The Access to Justice Director serves at the pleasure of the Executive Officer and works under the general supervision of the Deputy Executive Officer. The incumbent manages the Access to Justice Unit, supervises assigned staff, and performs varied advisory functions with independent responsibility for providing officials of the D.C. Courts with counsel in areas related to enhancing access to justice by removing barriers to meaningful participation in court proceedings and services.
Summary
The Access to Justice Director serves at the pleasure of the Executive Officer and works under the general supervision of the Deputy Executive Officer. The incumbent manages the Access to Justice Unit, supervises assigned staff, and performs varied advisory functions with independent responsibility for providing officials of the D.C. Courts with counsel in areas related to enhancing access to justice by removing barriers to meaningful participation in court proceedings and services.
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.
Directs the Access to Justice Unit which entails the management of daily operations that promotes and ensures access to justice by coordinating and integrating access to justice services throughout the D.C. Courts.
Implements and executes plans to enhance services, identifies areas where access to justice services is needed, and establishes ways to close the gap.
Oversees the Justice Resource Center.
Advises the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration, Executive Officer, Chief Judges, Associate Judges, Magistrate Judges, and management personnel on issues pertaining to and impacting access to justice.
Collaborates and works in cooperation with the Access to Justice Commission and legal service organizations, to execute the Courts multi-pronged approach to addressing the needs of self-represented litigants and removing barriers that prevent the meaningful participation in the judicial system and court processes, leveraging the resources of the legal and social service communities, and providing additional resources needed to meet the public’s need for assistance.
Works with stakeholders to eliminate barriers to meaningful participation in the judicial process.
Develops programs to enhance the public’s perceptions of access and fairness.
Directs and manages responses to oral and written requests for advice and recommendations from judicial officers and management officials on matters relating to providing and managing access to justice services.
Serves as the liaison between the D.C. Courts and various federal and District of Columbia agencies concerning issues involving the Courts' responsibilities to the public to provide access to justice.
Background and security investigation are required.
This position is an Excepted Service appointment.
To qualify for this position, you must submit the following:
Resume
Completed Vacancy Questionnaire
Documentation/Proof of Education (e.g. copy of college transcript or degree)
List of three (3) professional references
Management Training Certificate (if applicable)
All required documentation must be received by the closing date of the announcement.
Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in criminal justice, social science field, public administration, or related field plus seven (7) years of management experience, which include five (5) years of demonstrated experience promoting access to justice in a court, government, or non-profit environment. Of those seven (7) years, at least three (3) years must include experience managing staff.
An advanced degree in law, criminal justice, public administration or social science 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://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
District of Columbia Courts
Moultrie Building
500 Indiana Avenue, 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.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
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.
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.
District of Columbia Courts
Moultrie Building
500 Indiana Avenue, 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.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.