Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to the public. This position allows for recurring and situational telework but does not qualify for full-time or remote telework. The duty station is in the Thurgood Marshal Federal Judiciary Building at One Columbus Circle NE in Washington, DC, across the street from Union Station with easy access to Metro (red line), VRE, MARC, and Amtrak.

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Judicial Conference Secretariat (JCS), is seeking a self-motivated, dynamic, and experienced Deputy Judicial Conference Secretariat Officer to join its team. JCS plays a vital role in supporting the Judicial Conference and its committees in crafting national administrative policy for the U.S. courts.

Headed by the JSC Officer, JCS serves the Judicial Conference and its Executive Committee. JCS provides professional and administrative support for Executive Committee meetings and the Judicial Conference's biannual sessions, and coordinates the AO staff who support other Conference committees. The office reviews all committee reports and agenda materials presented to the Judicial Conference and its committees and also supports the advisory structure of judges and professional court personnel that advise the AO Director. JCS activities are highly visible to federal judiciary senior officials, including high-level AO staff.

The Deputy Judicial Secretariat Officer addresses inquiries from judges and others regarding policies and actions of the Judicial Conference and its committees and provides procedural guidance and advice. The incumbent prepares agenda materials for the Executive Committee, supervises the guidance and support provided by JCS to committee staffers, and oversees the logistical and other administrative arrangements for Conference sessions and Executive Committee meetings. The incumbent also assists the JCS Officer in carrying out various other functions of JCS, including participation in management decisions, delivery of staff services at Judicial Conference sessions, and acting in the JCS Officer's absence.

The ideal candidate must have excellent research, critical-thinking, and analytical skills and the ability to write clearly and succinctly; plan, organize, and work under demanding circumstances and time constraints; identify and resolve problems; work collaboratively; and effectively communicate with AO management, judges, senior court personnel, and employees of the executive and legislative branches.

The duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

1. Supporting the JCS Officer in providing legal and other professional staff support for the Judicial Conference of the U.S. and its Executive Committee.
2. Responding to inquiries concerning Conference policy positions.
3. Advising Judicial Conference and committee members on procedural matters.
4. Identifying, researching, and analyzing relevant legal, policy, and factual issues pertaining to Judicial Conference policy making.
5. Reviewing draft committee reports and agenda items and addressing concerns with committee staffers.
6. Coordinating staff support to all Conference committees, including monitoring agenda topics to avoid overlapping and conflict, and developing clearance schedules for draft agenda items and reports.
7. Overseeing the preparation and distribution of the consent and discussion calendars and other materials relating to Conference sessions.
8. Attending Judicial Conference sessions and taking notes.
9. Aiding in the preparation of preliminary and final reports of Conference actions and other proceedings.
10. Attending Executive Committee meetings to present issues and take notes and preparing Memoranda of Action reflecting actions taken at those meetings.
11. Drafting and reviewing the briefing book provided to the Chief Justice as Presiding Official and other materials distributed to Judicial Conference members.
12. Assisting the JCS Officer make appointments for the AO Director and Chief Justice with Conference committees and special courts, panels, and boards.
13. Providing leadership, support, and assistance on AO's court advisory process and the activities of advisory councils and groups.
14. Identifying process improvements and changes to administrative procedures and protocols to create efficiencies while simultaneously safeguarding the work product of the Judicial Conference and its committees.
15. Supervising JCS staff and collaborating with the JCS Officer.

Conditions of employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

1. All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
2. Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
3. All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check.
4. New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
5. All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
6. You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.
7. If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Qualifications

Applicants must have demonstrated experience as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which include interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Bar Membership: Applicants must currently be an active member in good standing of the bar of a state, territory, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or a federal court of general jurisdiction. Applicants are responsible for citing minimum qualifications such as J.D. and bar membership information (institution name, state(s) for bar, and dates) on their respective resumes. Failure to supply details will constitute an incomplete application. All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Post J.D. Experience: Applicants must also possess at least 4 years of post J.D. experience.

Specialized Experience: Subsequent to graduation from law school, applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience must demonstrate experience in ALL areas defined below:

• Providing legal and policy advice and guidance on a broad range of issues, policies, procedures, and legislative matters.
• Analyzing and presenting interpretations of statues, regulations, decisional law, opinions, and legal or policy issues.
• Preparing written communications, such as legal or policy memoranda, judicial opinions, executive-quality correspondence, and reports.

• Federal judicial law clerk experience.
• Experience or knowledge of federal judiciary policies, procedures, and regulations, and membership on a law review editorial board.
• Experience providing staff support to Judicial Conference committees, circuit judicial councils, council committees, or similar policy-making or advisory groups.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat.

How you will be evaluated

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

We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement.

You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.