Operations Administrator

United States Courts; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 63,000 - 119,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and welfare benefits

Paid time off

Retirement plan (FERS) with 5% match

EAP & wellness resources

Job summary

Missouri Eastern Federal Public Defender in St. Louis, MO is seeking an Operations Administrator to join the administrative team.

You will work with the Administrative Officer on procurement, space and facilities, travel, and financial support, handling confidential work with professionalism. Responsibilities include ensuring compliance with federal and local requirements, coordinating vendor contracts, onboarding staff, accounts payable, travel administration, and maintaining audit-ready

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible related experience.
• Five years of relevant experience preferred.
• Ability to read, analyze, interpret and apply judiciary guidance and policy.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat.
• Ability to maintain audit-ready transaction files.
• Strong communication with employees, vendors, and agencies.
• Ability to handle confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with procurement, travel, financial, facilities, and administrative requirements.
• Procure supplies and services through government sources or contracts within delegated authority.
• Coordinate office space and facilities including planned build-out and vendor access.
• Administer Employee Health Unit programs and related contracts.
• Support personnel actions including onboarding and fingerprinting logistics.
• Assist with accounts payable and financial processing tasks.
• Support official travel administration and related documentation.
• Maintain documentation for administrative programs and respond to inquiries.
• Perform reception duties and other duties as assigned.

Skills

Microsoft Office

Adobe Acrobat

Effective communication

Confidential information handling

Independent work

Prioritization under pressure

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Adobe Acrobat

Job description

Job Details for Operations Administrator

Court Name/Organization Missouri Eastern Federal Public Defender

Overview of the Position The Operations Administrator is a key member of our administrative team, working closely with the Administrative Officer and administrative staff on all aspects of judiciary office administration. You’ll touch nearly every operational function – procurement, space and facilities, travel, financial support, internal controls, and more – and will be trusted to handle complex, confidential work with professionalism and precision.

Location St. Louis, MO

Opening and Closing Dates 10/15/2026 - 11/11/2026

Appointment Type Permanent

Classification Level/Grade JSP 9-12

Salary $63,288 - $119,315

Announcement Number 27-01

Position Description

General duties and responsibilities of administrators include, but are not limited to:

• Ensures adherence to applicable federal and local procurement, travel, financial, facilities, and administrative requirements. Develops knowledge of requirements and restrictions established by the Defender Services Office, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, the Guide to Judiciary Policy, applicable statutes, and General Services Administration regulations.
• Procures supplies, equipment, library materials, furniture, expert services, and other professional contract services through authorized government sources, purchase-card transactions, competitive quotations, existing government contracts, or new contracts within delegated authority
• Assists with the administrative coordination of office space and facilities, including the planned GSA build-out, renovations, repairs, equipment installation, telecommunications, vendor access, project documentation, and completion of outstanding action items
• Administers the Employee Health Unit program, including participating-agency communications, participant counts, agreements, cost-allocation and billing support, contract administration, purchasing, and coordination with the EHU nurse, participating agencies, and other stakeholders
• Provides administrative support for personnel functions under the direction of the Administrative Officer, including recruitment and onboarding logistics; collecting and routing approved personnel forms; scheduling fingerprinting and other security processing; coordinating orientation, systems access, equipment, and workspaceneeds; maintaining onboarding and separation checklists; and managing the administrative onboarding andoffboarding of interns, law clerks, and other temporary personnel
• Provides support for accounts payable and financial-processing functions, including vendor communications;receiving, verifying, and coding invoices; preparing invoices for payment; and ensuring supportingdocumentation is accurate and complete
• Provides support for official travel administration, including reviewing travel requests, preparing travelauthorizations, arranging transportation and lodging, making authorized travel-card purchases, preparingvouchers, resolving routine travel issues, and maintaining required supporting documentation
• Maintains complete and accurate documentation for assigned administrative programs and responds to inquiriesfrom employees, vendors, participating agencies, and other government offices
• Performs regular reception duties, including answering telephones, directing calls, greeting visitors, and receivingin-person deliveries
• Performs all other duties assigned

Qualifications

To qualify, the applicant must have the following:

• Have a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible relatedexperience, with at least five years of relevant experience preferred
• A general understanding of the methods and skills required for accomplishing the tasks outlined in the dutiesdescribed above
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat and the ability to learn judiciary financial, travel,procurement, and administrative systems
• Ability to read, analyze, interpret, and apply judicial guidance and policy to office operations
• Ability to maintain accurate, complete, and audit-ready transaction files
• Ability to communicate effectively with employees, attorneys, vendors, and government agencies
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately
• Ability to work independently, follow matters through completion, and recognize when supervisory guidanceis required
• Be adaptable to handling urgent, unplanned situations with shifting priorities
• A strong commitment to supporting the office’s mission of providing high-quality legal representation toindigent individuals in federal criminal proceedings

Specialized Experience

Preferred qualifications include experience with federal or judiciary travel, procurement, purchase-card programs,contracting, financial operations, facilities coordination, internal controls, or administrative operations in a legal orgovernmental environment. Experience interpreting and applying written policies, maintaining audit-readydocumentation, and coordinating multiple time-sensitive matters is strongly preferred.

Employee Benefits

Our benefits package includes:

• Comprehensive health, dental, vision, life, and long-term care insurance
• Flexible spending accounts
• Generous paid time off
• Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) with optional participation in the Thrift Savings Plan retirementaccount with up to 5% agency matching contributions
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and wellness resources.

Appointment and retention are subject to a background security investigation, including an FBI name search and IRS tax check. Fingerprints and photographs will be taken. Appointment is contingent on the applicant successfully completing a security investigation and receivinga favorable report.

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.