Director (Public Office Operations) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. COA-2025-0005 Department District of Columbia Courts
Salary $163,964.00 to $191,900.00 Grade 15 to 15
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/31/2025 Close Date 2/14/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Public Office Division is located in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals and is responsible for processing all notices of appeal, petitions for review, special writs, and applications for allowance of appeal filed by the public, docketing subsequent filings, initial processing of appeals, staffing courtrooms, and responding to the public.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

United States Citizens or individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residency or authorized by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service to work in the United States.

Duties

Description of Duties:

  • Manages the overall performance of the Public Office Division, including the Case Management Branch, such as, promoting court values, measuring results, identifying and fostering process improvement, strengthening equity and fairness, enhancing public access to the Court, improving timely case processing, and building employee engagement.
  • Manages the screening and entry into the case management system (C-Track) of new appeals and subsequent filings, the initial processing and management of appeals cases, the staffing of in-person and videoconference oral arguments, the management of court records, the support of judges and other internal customers, and the response to inquiries from the public.
  • Provides overall administrative coordination, innovation, liaison and coordination with other business units of the DC Court of Appeals and DC Courts, and policy direction to assure the effective accomplishment of the mission of the Public Office and the Court of Appeals.
  • Develops, organizes, coordinates, directs, and evaluates policies, programs, personnel, and procurement needs of the division.
  • Oversees and assesses staff development and training, program evaluation, budget preparation, divisional procurement, and management.
  • Reviews and analyzes D.C. Court of Appeals Rules to properly oversee the administration and processing of appellate matters.
  • Conducts legal research relating to procedural issues and for special projects. Responds to written or oral inquiries from the Chief Judge, Clerk of the Court, Chief Deputy Clerk of Court, court personnel, members of the bar, and the public.
  • Prepares and submits monthly, annual, and special statistical reports of the Public Office activities.
  • Routinely reviews all Public Office forms including fillable forms on the web for conformity with existing rules, and designs and orders new forms as rules are amended or adopted.
  • Performs supervisory functions, such as resolving internal conflicts, conducting employee behavior or performance related investigations, and making disciplinary recommendations to the Clerk of the Court.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Background and security investigation are required.
  • This position is an Excepted Service appointment.

To qualify for this position, you must submit the following:

  1. Resume
  2. Completed Vacancy Questionnaire
  3. Documentation/Proof of Education (e.g. copy of college transcript or degree)
  4. List of three (3) professional references
  5. Management Training Certificate (if applicable)


All required documentation must be received by the closing date of the announcement.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor's degree plus seven (7) years of management experience. Of those seven (7) years, at least three (3) years must include experience managing staff.

An advanced degree in law, criminal justice, or public administration is preferred.

Graduation from the DC Court's Management Training Program may be substituted for one (1) year of supervisory experience. You must provide documentation of your management training (i.e. copy of certificate) with your application.

The incumbent should be an enthusiastic and engaged professional who enjoys working with a diverse group of Court personnel and customers and lives the DC Courts’ values of Accountability, Excellence, Fairness, Integrity, Respect, and Transparency.

Please note that authorization for the release of your adult criminal record revealing any convictions and forfeitures, and any criminal cases currently pending before the courts is required.  If you are selected for the position, a criminal history records check will be conducted.

Education

To qualify based on education, upload a copy of your college transcript or degree. The transcript must show the name of the college or university, your name, list of courses with credit hours, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking.

Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for District of Columbia Courts employment.  You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.  

Foreign Education: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must upload a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript at time of application to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

Additional information

This job is being filled by an alternative hiring process and is not in the competitive Federal civil service.

All required information must be received by the vacancy announcement closing date.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

This is not a federal position.

The District of Columbia Courts is an independent agency of the District of Columbia Government and is not under the authority of the City Mayor or the D. C. Council. DC Courts' appropriation comes directly from Congress. All DC Courts non-judicial employees receive federal benefits for the following programs:  Life Insurance, Retirement Benefits, Health Insurance and Workers Compensation.

Please click on the following for more information about these benefits:

http://www.opm.gov/Insure/health/enrollment/new_employees.asp

The DC Courts leave policy is as follows:

Annual Leave:  New full-time employees earn four (4) hours of annual leave biweekly. After three years of service this increases to six (6) hours biweekly, and at 15 years it increases to eight (8) hours biweekly. Most military, federal and District of Columbia government service counts toward the time required to go into the next higher annual leave category. Employees can carry over no more than 240 hours of annual leave into the next leave year.

Sick Leave is used for personal medical needs, care of a family member, or adoption related purposes. Full-time employees earn four (4) hours of sick leave biweekly. This leave can be accrued without limit.

In addition to the federal health plans, the DC Courts offer employees supplemental vision and dental plans as well as commuter transit benefit subsidy, for a maximum of $150 a month. There are 26 pay periods in the year.

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Upon receipt of your complete application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure that you meet the minimum qualification requirements.  Answers submitted in the questionnaire must be supported on your resume.

Your resume must reflect the relevant experience and that you meet the minimum qualifications or your application will not be considered.


You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

  1. Resume
  2. Completed Vacancy Questionnaire
  3. Documentation/Proof of Education (e.g. copy of college transcript or degree)
  4. List of three (3) professional references
  5. Management Training Certificate (if applicable)

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To begin the process, click the Apply Online button to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.  Follow the prompts to complete the vacancy questionnaire. Afterward, click the Submit My Answers button at the end of the process.

Agency contact information

G. Brandon
Address
District of Columbia Courts
Historic Court House
430 E Street, NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20001
United States

Next steps

Once your completed application is received, the qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. All applicants will be notified of the final outcome.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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