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Official Court Reporter - 26-06

Classification level:
CR Level 1 - CR Level 5
Vacancy number: 26-06
Salary:
$95,454 - $114,546
Open date:
Close date: Open until filled

Position overview

The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama is recruiting for the position of full-time Official Court Reporter. The Court is seeking a mission-driven professional who is organized, experienced, and proficient. 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. This is an administrative, non-law enforcement position. The typical work schedule for this position is Monday through Friday 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, though some additional hours and some travel are required within the Middle District. This is an on-site position located in Montgomery, Alabama that reports to the Chief Deputy.

 

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.
  • 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

All candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent. Bachelor’s degree is highly desired. The position requires an ability to communicate information accurately and in a timely manner, and to handle multiple workload demands. The applicant must have at least one year of specialized experience. Applicants must also possess effective oral and written communication skills, exercise mature judgment, and have skill in multi-tasking.

 

The successful candidate must have the following characteristics:

  • 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.
  • Excellent organizational skills and experience handling multiple tasks and projects
  • The ability to get along well with others.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a variety of people, either in person, on the phone, or through electronic communications.
  • The ability to work without supervision and take initiative.
  • The ability to work with strict deadlines and in fast-paced environment.
  • Experience working in Microsoft Office.


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: $95,454 (Minimum qualifications)
  • CR Level 2: $100,227 (Requires Merit Certification)
  • CR Level 3: $104,999 (Requires Realtime Certification)
  • CR Level 4: $109,772 (Requires Realtime Certification and Merit Certification)
  • CR Level 5: $114,546 (Current Federal Official Court Reporters employed since 10/11/09with ten years of service in addition to requirements of Level 3 and Level 4)

CR Level 2 and up 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 https://www.uscourts.gov/careers/benefits.

 

Additional information

  • Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position.
  • Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States.
  • Applicants selected for interviews must travel at their own expense.
  • 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

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

The United States District Court, 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 / Employment Dispute Resolution (EDR) Employer.