Administrative Specialist
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON
ADMINISTRATIVE SPECIALIST
ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER 23-WAW-37
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE September 1, 2023
CLOSING DATE Open until filled; preference given to resumes received by September 24, 2023
The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington is a career-oriented organization focused on providing exceptional service to the Court, the legal community, and the public. We are currently accepting resumes for an Administrative Specialist.
This position is part of Consolidated Administrative Services, which supports chambers, the Clerk’s Office, and Probation and Pretrial Services. The Administrative Specialist provides assistance to human resources, budget, procurement, space and facilities, and judicial services. This position works across many areas of the Court, and requires an individual who is extremely detail oriented and able to maintain focus and composure with frequent interruptions. This position is located in the office of the Clerk of Court at the Federal Courthouse in Seattle, Washington with occasional travel to the Federal Courthouse in Tacoma, Washington and the satellite Probation and Pretrial Services offices in Everett, Tukwila and Vancouver, Washington. This position requires regular in-office coverage in the Courthouse with the opportunity for occasional telework.
REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES
• Provides a variety of administrative support for human resources, budget, procurement, space and facilities, and judicial services.
• Assists with the recruitment process, including posting vacancy announcements, tracking and responding to applicants, and scheduling interviews.
• Assists with the orientation and on-boarding of court staff and externs, including fingerprinting and issuing facility access cards.
• Assists with the employee recognition program, including purchasing and tracking recognition items and organizing recognition events.
• Coordinates logistics for training programs.
• Maintains the Administrative Services SharePoint site.
• Orders office supplies for the district, confirms receipt, and organizes invoices.
• Assists with various budget and procurement duties in the Judiciary’s financial management system.
• Maintains records and files for the department, including electronic and hard copy information.
• Assists with the travel program for chambers and the Clerk’s Office, answering routine travel questions, reviewing vouchers, and submitting forms for payment.
• Assists with various court events, including preparation, reservations, ordering, setup, and post-event tasks.
• Other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS
• High school diploma or equivalent; and a minimum of two years of progressively responsible administrative, technical, or professional experience.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and experience with virtual meeting platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. • Ability to communicate information clearly and professionally with a variety of people, including Judges, court personnel, vendors, and candidates for employment.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, demonstrate sound judgment, and handle sensitive material with a calm, professional, friendly, and patient demeanor.
• The ability to work effectively as a part of a team, assisting co-workers and demonstrating a willingness to complete a wide variety of tasks as needed.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Bachelor’s degree.
• Current or prior judiciary experience.
• Proficiency with a wide range of technology solutions, including SharePoint and Adobe Acrobat.
SALARY RANGE
Court Personnel System Classification Level:
CL25, Step 1 – 61, $50,807 – $82,603
CL26, Step 1 – 61, $55,961 – $90,945
Depending on experience and qualifications; additional promotional potential without further recruitment.
BENEFITS
The District Court offers a generous benefit package, competitive salary, and a dedication to work/life balance including flexible schedules, ORCA transit passes, and telework opportunities. Judiciary employees participate in the Federal Employees Retirement System, Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401K), health and life insurance benefits, long term care options, annual sick leave accrual, and eleven paid holidays per year. Judiciary employees are not covered by the Office of Personnel Management’s civil service classification system or regulations. For additional information on employment with the federal courts, please visit United States Courts | (uscourts.gov).
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
Qualified applicants must submit the following:
• Cover Letter
• Resume
• A response to the application question, below
• Completed AO78 Form Application for Federal Employment (AO_078_ApplicationForEmployment.pdf (uscourts.gov)- * For this vacancy announcement (23-WAW-26), you do not need to complete the optional background information – questions 18, 19, and 20.
Attachments must be submitted as Microsoft Word (DOC) or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. Other formats are not acceptable. Applications will only be considered complete when the required attachments, with the required information in the appropriate format, are received by Human Resources. Incomplete applications and/or attachments received after the closing date may not be considered in the recruitment process. Application materials can be submitted via email to: seattle_personnel@wawd.uscourts.gov
APPLICATION QUESTION
From the following list of competencies for court employees, please select three and describe why you feel the are important for this position.
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Composure
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity
• Initiative
• Personal and Professional Development
• Problem Solving
Responses should be no more than two pages, and will be evaluated on the following: organization and flow of thought, thoroughness and thoughtfulness of content, level of detail, and writing skills (including grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure).
INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States. Employees of the United States District Court are considered “at will” employees. Applicants selected for interviews must travel (for in-person interviews) or connect via Zoom (for remote interviews) at their own expense. The United States District Court requires employees to follow a code of conduct which is available upon request. Reference checks with current and former employers will be conducted on top candidates. A background investigation with law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint and criminal record checks, will be conducted as a condition of employment. Any applicant selected for a position will be hired provisionally pending successful completion of the investigation. Unsatisfactory results may result in termination of employment.
The Federal Financial Management Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages.
The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals and seek 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.
The Court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please notify Human Resources. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.
The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the announcement, or to fill the position sooner than the closing date, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. If a position becomes vacant in a similar classification, within a reasonable time from the original announcement, the Clerk’s Office may select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the job announcement again. More than one position may be filled from this announcement.
The United States District Court is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the work place.
