$55,447 - 111,157* (JS 8 – JS 11)

*Salary based on assigned duty station

POSITION OVERVIEW

The position will be based in any of the Circuit's four Courthouses in Pasadena CA, San Francisco CA, Portland OR, or Seattle WA with assignments made by the Clerk of Court. This position is part of a small pool of administrative assistants who travel extensively throughout the Ninth Circuit on short and long-term assignments as needed to fill in when judicial assistants take leave. Judicial assistants are typically the only permanent member of a judge's staff and serve as the administrative office manager, working closely with the judge to ensure the office runs smoothly and completing a range of necessary administrative tasks. The traveling assistant secretary can expect to be on travel status 80-90% of the time. Thus, you will have the opportunity to be involved in the operations of a wide variety of chambers. When not in travel status, you will be assigned to different administrative tasks within the Clerk's Office.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES

The responsibilities of a judicial assistant (and by extension, the traveling assistant secretary) include tracking the judge's workload from the initial assignment of a case through its completion; preparing reports regarding the status of pending cases; helping the judge manage his/her involvement with various judicial committees and special events; and maintaining office functionality (from getting the office heaters fixed to coordinating technical assistance with computer issues).

The judicial assistant is also responsible for the administrative aspects of preparing the judge for calendar, which includes organizing calendar materials, uploading electronic case materials onto the judge's iPad, acquiring court records, making travel arrangements, shipping materials, and preparing expense reports.

Depending on the preferences of each judge, the judicial assistant may also be responsible for proofreading orders and dispositions, assisting law clerks with bench book assembly, and conducting research related to court rules and procedures. Thus, to ensure a smooth transition when the judicial assistant is out of the office, the traveling assistant secretary must be prepared to jump in wherever necessary. The successful candidate will have a pleasant and team-oriented attitude and be able to work well in a small office environment with a diverse and frequently changing cadre of law clerks. Flexibility will be critical. While on assignments the traveling assistant secretary is under the supervision of the judicial assistant or judge.

When not in travel status, you will be assigned a variety of administrative tasks within the Clerk's Office, including assisting with events or school tours; agenda preparation; courtroom deputy duties and so on.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Judge-level secretary experience in a court environment or senior management level secretary experience in a legal environment

• Familiarity with the federal court system

• Ability to type accurately at 75 wpm.

• Ability to draft and comprehensively edit correspondence.

• Demonstrated organizational and administrative skills.

• Proficiency with word processing (including WordPerfect), spreadsheets, databases, email, and legal research.

• Proficiency with iPad/iPhone technology

• Excellent command of grammar, spelling and punctuation

• Ability to travel on very short notice and for extended periods.

• Ability to quickly adapt to a wide range of personalities and procedures.

• Absolute discretion required.

*Salary: Depending on qualifications and experience:

• Grade JS 8: 2 years of general work experience, plus 3 years of specialized work experience (legal, paralegal or law office work).**

• Grade JS 9: 1 additional year of specialized work experience.**

• Grade JS 10: 2 additional years of specialized work experience.**

• Grade JS 11: 3 additional years of specialized work experience.**

**A bachelor's degree may be substituted for general work experience.

**Education in a legal or paralegal curriculum may be substituted for up to 2- years of specialized work experience.

TOTAL REWARDS AND WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Salary*: Depending on duty station, qualifications, and experience, $55,447 - 111,157 (JS 8 – JS 11)

Time off: 13 days of paid vacation for the first three years, increasing with tenure thereafter, 13 sick days accrued per year, 11 paid holidays.

Benefits:

• Federal pension plan and optional employer-matching Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401K).

• Choice of a variety of employer-subsidized federal health and life insurance plans. Optional dental, vision, and long-term care coverage.

• Flexible spending account to pay out-of-pocket health and dependent care expenses with tax-free dollars.

Other Perks: Eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program; public transit subsidy; alternate work schedules; and reasonable work hours.

HOW TO APPLY AND REQUIRED DOCUMENTS

Please submit a PDF application through the Court's Career Portal that includes:

(1) cover letter;

(2) resume;

Only complete applications will be considered.

NEXT STEPS

• Priority given to applications received by March 19, 2023.

• Video conference interviews available.

• Position open until filled.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident in the process of applying for citizenship. Successful applicants are provisionally hired pending results of background investigation and fingerprinting. Positions with the U.S. Courts are at-will, excepted service appointments, and may be terminated with or without cause by the Court. Employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees. Direct deposit of pay required.

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, for any reason including, but not limited to, budgetary issues. Said modifications may occur without prior written or other notice. The court requires all its employees to be vaccinated and boosted against COVID 19 absent an exemption from the requirement based on a documented medical reason or a sincerely held religious belief.

EQUAL FOCUSED EMPLOYER

We value diversity and are committed to equity and inclusion in our workplace. The 9th Circuit encourages applications from all qualified individuals and seeks a diverse pool of applicants in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, languages spoken, veteran's status, disability, religion, and socio-economic circumstance.