Executive Assistant - Circuit Court

Non-exempt (compensatory and/or overtime eligible); full-time; 40 hours worked; Monday- Friday; 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m; full benefits

This position provides high level administrative and clerical support to the Magistrate of the Circuit Court for Frederick County, MD. The Executive Assistant reports directly to the Circuit Court Magistrate, with supervision by the Chambers Manager. Direction may also be received from other Circuit Court Judges, Magistrate, or Circuit Court Administrator.

This position serves at the discretion of the Circuit Court Judges, and is an at will employee which means that either an employee, or the court, may terminate the employee relationship at any time, with or without cause (Section 2-501 of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland). There are no contractual relationships between the Circuit Court and an employee; letters, benefit or policy statements, performance evaluation, handbooks, or other employee communications should not be interpreted as such. The at-will relationship remains in full force and effect notwithstanding any statements to the contrary made by court personnel or set forth in any documents.

NOTE: The upper pay range reflects possible wage rates for internal County transfers and promotions, which are calculated per County policy. For external hires, offers are made at the base wage rate.

Frederick County Government values the principles of diversity and inclusion, and strives to ensure equal opportunities for its workforce, applicants and community members.  If you are a person who wants to make a difference, give back to your community, and be a voice for change, apply to Frederick County Government today.

TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE:
Frederick County offers an extensive compensation package to reflect how highly we value our employees. The following is what you can expect in your first year as a full-time benefited Frederick County Government employee.  

• 11 days of Vacation leave with increase after 2 years of employment
• 15 days of Sick leave with unlimited annual carryover
• 11 paid holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays (10 and 11 month employees may not receive all holidays)
• Day 1 coverage of comprehensive Medical Insurance Plan options to include generous County Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution (if enrolled in the high-deductible plan). This is part of a full range of benefits including Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending
• Employee Health Center with no or low-cost primary and urgent care
• 100% County paid 2x annual salary Group Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) benefit
• County and Employee funded Defined Benefit Pension Plan 
  • Vesting after 5 years of service
  • Additional service credit for eligible previous public service, military service, etc.
• Work/Life balance programs include: Employee Assistance Program and Employee Wellness Program
• Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Other employee-paid benefits such as Deferred Compensation Plan, Legal Resources, Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Lifetime Benefit with Long Term Care plan

NOTE: Benefited employees will accrue service and leave based on the FTE and/or hours worked per calendar year. 

For more information, visit our benefits page on the Frederick County Government job opportunities webpage.

• Acts as an intermediary for the Administrative Official maintaining frequent contacts with the public, administrators, judges, professional staff, and other state or local government officials 
• Compose and prepare documents and update as necessary presentation materials, manuals, professional correspondence, memoranda, reports and other materials from electronic files, handwritten notes, or other sources, for approval and signature as appropriate; proof and edit materials for accuracy and format; make corrections; ensure adherence to established style guidelines and formats
• Serve as contact regarding building issues; issue work orders, as needed
• Assist and coordinate building and office moves, as needed
• Assist with annual inventories of all State and County equipment and/or furniture
• Create, update and maintain manual and computerized files and filing systems
• Prepare various different types of case reports to monitor case flow, create recommended court orders and other related legal documents in family cases for the Magistrate from what transpires in court and/or from dictation from corrected copy, rough draft, or oral instructions using a personal computer
• Prepares a range of general to complex correspondence, memorandums, and reports on behalf of the administrative official, department, or assigned unit
• Answers, screens, and routes telephone calls; maintains calendars and makes appointments
• Attend meetings and take minutes on behalf of the Magistrate as needed or setup and distribute Zoom hearing and meeting links for the magistrate
• Develops special forms and summaries using a variety of records in order to secure complete and accurate information 
• Track and report information involving child support hearings and orders to be submitted by counsel
• Assist with creating and updating template documents utilized by the Magistrates
• Perform data entry, filing, receptionist duties; including mail processing and other office support
• Perform other related duties as assigned

To perform this job successfully, an employee must be able to perform all essential functions satisfactorily. Any employee's position may not be assigned all functions or equipment listed above, and the examples may not cover all functions or equipment that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform their essential functions.

The qualifications/requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical requirements or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  

• Associate's Degree
• Minimum 4 years work experience in an administrative or executive support function in multiple areas of support (such as accounting, procurement, personnel management, facility management, or similar area)

Substitutions for the above-listed required education and experience are a Bachelor’s Degree with 2 years work experience as described above; or a High School Diploma (or equivalent) with 6 years work experience as described above. 

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES
A successful incumbent operating in this role displays the following:

• Knowledge of administrative processes, policies, and procedures
• Knowledge of various administrative fields
• Knowledge of Frederick County and Maryland Judiciary policies
• Knowledge of technology (i.e. computer, wireless devices, Internet)
• Skilled in verbal and written communication
• Basic mathematic skill to be used for basic budgeting
• Skilled in phone etiquette
• Skilled in customer service
• Ability to prioritize assignments and tasks and delegate to staff as necessary
• Ability to work efficiently in Microsoft 365
• Ability to follow written and verbal instruction
• Ability to maintain effective working relationships with staff, including interdepartmentally
• Ability to maintain professionalism, confidentiality and discretion when dealing with sensitive information
• Ability to utilize various software applications and computer systems required of the position
• Ability to type efficiently, perform clerical duties, and data entry
• Ability to investigate and draft correspondence in response to inquiries or complaints received from the public, via phone, email, and in person 
• Ability to respond to a customer’s concerns by determining the appropriate course of action to resolve the issue
• Ability to utilize necessary technology including Microsoft 365, email software, office systems, and other necessary programs and technology, and to learn new software as required
• Ability to evaluate priorities and schedule staff workloads 
• Organizational and personnel management skills, with the ability to direct, supervise, and evaluate the work of others 
• Ability to follow verbal and written (English) instructions to complete routine assignments 
• Ability to organize work, establish priorities, and complete assigned duties with minimal supervision 
• Administrative skills to effectively plan, prioritize, and organize a large volume of work 
• Ability to work autonomously and efficiently, both individually and as part of a team 
• Discretion in working with sensitive and personal information, including the ability to maintain confidentiality 
• Accurate math and clerical skills including the ability to write and maintain clear, concise records and reports 
• Ability to compile, update and maintain accurate manual and computerized files and filing systems

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN FOR:

• Experience with INFOR financial system
• Maryland Judiciary experience working in MDEC/Odyssey system
• College degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Legal or a related field

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS / WORKING CONDITIONS:

• While working in this position, the employee is required to 
• While working in this position, the employee is required to 

• Available for varied evening and weekend work hours to accommodate meetings, special events, etc.
• Ability to provide own transportation to meetings, etc.
• Required certifications must be maintained throughout tenure of employment

 
EXAMINATION PROCESS: (may include)

1. An evaluation of training and qualifications
2. Skills testing
3. One or more interviews
4. A pre-employment background investigation conducted by the Maryland Judiciary