The City of Portsmouth, specifically the Circuit Court Judges Office, is seeking an experienced and highly organized professional to oversee daily court operations and ensure the efficient, fair, and professional administration of justice. This position plays a key role serving as liaison between the Court and City Officials, Sheriff, Clerks, courthouse occupants, and other court personnel. Under limited supervision, this position provides strategic, operational leadership and performs a variety of complex secretarial functions of a confidential nature for Circuit Court Judges. Work involves planning, directing, and supervising overall work operations of the judges’ secretaries and the court docket administrator. The work also includes maintaining the schedules and personnel/financial records of the secretaries, docket administrator, and the law clerks to the judges. The position includes oversight of Circuit Court technology, and reports to the Circuit Court Chief Judge.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Ensure compliance with Constitutional and statutory requirements for court operations. Supervise Circuit Court personnel to ensure efficient day-to-day operations and docket management.

Prepares leave and time reports; maintains leave and personnel files and related documents.

Manage the court’s financial operations including budgeting, accounting, planning and payroll management. Processes accounts payable; prepares payment requests, closes out purchase orders. Prepares all travel vouchers on behalf of all Judges for both state and city reimbursement. Responsible for budget preparation and guiding the budget through government review process and the formulation of budgetary priorities and monitoring operation expenditures. Must have working knowledge of Munis.

Serve as the primary liaison with other agencies that interact with the court. Required to maintain strong working relationships with Judges, Commonwealth Attorneys, Public Defenders, the local bar, the Office of the Supreme Court, state agencies, the Circuit Court Clerk and Sheriff.

Submits any work orders necessary to the city for Circuit Court related repairs. Coordinates all Court-related events that take place in the Courtrooms such as investitures, Recovery Court graduation, etc. Serves as point of contact for the release of information to the media concerning operations of the court.

Utilizes computerized data entry equipment and various word processing, spreadsheet and/or file maintenance programs to enter, store and/or retrieve information as requested or otherwise necessary, establishing files and modifying existing files.

Work requires considerable knowledge of legal procedures, terminology and written communications, as well as a thorough knowledge of modern office practices, procedures, equipment and materials (preferably related to court management).

Ability to evaluate job applicants, train, supervise and instruct staff personnel. Establish work performance standards, monitor work performance, and evaluate performance of non-professional staff. Required to evaluate and resolve employee grievances and problems.

Performs other duties as assigned by the Chief Judge or presiding judges.

PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Knowledge of Job: Has considerable knowledge of city and departmental rules, regulations, policies and procedures, and ability to interpret them. Has considerable knowledge of the organization and functions of the ciy Has considerable knowledge of modern office practices and procedures. Has considerable knowledge of arithmetic, spelling, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. Is able to use common office machines and current word processing equipment. Is able to make routine administrative decisions independently in accordance with laws, regulations and city polices and procedures, and to solve problems and answer questions. Is able to develop and modify work procedures, methods and prcesses improve efficiency. Is able to screen communications and , based on conten, handle independently or route to proper source. Is able to exercise considerable tact, courtesy and discretion in frequent contact with public. Is able to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.

Quality of Work: Maintains high standards of accuracy in exercising duties and responsibilities. Exercises immediate remedial action to correct any quality deficiencies that occur in areas of responsibility. Maintains high quality communication and interacts within department and division, and with co-workers and the general public.

Quantity of Work: Maintains effective and efficient output of all duties and responsibilities as described under "Essential Job Functions."

Dependability: Assumes responsibility for doing assigned work and meeting deadlines. Completes assigned work on or before deadlines in accordance with directives, city policy, standards and prescribed procedures. Accepts accountability for meeting assigned responsibilities in the technical, human and conceptual areas.

Attendance: Attends work regularly and adheres to city policies and procedures regarding absences and tardiness. Provides adequate notice to higher management with respect to vacation time and time-off requests.

Initiative and Enthusiasm: Maintains an enthusiastic, self-reliant and self-starting approach to meet job responsibilities and accountabilities. Strives to anticipate work to be done and initiates proper and acceptable direction for completion of work with a minimum of supervision and instruction.

Judgment: Exercises analytical judgment in areas of responsibility. Identifies problems or situations as they occur and specifies decision objectives. Identifies or assists in identifying alternative solutions to problems or situations. Implements decisions in accordance with prescribed and effective policies and procedures and with a minimum of errors. Seeks expert or experienced advice and researches problems, situations and alternatives before exercising judgment.

Cooperation: Accepts supervisory instruction and direction and strives to meet the goals and objectives of same. Questions such instruction and direction when clarification of results or consequences are justified, i.e., poor communications, variance with city policy or procedures, etc. Offers suggestions and recommendations to encourage and improve cooperation between all staff persons within the department.

Relationships with Others: Shares knowledge with supervisors and staff for mutual and departmental benefit. Contributes to maintaining high morale among all department employees. Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships with department employees, staffers and managers in other departments, representatives from organizations, and the general public so as to maintain good will toward the department and project a good departmental image. Tactfully and effectively handles requests, suggestions and complaints from other departments and persons in order to maintain good will within the city. Interacts effectively with fellow employees, program clients, Director of Social Services, professionals and the general public.

Coordination of Work: Plans and organizes daily work routine. Establishes priorities for the completion of work in accordance with sound time-management methodology. Avoids duplication of effort. Estimates expected time of completion of elements of work and establish a personal schedule accordingly. Attends meetings, planning sessions and discussions on time. Implements work activity in accordance with priorities and estimated schedules. Maintains a calendar for meetings, deadlines and events.

Safety and Housekeeping: Adheres to all safety and housekeeping standards established by the city and various regulatory agencies. Sees that the standards are not violated. Maintains a clean and orderly workplace.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree in public or business administration, or legal related field and five (5) years of applicable work experience, inclusive of leadership or executive role and extensive experience in senior-level court administration; or any combination of education (above high school level) and/or experience equivalent to ten (10) years in fields utilizing the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with this position. Experience should include financial management.

Master’s degree in public administration, or related field; Juris Doctor from an accredited law school and knowledge of the Virginia court system; preferred

Special Requirements

An acceptable general background check to include a local and state criminal history check and sex offender registry check.

Certified Court Management (CCM) certification recognized by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) or the Virginia Supreme Court’s Office of the Executive Secretary Training Division; experience managing court case flow, calendars, and dockets; experience with Virginia’s Circuit Case Management System (CCMS); experience with Judicial Imaging System (JIS) or Case Imaging System (CIS) ;and/or experience in budget management.

Physical Requirements: Must be physically able to operate a variety of automated office machines which include computer, adding machine, calculators, copiers, facsimile machines, multi-line telephones systems, etc. Must be able to exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary Work involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people or things.

Interpersonal Communications: Requires the ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments and/or directions to subordinates or assistants.

Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of billing invoices, travel vouchers, correspondence, reports, records, forms, statistical summaries, policy manuals, etc. Requires the ability to prepare reports, correspondence, records, forms, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. Requires the ability to speak to people with poise, voice control and confidence.

Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply rational systems to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatical form; deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently using Standard English and possess a basic working knowledge of secretarial and coputer operation terminology.

Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas, to add and subtract totals; multiply and divide; to determine percentages and decimals.

Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.

Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using automated office equipment.

Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items, office equipment, control knobs, switches, etc. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.

Color Discrimination: Does not require the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.

Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under minimal levels of stress when confronted with persons acting under stress.

Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and/or hear: (talking - expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words; hearing - perceiving nature of sounds by ear).

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) REQUIREMENTS

The City of Portsmouth is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires the City to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are invited to discuss accommodations.

This is a class description and not an individual position description. A class specification defines the general character and scope of duties and responsibilities of all positions in a job classification, but is not intended to describe and does not necessarily list the essential job functions for a given position in a classification.

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