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Job Description

PRESIDING COURT HEARING OFFICER

(Non-classified)

JOB CODE 10060

Effective Date:	New 7/97N

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:

The fundamental reason this classification exists is to supervise the daily operations of Phoenix Municipal Court's Traffic Division. (The Phoenix Municipal Court is a Court of limited jurisdiction. It exercises original jurisdiction over all violations of any ordinance of the City, and concurrent jurisdiction over all misdemeanor violations of the law of the State committed within with City. The Court is not a Court of Record.) Duties of this classification include supervising Municipal Hearing Officers and providing feedback regarding the impact of their actions or inactions. Work involves resolving complaints between defendants and judicial staff, and mediating issues between Hearing Officers and other court staff. Individuals in the classification are appointed at the discretion of the Chief Presiding Judge. This class differs from Municipal Hearing Officers by its supervisory and administrative responsibilities. The class differs from City Judge in that the scope of cases heard is more narrow; Hearing Officers preside only over civil traffic violations.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Supervises Municipal Hearing Officers and oversees the daily judicial operations in the Traffic Division;
• Resolves complaints between defendants and judicial staff;
• Mediates issues between hearing officers and other court staff;
• Performs judicial review of matters assigned by the Chief or Assistant Presiding Judge;
• Attends in-house meetings and participates in interdepartmental task forces;
• Oversees or serves as program coordinator and lead instructor for annual training of newly appointed and existing hearing officers;
• Prepares specialized training programs as needed;
• Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality seamless customer service.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• Principals and practices of supervision and personnel administration.
• State traffic laws as set forth in Arizona Revised Statutes Title 28 and City of Phoenix Traffic Ordinances.
• Rules of Procedure in civil traffic violation cases.
• Court policies and procedures.

Ability to:

• Perform a broad range of supervisory responsibilities over others.
• Communicate orally in the English language with customers, clients, and the public using a telephone and in group and face-to-face, one-to-one settings.
• Analyze, appraise, and organize facts, evidence, and precedence to present them in oral and written reports.
• Visually observe people's behavior in a courtroom setting.
• Comprehend and make inferences from written material.
• Produce documents written in the English language using proper sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
• Manage the cases scheduled in the division in an effective and efficient manner.
• Work cooperatively with other employees, customers, clients, and the public.
• Work safely without presenting a direct threat to self or others.

Additional Requirements:

• Some positions will require the performance of other essential and marginal functions depending upon work location, assignment or shift.

ACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING:
A law degree and two years experience in the area of traffic law or a related field, plus some lead or supervisory experience or relevant course work in supervision and personnel management. A bachelor's degree and four years of experience in traffic law can substitute for a law degree and two years experience. Candidates must be 21 years of age, be of good moral character, and successfully complete a course of instruction approved by the Arizona Supreme Court which certifies the applicant to sit as a Hearing Officer prior to hearing civil traffic violation cases. Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum requirements may be substituted.