor;
• Maintain records and prepare reports;
• Work effectively in a high-pressure environment and interact with emotionally distraught, irate and combative individuals;
• Establish and maintain cooperative and effective working relationships with those contacted in the performance of work;
• Maintain regular, reliable and punctual attendance.

Education and Experience:
Any combination equivalent to graduation from high school and four years progressively responsible experience working in a court setting; or a combination of education, experience, and training that indicates the ability to successfully perform the essential functions of the position listed above. JIS knowledge and experience is required.

Special Qualifications

• Possession of or the ability to obtain, and maintain throughout employment, a valid Washington State driver'slicense.
• Experience with the Judicial Information System (JIS) is preferred.

Physical Characteristics and Work Environment

Work is performed indoors in an office setting with low noise levels. May be subject to dealing with hostile or irate customers and standing or sitting for long periods of time. Constant demands include sitting, hearing, and seeing. Frequent demands include repetitive hand motion (keyboarding) and talking. Occasional demands include standing, walking, lifting an average of 2 pounds to a maximum of 25 pounds, pushing/pulling (chairs), bending/twisting at the waist, repetitive arm motion, handling/grasping, and fine finger manipulation.

SELECTION PROCESS

Those applicants whose qualifications most closely correspond to the City's current needs will be contacted for interviews and/or testing. The appointing authority may conduct second interviews.

Notification

Following submission of application, an email acknowledgment receipt of application is given. Persons selected for an interview and/or testing will be notified by email, normally within 15 working days following the closing date on the job announcement.

Not Selected

No formal notification is usually sent by the City to applicants not selected for an interview or test. Should the same or another position open for which the applicant wishes to apply, he/she must apply online for each new opening.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Essential Functions– The statements contained herein reflect general details as necessary to describe the principal functions for this job, the level of knowledge, skills and abilities typically required and the scope of responsibility, but should not be considered an all-inclusive listing of work requirements. Individuals may perform other duties as assigned including work in other functional areas to cover absences or relief, to equalize peak work periods, or to balance the workload.

Hours of Work– Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. These are in person Court positions.

Union Affiliation – This is an American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) bargaining unit position.

Equal Employment Opportunity – The City of Puyallup is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and does not discriminate in any employer/employee relations based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability, genetic information, veteran's status or any other basis protected by applicable discrimination laws.

Background- The City of Puyallup will need to obtain the proper background and criminal history information pursuant to RCW 43.43.830/832 for positions where the employee will or may have unsupervised access to children, developmentally delayed persons or vulnerable adults.

Disability– In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, disability will be considered only in the context of an applicant's ability to perform essential functions of the job and to determine reasonable accommodation. Accommodation to participate in the job application and/or selection process for employment will be made upon request with reasonable notice. Please contact the Human Resources Department for further information. The physical demands described in this job announcement are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Identification– Applicants who are offered employment with the City are required to provide proof of identity and authorization to work in the United States within three days of date of hire, as required by the 1986 Federal Immigration Reform and Control Act. A list of acceptable documents verifying identity and authorization to work will be provided to those who are offered employment. The City uses E-Verify.

Drug-Free Workplace–The City of Puyallup is a drug-free, tobacco-free workplace.

Note – The provisions of this job announcement do not constitute an expressed or implied contract. Any provision contained herein may be modified and/or revoked without notice.