Official Court Reporter (23_13)

Open until filled. 

POSITION OVERVIEW

The U. S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama is accepting applications for the
position of full-time Official Court Reporter.  The Court is seeking a mission-driven professional
who is organized, experienced, and proficient.  This is a non-law enforcement position located in
Montgomery, Alabama, and reports to the Chief Deputy Clerk.  This position works with all
Judges in the district and performs court reporting services for judicial proceedings as required.
 This is a full-time, permanent position with a 12-month probationary period.  The typical work schedule for this position is Monday through Friday 8:00 am until 5:00 pm with occasional travel to Dothan and Opelika. (additional hours may be required.)

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES

The duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Attend and report verbatim, by shorthand or mechanical means, court sessions; read back portions of court record, when requested.
• Produce accurate and timely transcripts as requested and electronically file with Clerk of court a copy of all transcripts prepared for requesting parties.
• Adhere to Judicial Conference page format requirements.
• Adhere to statutory page rates as required by the Judicial Conference.
• Court reporters must maintain accurate, legible records which are subject to audits.
• Perform such administrative duties as required, such as billing for transcripts, financial and other record keeping, preparation and filing of required Administrative Office reports, and responding to official correspondence and telephone calls.
• Adhere to the requirements of the district’s Court Reporter Management Plan, Judicial Conference of the United States, and the Guide to Judiciary Policy.
• Occasional travel within the district, as needed.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Candidate must possess at least four years of prime court reporting experience in the freelance field of service or in other courts or a combination thereof.
• Applicants must have qualified by testing for listing on the Registry of Professional Reporters (RPR) of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) or passed an equivalent qualifying examination.
• Candidates must possess, provide, and maintain all necessary personal equipment and software for transcript production and realtime services.
• Realtime certification is highly preferred but not required.  However, the successful candidate must be proficient in realtime.
• The successful candidate must be reliable and highly organized; a self-starter; must be able to multi-task; have excellent communication (orally and writing) and interpersonal skills with the ability to work well with others; have strong customer service skills and have a professional demeanor.

SALARY RANGE

CR Level 1	$88,222	Minimum qualifications
CR Level 2	$92,749	Requires Merit Certification*
CR Level 3	$97,166	Requires Realtime Certification*
CR Level 4	$101,582	Requires Realtime and Merit Certifications*
CR Level 5	$105,999	Current Federal Official Court Reporters employed since 10/11/09 with ten (10) years of service in addition to requirements of Levels 3 and 4.*

*Must meet minimum qualifications in addition to specified certification(s).  Merit Certification - Registered merit reporter certificate from the NCRA.  Realtime Certification - Successful  completion of a certified realtime examination by NCRA or equivalent exam.

BENEFITS

Employees of the U.S. District Court have access to an excellent benefits package which includes the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), Thrift Savings Plan (like 401k), health, life, dental & vision insurance, long-term care insurance, flexible spending program, 11 paid holidays per year, and a leave accrual program.  (NOTE: For FERS retirement, employees contribute to the Basic Benefit Plan through payroll deductions and receive a benefit, which is calculated at retirement.  Employees appointed on or after January 1, 2014 automatically contribute 4.4% of their base pay each paycheck to the Basic Benefit plan.)  Additional information about federal judiciary employee benefits and compensation can be found at http://www.uscourts.gov/Careers.aspx.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position.
• Applicants selected for interviews may be required to produce a transcript during one of our court’s hearings.
• Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States.
• Applicants selected for interviews must travel at their own expense.
• Only candidates selected for an interview will be notified. Unsuccessful candidates will not receive any communication.
• Official Court Reporters must provide all equipment and supplies necessary to take orders for and produce computer-aided transcription and printed copies of transcripts, including telephone and Internet service, computer equipment, software, printers, and supplies.
• A background investigation with law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint and criminal record check, will be conducted as a condition of employment. Any applicant selected for the position will be hired provisionally pending successful completion of investigation. Unsatisfactory results may result in termination of employment.
• Judiciary employees are considered "at will" and are not covered by federal civil service classifications or regulations. Employees must adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.
• All information provided by applicants is subject to verification.  Applicants are advised that false statements or omission(s) of information on any application materials may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment or dismissal after being employed.
• Payment of salary is subject to the mandatory electronic fund transfer (direct deposit) to a financial institution.
• The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the announcement, or to fill the position sooner than the closing date without prior notice.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Submit a single PDF document via e-mail to almd_hr@almd.uscourts.gov that includes the following: 

• A cover letter addressing the qualifications, skills, and experience necessary to perform the job;
• A resume, including a list of professional references; and
• A completed AO 78, Application for Federal Judicial Branch Employment. (AO78 available at http://www.uscourts.gov/careers/)

INCOMPLETE SUBMISSIONS AND SUBMISSIONS THAT ARE NOT RECEIVED IN A SINGLE PDF FILE MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED.

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the job announcement, or to fill the position earlier than the closing date. Any of which may occur without prior written notice.

This Court is an Equal Opportunity / EDR Employer.