Probation Case Coordinator - Nantucket District Court

Departmental Mission Statement: The Massachusetts Probation Service’s mission is to increase community safety, reduce recidivism, contribute to the fair and equitable administration of justice, support victims and survivors, and assist individuals and families in achieving long term positive change.

ORGANIZATIONAL PROFILE:

https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-probation-service

Position Summary: This series is responsible for performing the full range of case processing duties and for coordinating those activities within a sub-unit or special function of a Probation Office. In addition, this series is responsible for providing service to the public and other individuals with business with the court consistent with policies on confidentiality. The position title above the entry level requires the performance of increasingly more responsible and varied work which requires more knowledge of overall court and administrative operations. Employees are appointed at the entry level position title and are eligible for reclassification to the higher level position title within this series consistent with the specifications for the higher level position title. The position title reverts to the entry level when there are vacancies.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEVELS:

This position is part of a series that includes a number of levels. Employees are appointed to the entry level and are eligible to advance to the higher level and are eligible to advance to the higher levels consistent with this job description and Trial Court policies.

Probation Case Coordinator I - This is the entry level position title within this series. Employees at this entry level are expected to coordinate a sub-unit or special function within a Probation Office and the processing of cases within that sub-unit or special function from beginning to end. Employees may also coordinate the research of open cases and the actions to be taken to update those cases.

Probation Case Coordinator II - This is the second level position title within this series. Employees at this second level are expected to be involved in quality control activities within the sub-unit or special function and to be able to perform mid-level responsibilities for the Probation Office in the areas of fiscal, human resources and other administrative activities. May also serve as a back-up to a Probation Operations Supervisor.

Duties: Probation Case Coordinator I

• Duties: Coordinates the case processing responsibilities within a sub-unit or special function of a Probation Office, such as the record merging process, the record sealing process, violation hearings, or serves as an assistant supervisor of an office.

• Coordinate’s workflow provides technical assistance, answers questions, coordinates the collection and recording of information, the review of material prepared, and determines further actions to be taken.

• Identifies problems within the sub-unit or functional area and develops solutions to those problems.

• Identifies training needs of case processing staff and participates in the development and implementation of training programs within the sub-unit or functional area supervised.

• Coordinates the scheduling and calendaring of cases and/or violation hearings, the preparing of and sending of notices to parties, determines the need for rescheduling within established guidelines, and communicates with other offices concerning hearing dates.

• Ensures that proper records and folders are sent into court each day and coordinates missing cases with other offices.

• Responsible for corrections and deletions in MassCourts and other probation automated systems

• Provides customer service to attorneys, litigants, law enforcement personnel, and the public.

• Serves as a point of contact for information concerning cases processed within the sub-unit or functional area supervised who can respond to any inquiry within established guidelines.

• May use specialized communication skills in performing these duties; Trains staff in the use of automated systems and word processing software, introduces new versions or functions, trouble-shoot problems, and attend meetings.

• Coordinates the collection and reporting of statistics concerning cases processed.

• Performs special projects, such as researching default cases to determine their status and the actions that need to be taken to resolve their status.

• Performs the duties of the lower-level series as required.

• Probation Case Coordinator II Additional Duties:

• Regularly monitors the accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of case processing activities within the sub-unit or special function.

• Evaluates and recommends ways to improve case processing activities within the sub-unit or special function.

• Performs mid-level administrative duties such as preparing payment vouchers to pay for goods received, recording MMARS documents in the Budgetary Control Register, and preparing monthly expenditure reports and other fiscal documents and reports.

• Provides assistance in the areas of human resources, including keeping records, and helping staff understand information related to benefits and other Trial Court issued policies.

• Provides assistance in the maintenance of time, personnel, and payroll records for employees within the work unit or office, and in the preparation of documents.

• Prepares a variety of reports using Excel spreadsheets and similar software; May serve as a back-up to a higher-level series; Performs all the duties of the lower level in this series as required.

Job Competencies: 

Minimum Requirements: • These are the minimum requirements necessary to apply for the position of Probation Case Coordinator.

• Probation Case Coordinator I Requirements:

• Graduation from high school and a minimum of four years of relevant court clerical experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience (especially supervisory experience).

• Considerable knowledge of court procedures to permit the supervision of cases and staff.

• Ability and experience using personal computers, including considerable knowledge of word processing software such as MS Word.

• Experience with spreadsheet software such as MS Excel is preferred.

• Considerable knowledge of all automated systems used by probation personnel and the ability to teach and train staff in their use and to resolve problems as needed.

• Considerable knowledge of the organization, operations, functions, and scope of authority of the court.

• Ability to plan, assign, and supervise the work of subordinate employees.

• Ability to identify and understand problems and to determine the appropriate measures to take to solve those problems.

• Ability to make work decisions in accordance with the law, regulations, and department rules.

• Ability to process specialized cases from beginning to end.

• Considerable interpersonal skills, including the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

• Considerable experience and ability to serve the public and others with business with the court in a courteous and professional manner.

• Ability to conduct research on case files and systems and to prepare reports.

• Probation Case Coordinator II Additional Requirements: A minimum of two of years of experience as a Probation Case Coordinator I.

• Thorough knowledge and training in all the procedures, manual and automated, related to the cases processed within the Probation Office and the ability to supervise cases and staff.

• Thorough knowledge and ability to effectively use MassCourts and other probation automated data management systems.

• Advanced ability and experience using personal computers, including advanced knowledge of word processing software such as MS Word.

• Experience with spreadsheet software such as MS Excel is required.

• Considerable knowledge of courtroom policies and procedures.

• Working knowledge of Trial Court fiscal policies and procedures.

• Working knowledge of Trial Court personnel policies and procedures.

• Demonstrated ability to monitor case processing activities to maintain quality control standards.

• Demonstrated ability to identify problems and to recommend improvements to case processing activities.

• Demonstrated ability to prepare fiscal documents and reports, and personnel documents in accordance with Trial Court policies and procedures.

• Demonstrated ability to serve the public and others with business with the court in a courteous and professional manner. Demonstrated ability to provide specialized or technical case processing information.