This position sits within the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1 and Division 2)

Position overview

The Courts are seeking highly capable candidates who are enthusiastic, driven and motivated to assist in achieving the Courts’ objectives and perform the key functions of a Case Manager to provide high level administrative and court support to a Senior Judicial Registrar or Judicial Registrar.

Senior Judicial Registrars and Judicial Registrars now undertake, under the new case management pathway, a significant proportion of first return directions and interlocutory work in the FCFCOA (Divisions 1 and 2) previously undertaken by judges, and perform dispute resolution to resolve proceedings. Case Managers will support registrars in the case management of family law matters. This includes supporting registrars working on various areas across the Courts, including the Evatt List within the Lighthouse project, and in relation to PPP-500 small claims property matters. Subject to their skills and experiences, successful applicants may also support Senior Judicial Registrars and Judicial Registrars who undertake judicial work nationally.

The role may support one or more registrars or national case management processes flexibly in order to account for workload demands.

Key Responsibilities and Duties

A number of the following duties will be relevant to the Case Manager position:

• Exercise skills to assist Senior Judicial Registrars and/or Judicial Registrars, including case law research, support with judgments/reasons, and important administrative preparation and research for dispute resolution events;
• Assist with the efficient and effective running of the chambers of Senior Judicial Registrars and/or Judicial Registrars, including through preparing correspondence and reports and managing the schedule of hearings and engagements in the Court databases, and assistance with registrar case management more broadly;
• Use Court applications and associated documentation, to accurately enter and maintain information on Court databases, enter and disseminate listing information, and manage Court records and files;
• Assist registrars in the administrative planning and case management of matters including in the preparation and publication of orders, liaising with Judges’ chambers, litigants and other services;
• Develop and maintain relationships with Court users and be responsive to requests from external and internal stakeholders;
• Assist with the administrative aspects of referrals of matters to judges, Senior Judicial Registrars, Judicial Registrars, Child Dispute Services staff and other registry staff;
• Provide administrative support to Senior Judicial Registrars and/or Judicial Registrars working on key initiatives, including the Lighthouse Project and on PPP500 small claims property matters, including relating processes, case management and operation of the specialist list to Court users and internal staff; and
• Running and case managing matters in Court events (Court Officer).

Formal Qualifications and Experience

Experience within a court, administrative or legal environment is highly regarded.

Selection Criteria

The successful applicants will need to have:

1. Sound administrative and organisational skills.
2. High level communication (oral and written) and liaison skills as well as the ability to communicate with people at all levels. Be able to exercise tact and discretion, act impartially and maintain confidentiality at all times.
3. Demonstrated ability to provide high-level administrative support including demonstrated commitment to excellence in service delivery and attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.
4. Demonstrated ability to manage several processes at once, attention to detail, excellent time management skills, and apply planning and problem-solving skills of moderate complexity.
5. Demonstrated working knowledge or ability to quickly acquire a sound working knowledge of court procedures, guidelines, policies and practice, including the computerised information systems used by the Courts.
6. Demonstrated ability to work both autonomously and as a member of a geographically dispersed team with limited direction, and the ability to adapt to changing situations and priorities and participate in collective work practices.
7. Sound IT proficiency, including the ability to learn and adapt to new systems and technology quickly and effectively.

Eligibility

Employment with the Court is subject to the conditions prescribed in the Public Service Act 1999, and the following:

1. Australian citizenship – the successful applicant must hold Australian citizenship;
2. Security and character clearance – the successful applicant must satisfy a Police Records Check, and may also be required to complete security clearances during the course of their employment;
3. Successful applicants engaged into the APS will be subject to a probation period

Interested candidates who have received a redundancy benefit from an APS agency are welcome to apply, but note that they cannot be engaged until their redundancy benefit period has expired.

Diversity and Inclusion

Federal Court Australia is committed to supporting an inclusive and diverse workforce and welcomes and encourages applications from People with Disability. First Nations peoples, LGBTIQA+ people, people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds, Mature age workers, as well as young workers and supporting an inter-generational workforce and supporting gender equity and families.

Federal Court Australia will provide reasonable adjustments for candidates to participate equitably in the recruitment process and discuss workplace adjustments to fulfil the inherent requirements of the role.

RecruitAbility

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the job. For more information visit: https://www.apsc.gov.au/recruitability

Contact Officer

For more information, confidential enquiries can be made to Kirsten Hatwell, National Coordinator – Registrar Support at [email protected].

How to apply

To apply, please complete the application form on the Court’s careers portal. If you have any issues with applying, please email [email protected].

As part of your application, you will be required to submit a one-page response outlining your suitability for this position having regards to the selection criteria and duties of the position which are described in the position description (maximum word limit 500). Please ensure this document is attached before submitting your application.