Job Details

Director Position

The Superior Court of California, County of Alameda, is accepting applications for Director. The position will have directorial responsibility over the Civil Division, which presently includes Appeals, Civil (courtroom and office), Exhibits, Interpreter Services, Jury Services, Mental Health, Probate, and Records. Under general direction of the Court Executive Officer (CEO) and/or Assistant Executive Officer, a Director provides vision and leadership over their assigned Division; oversees the day-to-day management of the operational activities in one of the Court's Operations Divisions; plans, organizes, coordinates, directs and reviews the court-wide program services in the assigned operational area; assists in the implementation and evaluation of the Court's strategic plan, goals and objectives; hires, trains, develops, supervises, and evaluates management, supervisory, professional and support staff; and performs other related duties as assigned.

The current vacancy may be located at one or more of the following locations, the Rene C. Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, CA, the George E. McDonald Hall of Justice in Alameda, CA and/or the Berkeley Courthouse in Berkeley, CA.

Example of duties:

1. Acts as the leader of the assigned Division; provides overall strategic vision and sets goals for staff within the assigned Division; ensures that the work of the Division aligns with the overall strategic and tactical goals of the Court; positively leads Division through changes that impact the work of assigned staff.
2. Serves as a member of the Court's Executive Team; assumes responsibility for one or more court-wide priorities and/or special projects that may fall outside of the scope of the assigned operational area as directed by the Court Executive Officer and/or Assistant Executive Officer; and responds to inquiries and handles work projects and situations where established policies, procedures and standards are not available or are general in nature such that considerable discretion must be exercised with respect to actions taken.
3. Oversees the overall management and day-to-day operations of the assigned operational area; ensures that the work of the divisions and units in multiple court locations are managed effectively and efficiently, either directly and/or through subordinate managers and/or supervisors; plans, organizes, directs and coordinates the day-to-day operations of the assigned areas.
4. Manages division and unit supervisory, professional and support staff and related programs in a manner that best serves the public, the judiciary and justice partners while maximizing operational efficiency; meets regularly with division and unit managers, supervisors, and line staff to keep informed of and address operational issues, gain information regarding organization culture, and to maintain efficient delivery of services; ensures that division and unit managers and supervisors meet regularly with their staff; provides guidance and/or incentives to encourage and to support staff identifying improvement opportunities; and assists in the implementation of teamwork strategies to achieve organizational goals and objectives.
5. Selects, trains, develops, coaches, supervises, evaluates, and disciplines employees directly or indirectly through management and supervisory staff; meets regularly with division and unit managers, supervisors, and line staff; ensures that division and unit managers and supervisors meet regularly with their staff; may oversee implementation of the operational area workforce development program, including maintenance of training materials to stay current with legislation, Rules of Court, policies and procedures, and development of evaluation methods to assess progress towards achieving a highly competent workforce.
6. Coordinates with all other operational and administrative areas of the Court; works with the Court Executive Team to effectively manage initiatives and interactions across the Court.
7. Evaluates and reviews Court programs, policies and procedures applicable to the assigned division and unit operations to maximize effectiveness and efficiency; evaluates available data regarding the work of the Division and recommends additional data collection efforts as needed; seeks input and confers with judicial officers, management and staff to assess effectiveness within the operational area; conducts administrative studies to evaluate effectiveness and identify problematic areas; prepares, analyzes and interprets research and studies as needed; develops recommendations for solutions; and devises and implements changes those solutions as appropriate.
8. Identifies projects and/or initiatives designed to increase work quality and/or operational efficiency; participates in the development and implementation of said projects and/or initiatives; analyzes and evaluates automated systems; coordinates or participates in special projects related to automated systems; prepares case management statistics; and works with other divisions and units on the implementation, maintenance and enhancement of automated systems.
9. Reviews, interprets and analyzes trends, new legal requirements, laws and pending legislation to determine the impact on operations and programs in the assigned operational area; and interprets court policies and procedures for staff and the public.
10. Participates in short and long-range planning, policy and procedure development and implementation; assists in the division and unit's budget preparation, administration, and monitoring.
11. Serves on court, regional and state committees; establishes and facilitates communication both within the court and externally with other agencies and organizations; and acts as a liaison with other trial courts, and local and statewide organizations and governments.
12. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Minimum qualifications:

Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree. Specialized court management training or related management work experience may be substituted for the education on a year for year basis. And Experience: The equivalent to four years of full-time management experience in a business, court, legal or public sector setting, including management of a division or department. A graduate degree in public administration or public policy may be substituted for two years of the four-year management experience requirement.

Knowledge of principles and practices of effective leadership, management, change management, administration, personnel, supervision and budget management; data-driven decision-making; statutes, rules and regulations that govern the operations of the assigned operational area; laws, code of ethics and rules governing the operation of a court; legal terminology, forms and procedures relevant to the assigned operational area; methods of leadership, communication and project management; problem solving and conflict resolution; workforce development; effective customer service practices; employee development, supervision, training, evaluation and discipline; judicial branch operations; relationship of court to various justice partners, other public and community agencies; use of applicable case management systems, and other advanced technology tools. Ability to lead and oversee the professional advancement of reports; plan, supervise and coordinate the work of others; use data to inform decisions and improve efficiencies; identify, analyze and solve problems; develop, implement and evaluate policies and procedures; direct, manage and/or coordinate various court-related programs; develop, implement and evaluate projects and programs to enhance the service to the public and/or support community outreach policies; maintain effective relationships with judicial officers, staff, attorneys, justice partners, including ancillary agencies; establish individual and group expectations for performance and accountability; communicate both orally and in writing; utilize data to monitor trends and operational performance; review literature, codes, laws and records; prepare reports; implement and utilize technology tools to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness; interpret and implement statutes, rules of court and policies applicable to the assigned operational area; effectively manage in a diverse work environment serving a multi-cultural community; organize and set work priorities, and meet deadlines; prepare concise reports and verbal recommendations on complex issues; and make formal verbal and written presentations. Physical demands include walking, standing, sitting and climbing up and down stairs; strength, dexterity, coordination and vision to use a keyboard and video display terminal; hearing, listening and speaking to communicate with the public and court staff; dexterity and coordination to handle files and single pieces of paper; occasional lifting of objects weighing up to 25 lbs. such as files, stacks of papers, reference and other materials; moving from place to place within an office or other court location; and reaching for items above and below desk level. The job requires frequent travel by car.

Working conditions: Computer monitors are used on a daily basis. Attend meetings, respond to emails, and engage in work as needed outside of normal business hours. Work occasional evening and weekend hours. May be required to travel statewide as necessary. FLSA Status: Exempt

This position includes a one-year probationary period. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of fingerprint check and the provision of appropriately identifying documents to certify eligibility to work in the United States.

Hiring process will include the following components:

• An initial screening of all application materials received including a completed application and supplemental questionnaire. A resume does not substitute for completing the application. An incomplete or partial application or supplemental questionnaire will result in disqualification.
• A review of the completed application and supplemental questionnaire to select the best-qualified candidates for the oral panel interview process.
• An oral interview that will be weighted as 100% of the candidate's final score. The oral interview may contain situational exercises.

The Court reserves the right to change the components of the examination process and may limit the number of candidates invited to the oral interview process to include only the best-qualified candidates should there be a large applicant pool.

The application and supplemental questionnaire are used to evaluate the candidate's qualifications. If you are interested in the opportunity, it is recommended that you submit your application and supplemental questionnaire as soon as possible since this recruitment may be closed at any time should the Court receive a sufficient number of qualified applicants.

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