Personal Assistant to U.S. District Judge

Position Overview

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Personal Assistant to the Honorable Barry Ted Moskowitz. The incumbent will be the personal assistant to a United States District Judge with limited mobility and a speech impairment.

Most importantly, this position requires patience, a pleasant demeanor, and the ability to listen well and follow directions. Reliability is a must. It is important to note that this is an administrative position and is not appropriate for candidates who wish to perform legal-related duties or gain experience in areas such as legal writing and research as the selected candidate will not be performing these duties.

Those with prior experience assisting individuals with physical impairments are also encouraged to apply.

Representative Duties

• Assists the Judge in the daily tasks of performing his duties, such as carrying and organizing papers, retrieving research books, opening the Judge's mail, and packing his briefcase with orders and case documents.
• Accompanies the Judge and assists with communication for in-person and telephonic meetings. Assists the Judge with screening telephone calls.
• Assists the Judge with communication during hearings and conferences. Assists with communication during video and telephone conferences.
• Assist with organizing briefs and other papers. Prints and distributes reports for the Judge.
• Assists with programming the Judge’s computer-generated speech device.
• Files documents, briefs, correspondence, and emails in the Judge's work files.
• Maintains and updates the Judge’s computerized speech assistive devices.
• Assists with travel arrangements for the Judge. Accompanies and assists the Judge with communication and transport when he travels within the district or out of district.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualification Requirements

The incumbent must be a high school graduate.

The following provides information on the minimum experience required to qualify for a specific salary grade (JS) level:

• JS 5 ($46,533) – 2 years of general experience.
• JS 6 ($51,871) – 2 years of general experience plus 1 year of specialized experience.
• JS 7 ($57,641) – 2 years of general experience plus 2 years of specialized experience.
• JS 8 ($63,835) – 2 years of general experience plus 3 years of specialized experience.
• JS 9 ($70,507) – 2 years of general experience plus 4 years of specialized experience.
• JS 10 ($77,643) – 2 years of general experience plus 5 years of specialized experience.

General experience is defined as progressively responsible general administrative, clerical or secretarial experience that provides a good knowledge of office clerical practices such as filing, telephone usage, and typing.

Specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible experience directly related to the representative duties as indicated above that provides a knowledge of rules, regulations, and terminology as it pertains to this position.

A bachelor’s degree may be substituted for general experience. Up to two (2) years of specialized experience may qualify for educational substitutions and would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Those who may be unsure if they qualify for educational substitutions are encouraged to submit their applications for consideration and they will be contacted only if it is determined they qualify.

Additional Requirements

The ideal candidate must be able to travel with the judge during official business and may assist with providing limited mobility assistance such as pushing a wheelchair or positioning a walker. This may also include when the judge is arriving or departing the courthouse.

The ideal candidate must be proficient with email, Windows applications, and Adobe Acrobat.

They must possess excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to follow specific directions; and demonstrated reliability, flexibility, and be able to effectively prioritize tasks.

This position requires prolonged periods of standing and walking, which may also include reaching, bending, kneeling, etc.

This position requires onsite work and is not a full-time telework position.

Personal Characteristics

The successful candidate should be a mature, dedicated, responsible, and poised individual who possesses tact, good judgment, initiative, a strong work ethic, and the ability to work well with chambers, counsel, and Clerk’s Office staff. The candidate should be trustworthy and possess the ability to maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information.

Required Clearances

The selected candidate will be required to submit to a background clearance which includes fingerprinting and a credit check.

Benefits

Federal court employees are eligible for a full range of benefits that include 13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid holidays per year, a flexible work schedule, immediate matching Thrift Savings Plan, pre-tax programs (health, dependent care and transportation), and insurance plans (i.e., health, life, disability, and long-term care), car-pooling options and a transportation subsidy.

For more information about federal court benefits, please visit: http://www.uscourts.gov/careers/benefits.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, qualified applicants should prepare the following materials for submission:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• List of 3 references with contact information (phone number and email address)

All applications must be submitted via email to efile_moskowitz@casd.uscourts.gov with the subject line: Personal Assistant Application (Vacancy 26-31).

Pay: $46,533.00 - $77,643.00 per year

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Parental leave
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person