Superior Court Clerk

The Vermont Judiciary is seeking a Superior Court Clerk with regional responsibility for northwestern Vermont counties including Franklin, Grand Isle and Lamoille.

As a member of the senior management team, the Superior Court Clerk will be vital to strategic planning, organizational development, and continuous improvement. This individual must maintain public confidence in the courts during a time of change through high standards of transparency and accountability. The Superior Court Clerk is responsible for directing and coordinating all administrative and operational functions of multiple assigned courts/units within a region. This position operates within organizational policies and parameters, including the establishment of strategies and objectives to accomplish the goals identified by the Court Administrator’s Office and reports to the Chief of Trial Court Operations. The ideal candidate for this position will have the personal qualities of integrity, energy and a strong preference for collaborative problem-solving.  Work is performed with considerable latitude for the exercise of independent judgment and initiative.

Essential Job Functions for Superior Court Clerk: 

• Assume a leadership role in change management efforts within region and organization to advance the Judiciary’s mission and continuously improve operations.
• Partner with Court Administrator’s Office for Judiciary strategic planning and promote regional cooperation and support for strategic goals. 
• Plans, organizes and directs unit and division programs to provide court services in accordance with statutory and administrative policies and directives, rules and procedures for Vermont Trial Court operations, personnel policies, and terms of the collective bargaining agreement. 
• Supervise the Court Operations Managers and appropriate others in the region.

Desired Skills and Experience for the Superior Court Clerk:

• Prior court management experience including within the Vermont state court system.
• Experience managing technological change. 
• Experience with strategic planning. 
• Experience and capacity for effective communication, both internally and externally. 

Minimum Qualifications:

• Minimum requirements include a Bachelor’s degree. Experience in court management may substitute for the Bachelor’s degree on a six months-per-semester basis.  
• Five years or more experience in a high-level position with direct responsibility for managing budgets, program operations, and subordinate staff.

Preferred Qualifications:

Juris Doctor degree, or admission to the Vermont Bar through completion of a four-year law office study, or a Master’s degree in business, public, or court administration.

This is a full-time, permanent opening located northwestern Vermont. The annual equivalent for this position will be $100,000 or higher depending upon experience. The State of Vermont’s total compensation package features an outstanding set of employee benefits that are worth about 30% of your total compensation.

Benefits:

• 80% State paid medical premium
• Dental Plan at no cost for employees and their families
• Flexible Spending healthcare and childcare reimbursement accounts
• Two ways to save for your retirement: A State defined benefit pension plan and a deferred compensation 457(b) plan
• Work/Life balance: 12 paid holidays each year and a generous leave plan
• Low-cost group life insurance
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Incentive-based Wellness Program
• Qualified Employer for Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Other Duties and Responsibilities for Superior Court Clerk:

• Engage units and employees under their direction to fully subscribe in efforts to standardize court practices and statewide procedures across the judiciary. This 
  includes but is not limited to: records management; case-flow management; calendaring and jury utilization.
• Support the full utilization of an electronic case-flow management system by providing input, direction and staff resources as directed by CAO.
• Implement statewide best practices in case-flow management by setting expectations, measuring progress, and creating accountability for units and employees. 
• Work in partnership with the Presiding Judge of each Unit in the region to identify and plan the priorities of the Unit’s case administration goals within the context of judicial and staff resources.
• Develop a sophisticated capability to collect, analyze and make decisions with data to support our goals of building a high-performing organization. 
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with judicial officers, members of the bar, justice partners, representatives of the media, other state bodies and customers.
• Identify budget needs and priorities. Ensure court operations and judicial administrative needs of each Unit in the region are identified, evaluated and communicated in the judiciary budget-planning process. 
• Manage each Unit’s budget, including but not limited to mastering statistical, financial, and management information and producing appropriate reports.
• Serve on special judiciary teams and committees to accomplish judiciary-wide projects, as assigned.
• Assist in determining the regions correct court facility needs, plans, office layout and space utilization.

The above statements provide the general nature and level of work performed by employees of this classification.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the responsibilities, duties and skills required.  Actual assigned duties may differ due to the varying needs of the Judiciary.

Units and regions assigned are subject to change. Will travel to work locations within that region. Occasional travel to other locations throughout the state may be required. Travel will be reimbursed according to reimbursement policies of the State of Vermont. Job code #24020. This position was also advertised as ‘Northwest Regional Senior Manager.’

The State of Vermont celebrates diversity and is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect and meaningful inclusion that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills in all state government positions. The Judicial Branch is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity, and the recruitment process is designed to treat all applicants equitably.