Position:                 Chief Deputy Clerk Type II

Salary Range:        JSP 14 - 16 ($117,064 - $183,300)

                                Dependent on qualifications and experience.

Location:                Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota

Closing Date:         March 5, 2021 or until filled.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Minnesota is accepting applications for the position of Chief Deputy Clerk.

This position is based in Minneapolis, but requires significant time in St. Paul, and occasional travel to Duluth and Fergus Falls.

Position Overview:

The Chief Deputy Clerk is an executive-level management position reporting directly to the Clerk of Court, and whose primary focus is assisting the Clerk with the operational and administrative management of the clerk’s office. In the absence of the Clerk, the Chief Deputy Clerk assumes the functions and responsibilities of the Clerk. The Chief Deputy shares with the Clerk the responsibility for the supervision and management of daily operations, including case processing, financial operations, budget, statistical reporting, human resources, training, information technology, records maintenance, security, space and facilities, property management and procurement. The Chief Deputy works closely with the Clerk and appropriate staff to develop, implement and refine office policies, procedures and programs to enhance clerk’s office operations. The Chief Deputy works closely with the Clerk to develop and prioritize long-range goals and plans for the clerk’s office and to establish short-term deadlines for completion of work assignments and special projects.

Representative Duties:

• Work with the Clerk to maintain a daily management presence in the St. Paul and Minneapolis offices and to meet with the Judges as needed to ensure smooth ongoing operations;

• Travel to Duluth and Fergus Falls as needed;

• Interpret and apply the appropriate statutes, rules, and operating procedures, including the Guide to Judiciary Policy and local internal policies and controls and consult with the Clerk and other administrative staff regarding changes and updates to administrative and operational policies and procedures;

• Assist with development of the budget and financial plan of the court, including evaluating the court’s allotments, developing spending plans, and determining appropriate staffing and spending decisions in light of the court’s short and long term goals;

• Work with the Clerk and Human Resources staff to address personnel matters. Provide leadership, management and direct supervision of court staff within assigned functional areas;

• Assist with development, implementation, and enforcement of policies and practices to secure staff and physical assets of the court unit, including oversight of property management, training, emergency preparedness and disaster recovery activities, and space and facilities planning;

• Work with the Clerk and IT Manager to determine present and future automation needs, anticipating trends in emerging technologies, and assist in developing long and short-term plans, synthesizing Court needs with available technology and maximizing efficiency through improvements to existing automated systems;

• Interact with the Administrative Office of the US Courts, the Federal Judicial Center, other federal courts, court units, the bar, government agencies, judges and the public to resolve complex issues of practice and procedure; and

• Perform other duties as assigned by the Clerk.

Qualifications:

The successful candidate must possess strong leadership qualities and initiative and an ability to manage change and articulate management priorities. An ability to identify and resolve problems, work effectively with both individuals and teams, and interact courteously and professionally with judges, attorneys, court staff and the public is essential. The person selected will be required to balance the demands of varying workload responsibilities and time sensitive deadlines. Demonstrated excellence in written and oral communications and strong interpersonal and analytical skills are essential.

Minimum Qualifications:

To qualify for a position of chief deputy clerk (Type II), a person must be a high school graduate or equivalent and must have three years of general experience and three years of progressively responsible specialized experience.

General experience is defined as progressively responsible administrative, professional, investigative, technical or other responsible work that provided an opportunity to gain:

   (a) a general knowledge of management practices and administrative processes,

   (b) skill in dealing with others in person-to-person work relationships, and

   (c) the ability to exercise mature judgment.

Specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible experience in administrative, supervisory, managerial, or professional work that provided an opportunity to acquire a thorough knowledge of the basic concepts, principles, policies, and theories of management.

Educational Substitutions

(a) Education above the high school level in accredited institutions may be substituted for the general experience on the basis of one academic year (30 semester or 45 quarter hours) equals nine months of experience.

(b) Completion of one academic year (30 semester or 45 quarter hours) of graduate study in an accredited university in such fields as business or public administration, political science, criminal justice, law, management, or related field, may be substituted for one year of specialized experience.

(c) Completion of a master's degree or two years of graduate study (60 semester or 90 quarter hours) in an accredited university in such fields as business or public administration, political science, criminal justice, law, management, or related field — or completion of a Juris Doctor (JD) degree — may be substituted for two years of specialized experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum of ten years’ experience, at least five years of which has been in a position with substantial management and supervisory responsibility.

Knowledge of and progressively responsible experience in court or legal management. Experience in the federal court environment is advantageous, particularly when combined with a working knowledge of Microsoft Office, CM/ECF and JIFMS. Experience in a legal field which required knowledge, interpretation, and application of the Bankruptcy Code and Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure is highly desired.

Application Process:

To ensure consideration, qualified applicants should promptly submit each of the following combined into a single pdf to: mnb_applications@mnb.uscourts.gov:

(1) a letter of interest;

(2) a current resume;

(3) a list of three professional references with current contact information; and

(4) a completed and signed “AO 78, Application for Federal Judicial Branch Employment"

Incomplete application packets will disqualify an applicant from further consideration.

Please refer to ANNOUNCEMENT #2021-04 in the email transmittal.

Selection Process:

The court will communicate only with those qualified applicants who will be invited for personal interviews and only applicants who are interviewed will receive a response regarding their application status.

DUE TO COVID 19, IT IS ANTICIPATED INITIAL INTERVIEWS WILL BE CONDUCTED BY VIDEO CONFERENCE.

Conditions for Employment:

Candidates must demonstrate organizational skills, good judgment, and willingness to work across different technical domains with legal, technical, administrative and operations staff in a cooperative environment. Candidates must maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information.

All employees of the court are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees, which is available for review upon request. In addition, the successful applicant will be hired subject to a probationary period of no less than six months.

Benefits:

• Paid vacation and paid sick leave
• Optional participation in choice of health plans, dental and vision insurance programs, group life insurance program, long term care insurance, and optional participation in a pre-tax flexible spending account plan for commuter reimbursement, and dependent care and medical expenses not covered by health insurance
• Participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)
• Optional participation in the Thrift Savings Plan with matching contributions (similar to 401K)
• Public transit subsidy as the budget permits
• 10 paid holidays per year
• Options for one day a week telework and/or compressed scheduling
• This position is subject to mandatory EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) participation for payment of net pay.

Additional Information:

• Applicants must be citizens of the United States or be authorized to work in the United States. Please note citizenship requirements:
• www.uscourts.gov/careers/search-judiciary-jobs/citizenship-requirements-employment-judiciary
• The U.S. Bankruptcy Court is not authorized to reimburse candidates for interview expenses.
• The court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.
• As this position is deemed “high-sensitive” the successful candidate will be required to undergo a background clearance which includes fingerprinting, and updated background investigations every five years.

The U. S. Bankruptcy Court has the right to modify the conditions of this vacancy announcement, or withdraw this announcement, either of which may occur without prior written or other notice.

The United States Bankruptcy Court is a part of the Judicial Branch of the United States Government. Employees of the United States Bankruptcy Court serve under “Excepted Appointment” and are considered “At-Will” employees.

Please visit the employment (http://www.mnb.uscourts.gov/employment) section of our website for other requirements and benefits information.

 

THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT

IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.