United States Bankruptcy Court - Northern District of Alabama

Overview

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama is seeking a senior level executive with experience as an administrator of a diverse and innovative organization to serve as the clerk of court. Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, along with a proven record of leadership and accomplishment are required, preferably in a court environment. The clerk of court works in collaboration with and reports directly to the chief bankruptcy judge along with the other four bankruptcy judges. The duty station for this position is the Robert S. Vance Federal Building in Birmingham, Alabama, with some travel anticipated to the divisional offices in the district, located in Anniston, Huntsville, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

The Position

The clerk of court is appointed by the bankruptcy judges and has overall management authority and responsibility for the non-judicial components of the court. The clerk occupies the highest non-judicial position in the court and works closely with the chief judge in assuring that the administrative and operational needs of the court are effectively and efficiently met. The clerk supervises a staff of approximately 36 clerk’s office employees located in four divisional offices and provides operational support to five bankruptcy judges. As the court unit executive, the clerk is also responsible for providing administrative support services in the areas of budget and financial management, human resources, systems technology, space and facilities, and court staff. The clerk serves as the court’s liaison to, and works cooperatively with, federal and local government agencies—including the United States Marshals Service, the General Services Administration (“GSA”), and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (the “AO”)—the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, bar groups, media representatives, and the public. The clerk serves at the pleasure of the bankruptcy judges and is responsible for performing the statutory duties of the office, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 156(e) and (f).

The clerk of court performs duties which include, but are not limited to:

• working closely with the chief judge and other bankruptcy judges regarding court administration and policies;
• creating a vision of excellence through strategic planning in an environment of limited and decreasing resources;
• providing the administrative and operational infrastructure necessary to efficiently and effectively achieve the court’s mission, including hiring, assigning, and training of personnel;
• creating and maintaining a culture that values human resources and the contributions necessary to maintain a good customer service based organization;
• directing the processing of bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings; 
• maintaining the integrity of official court records in the custody of the clerk;
• directing and overseeing the court’s financial services functions including purchasing, collecting fees, authorizing expenditures, accounting, and any other fiscal responsibilities in accordance with statutory requirements;
• ensuring proper oversight in the revision and maintenance of internal control procedures;
• managing staff and the human resources, inventory control, and statistical analysis and reporting components of the clerk’s office, including oversight of the employees responsible for automation and information technology services;
• preparing and managing the court’s annual budget including budgetary and staffing projections;
• facilitating the court’s use of technology and automation;
• analyzing and making recommendations on statutes, local rules, and procedures affecting the operation of the court;
• directing development and administration of comprehensive emergency preparedness plans;
• coordinating and preparing statistical studies and reports as required by the court, the circuit, the AO, and the Judicial Conference;
• managing space and facilities and working with GSA;
• traveling, including overnight stays, as needed;
• serving as the court’s public information officer; and
• performing special duties as directed.

Qualification Standards

Applicants must have a minimum of ten years of progressively responsible administrative experience in public service or business which provided a thorough understanding of the organizational, procedural, and human aspects of managing an organization. At least three of the ten years’ experience must have been in a position of substantial management responsibility. 

An attorney who is in the active practice of law in either the public or private sector may substitute active practice on a year-for-year basis for the management or administrative experience requirements.  

Experience in the federal judiciary is preferred, with operational knowledge of the courts, legal terminology, office automation applications, including automated case management, a working knowledge of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure, and adversary proceeding case flow.  

A Juris Doctor degree, or other graduate degree (such as a master’s in business or public administration), also is preferred.  

Excellent judgment, solid organizational, problem solving, and conflict resolution, as well as outstanding oral and written communication skills, are required. The successful applicant should be a leader and motivator who is able to clearly describe the applicant’s demonstrative leadership style, vision, and values. The successful applicant also should have exceptional presentation skills, the ability to effectively and collaboratively interface and work with judicial officers, and experience in promoting a culture of high performance and continuous improvement. 

Application Procedure

Qualified applicants must submit a single pdf of the following via email to clerk_applications@alnb.uscourts.gov:

• a cover letter;
• a resume that details experience and qualifications;
• an Application for Judicial Branch Federal Employment (AO 78), available at www.uscourts.gov/forms/human-resources-forms/application-judicial-branch-federal-employment; and
• contact information for three professional references.

Only electronic application documents will be reviewed for consideration. Applicants who fail to submit all required documentation, or who submit application materials through any other means other than as provided above, will not be considered.

Selection Process

The most qualified and best suited applicants will be invited to one (or more) interviews with the court. In-person interviews are preferred, but applicants may elect to appear remotely via Microsoft TEAMS (a telecommunications application) for the initial interview. The court is not allowed to reimburse applicants for travel expenses for initial interviews. Only applicants selected for interviews will be contacted by the court.  

As a condition of employment, the selected applicant must successfully complete a ten-year background investigation, and subsequent favorable suitability determination, and every five years thereafter will be subject to a re-investigation.  

Benefits and Compensation 

Benefits include paid vacation and sick leave, health benefits, life insurance, retirement benefits, and a tax-deferred savings plan. Information about federal judiciary employee benefits and compensation can be found on the United States Courts website career page at www.uscourts.gov/careers. Creditable service time in other federal agencies or the military will be added to judiciary employment.

Notice to Applicants

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama is part of the Judicial Branch of the United States government. Employees are not part of the Office of Personnel Management’s civil service classifications or regulations and are considered “AT WILL” employees serving at the discretion and instruction of the bankruptcy judges. Accordingly, the clerk of court’s employment may be terminated “at will” by either the bankruptcy judges or the clerk of court.

This position is subject to mandatory participation in direct deposit for payroll.

Relocation expenses may be available to the successful applicant, subject to the availability of funds.

All applicants must be United States citizens or be eligible to work in the United States.

Judiciary employees, including the clerk of court, must adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.

The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of the job announcement, to withdraw the announcement or to fill the position sooner than the closing date without prior notice.

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Alabama is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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¹ This is not a remote position, and limited telework is at the discretion of the Court.