Circuit Clerk

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Job Description Summary:

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As Circuit Clerk, you will guide the administrative, operational, and clerical functions that support all divisions of the Court, from civil and criminal jury trials to family, probate, traffic, and small claims matters. This role offers the chance to expand your leadership experience by overseeing diverse departments, directing case processing procedures, and ensuring the integrity and accuracy of court records in alignment with statutory, local, and Supreme Court requirements.

You will have the opportunity to develop and manage a large team of state and county employees, shape personnel policies and performance standards, and support equitable and lawful employment practices across the organization. In this position, you will utilize your expertise in financial stewardship through the assessment, collection, and accounting of court fees and costs, as well as the preparation and oversight of the operational budget. Additionally, you will serve as a key liaison to county and state agencies, external partners, and multiple judicial committees, representing the Clerk's Office and contributing to the continuous improvement of court operations.

The Circuit Clerk has responsibility for directing and managing all details of administration and operation of his or her Office, as more particularly set forth below, as well as administrative control over, and responsibility for, the safekeeping of the records of the 21st Judicial Circuit Court.

Starting Salary: $92,268.80 - $110,718.40 annually based on experience and budget considerations.

Why You Should Consider a Career as a Circuit Clerk:

Impactful Leadership: Play a vital role in ensuring transparency, accuracy, and integrity in the judicial process-work that directly impacts your community.

Skill Development: Build deep expertise in court operations, case management, and legal administration, developing a skill set that is both highly specialized and widely transferable.

Varied Experience: Each day presents new challenges and situations, ensuring a dynamic and engaging work environment.

Professional Team Environment: Lead and collaborate with a large, diverse team of professionals, from legal staff to administrative support, working together to support the mission of the court.

Comprehensive Benefits: St. Louis County offers its employees a variety benefits to meet the needs of its diverse workforce including paid medical insurance, 20 days of PTO (paid time off) the first year and increasing with seniority, and 11-12 paid holidays, 480 hours of paid parental leave, and a robust Wellness Plan. Other benefits include: paid life insurance, credit union, 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, pre-tax premium pay plan, dependent care and medical expense reimbursement plans, and short and long term disability insurance.

Job Description:

The Circuit Clerk has responsibility for directing and managing all details of administration and operation of his or her Office, as more particularly set forth below, as well as administrative control over, and responsibility for, the safekeeping of the records of the 21st Judicial Circuit Court.

Starting Salary: $92,268.80 - $110,718.40 annually based on experience and budget considerations.

Why You Should Consider a Career as a Circuit Clerk:

Impactful Leadership: Play a vital role in ensuring transparency, accuracy, and integrity in the judicial process-work that directly impacts your community.

Skill Development: Build deep expertise in court operations, case management, and legal administration, developing a skill set that is both highly specialized and widely transferable.

Varied Experience: Each day presents new challenges and situations, ensuring a dynamic and engaging work environment.

Professional Team Environment: Lead and collaborate with a large, diverse team of professionals, from legal staff to administrative support, working together to support the mission of the court.

Comprehensive Benefits: St. Louis County offers its employees a variety benefits to meet the needs of its diverse workforce including paid medical insurance, 20 days of PTO (paid time off) the first year and increasing with seniority, and 11-12 paid holidays, 480 hours of paid parental leave, and a robust Wellness Plan. Other benefits include: paid life insurance, credit union, 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, pre-tax premium pay plan, dependent care and medical expense reimbursement plans, and short and long term disability insurance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan, organize, direct, and manage professional, administrative, operational and clerical support and services for all County Court Divisions and Departments, including civil and criminal jury trials, equity actions, traffic, municipal, and probate matters, family court matters, associate civil, small claims matters, and receptionist services;
• Act as Appointing Authority for 190 state employees and 6 county at all management levels, including legal staff, eight managers, and 28 supervisors and assistant supervisors in the Clerk's Office;
• Have responsibility for the hiring process, including recruitment, monitoring of probationary periods and training, drafting and implementing personnel policies, and the administration of disciplinary actions, including performance improvement plans, of all personnel in his or her Office to ensure that all actions are equitable and lawful;
• Direct and manage the following departments within the Clerk's Office: Accounting, Administrative Services, Associate Civil, Circuit Civil, Courtroom Services, Criminal/Traffic, Probate, and Record Retention/Scanning and Certification;
• Preserve the seal and other belongings to the Office, and provide and preserve suitable books, stationery and furniture for the same, keeping a correct account thereof;
• Record the judgments, rules, orders, and other proceedings of the court and attest all process when required by law and affix the seal of his or her office thereto, and keep a perfect account of all the moneys coming into the Office on account of costs or otherwise, and punctually pay over the same;
• Keep such records of the courts and in such a manner as may be directed by rule of the Supreme Court so as to accurately record all essential matters relating to the causes and matters within the jurisdiction of the court which are and have been pending before the court, including pleadings, motions and related documents, transactions, orders, judgments and decrees relating thereto showing the course and disposition of causes and matters, the taxing and collection of court costs, and the setting of trial calendars or dockets of pending cases;
• Keep a true account of all fines, penalties, forfeitures and judgments imposed, adjudged or rendered in favor of the state or any county by their respective courts and shall keep open the same for inspection of the judges and the county treasurer;
• Direct all case processing procedures for all matters including circuit court civil and equity case types, family court matters, associate civil and small claims case types, and criminal/traffic case types. Duties include implementation of new changes directed by the Legislature, Missouri Supreme Court, Local Court Rules (including administrative orders) and/or automation revisions, writing procedures, and developing and updating forms as mandated by new legislation;
• Oversee the development of data collection and reporting requirements relating to the volume and progress of litigation, including file storage and destruction;
• Direct the assessment, collection, investment, and accounting for all fees, deposits, and other court costs as required by statutes and local rules;
• Ensure recommended accounting guidelines and practices are reviewed on a regular basis, including establishing safeguards, when possible, to ensure that funds are not misappropriated;
• Provide information and respond to state and county auditors and implement audit recommendations;
• Have responsibility for Judicial Commission Elections;
• Respond to requests for records requested pursuant to Chapter 610 RSMO and Missouri Supreme Court Operating Rule 2;
• Prepare and plan the Circuit Clerk's operational budget through St. Louis County government, including gathering and evaluating requests from all clerk's office departments. Upon budget approval, procure items listed in the budget in coordination with the St. Louis County Procurement Office;
• Serve as liaison between state agencies, St. Louis County Departments, banking institutions, and outside vendors, including, for example, the Office of State Courts Administrator (OSCA), the Sheriff, Prosecuting Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office, County Counselor's Office, Probation and Parole Department, MO Highway Patrol, REJIS, Public Works Department, and Court Security;
• Serve on various committees through the State of Missouri, St. Louis County, and the 21st Judicial Circuit, representing the interests of the Circuit Clerk's Office.

Minimum Qualifications:

Applicants must have graduated from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or related field with at least eight years of professional experience in the legal field including five or more years at a management level or any equivalent combination of training and experience.

Special Requirements: As per RSMO §483.010. "no person shall be appointed or elected clerk of any court, unless he be a citizen of the United States, above the age of twenty-one years, and shall have resided within the state one whole year, and within the geographical area over which the court has jurisdiction, or, in the case of circuit clerks, within the county from which elected, three months before the appointment or election; and every clerk shall, after his appointment or election, reside in the geographical area over which the court he serves has jurisdiction or, in the case of circuit clerks, in the county for which he is clerk."

Pre-Employment Process Requirements:

Applicants will be evaluated based on relevant education, experience, responses to supplemental questions, and other work-related information provided on the application. Resumes are supplementary and do not replace the required application.

All candidates will receive notifications regarding application status once determined. Status updates are provided via email and can be found within each candidate's Workday profile.

Only the most qualified candidates will be invited to interview. Interview scores will determine the applicant's final grade; a minimum score of 70 is required for hiring consideration. The five highest-ranking candidates will be referred to the Department Director/Appointing Authority for final selection.

Pre-Employment Screening:

Candidates extended a conditional offer must successfully complete all required pre‑employment screenings. These screenings include a drug test administered at no cost to the candidate by a certified laboratory and a background check evaluating the recency and relevance of the candidate's history to the position. Candidates must complete the drug test within 48 hours of receiving a conditional offer; failure to do so may result in withdrawal of the offer.

At St. Louis County, we're not just about jobs, we're about opportunity.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

St. Louis County is committed to fair and equitable employment opportunities for all, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, or political affiliation.

St. Louis County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for the application or hiring process should contact the St. Louis County ADA Coordinator at 314-615-1796 or call Relay MO at 711 or 1-800-735-2966 (TTY) or email dlancaster@stlouiscountymo.gov.