Administrative Assistant

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
Southern District of California
San Diego, California
Phone: (619) 557-6152 | Fax: (619) 702-9911
www.casd.uscourts.gov
 

POSITION: Administrative Assistant
SALARY: CL 25 ($56,386 – $91,688 DOE)
CLOSING DATE: Open until filled; Preference will be given to applications received by March 13, 2026
LOCATION: San Diego, California
VACANCY NO.: 26-12
 

Position Overview:
The United States District Court for the Southern District of California is accepting applications for the position of Administrative Assistant. The position is located in the Executive Unit of the Clerk’s Office. The incumbent processes and files incoming documents, manages court records, acts as backup to the Executive Assistant to the Clerk of Court, and provides administrative support to the Executive Unit of the Clerk's Office.
 

Representative Duties:
•Manages incoming documents, ensuring conformity with appropriate rules, practices and/or court requirements. Distributes copies of documents pursuant to court orders. Prepares documents for destruction as per their disposition schedule outlines. In depth CM/ECF knowledge is required to complete tasks as outlined above.
•Participates with designated staff members in designing, editing and distributing the court’s Annual Report.
•Drafts, composes and edits various documents (including general orders, local rules, memoranda, legal documents, naturalization schedules, attorney admission programs and/or brochures) and other materials, for the court unit executive’s review and/or signature.
•Manages a variety of projects by determining the steps, skills and resources needed to obtain results.
•Creates and maintains court specific disposition schedule.
•Screens incoming communications via telephone, voice mail, email, and personal visitors. Maintains the confidentiality of sensitive matters. Serves as liaison to judges, chambers staff and all other court support units, as well as the Administrative Office, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Federal Judicial Center.
•Provides backup for mail processing.
•Establishes and maintains subject matter files pertaining to the Executive Office including certain reference materials, general orders and local rules. Updates files and disposes of materials as necessary.
•Receives and reviews incoming powers of attorney to determine conformity with appropriate rules, practices and/or court requirements.
•Schedules courtrooms and assists with logistical arrangements for visiting judges and committee meetings. Schedules Clerk’s Office conference room use. Arranges meetings or other events. Prepares agendas and other materials for meetings and conferences.
•Arranges for the most economical travel and lodging for the unit executive. Prepares travel payment vouchers in accordance with existing policies and regulations.
•Operates office computer hardware and software (including, but not limited to word processing, case management, organizer and spreadsheet software), as well as other office machinery, such as photocopy machines, binding equipment, and the like, as required.
•Other duties as assigned.

Qualification Requirements:
To qualify, applicants must be a high school graduate or equivalent and have at least one (1) year of specialized experience.
Specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible clerical or administrative experience that is in, or closely related to, the work of the position and which has demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the position's duties successfully and involves the routine use of automated software and keyboarding for word processing, data entry and report generation.
The work in this position is performed in an office setting and is not a full-time telework position.
 

Preferred Skills / Qualifications:
•A bachelor’s degree.
•Previous experience in federal or state judiciary administration.
•Thorough knowledge of, and skill in using executive office procedures and a variety of other office equipment.
•Excellent customer service skills and a detail-oriented focus.
•A notary public certification is preferred.

Personal Characteristics:
The successful candidate should be a mature, dedicated, responsible, and poised individual who possesses tact, good judgment, initiative, a strong work ethic, and the ability to work well with judges, chambers staff, and Clerk’s Office staff. The candidate should be trustworthy and possess the ability to maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information.
Required Clearances:
Please note that this position does not require that applicants complete the “Optional Background Information” section on page 5 of the AO-78 Application Form. The Court may require the disclosure of any criminal history information at the time a conditional offer is made.
The selected candidate will also be required to submit to a background clearance which includes fingerprinting and a credit check.
Benefits:
Salary is just one component of the comprehensive compensation package offered by the Federal Court. Federal court employees are eligible for a full range of benefits that include 13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid holidays per year, a flexible work schedule, immediate matching Thrift Savings Plan, pre-tax programs (health, dependent care and transportation), and insurance plans (i.e., health, life, disability, and long-term care), car-pooling options and a transportation subsidy.
Employer benefit contributions equate to no less than 33% of an employee’s total compensation. Please see the chart below for an estimated total compensation based on a sample position and salary. Be advised that eligibility may vary by appointment type and length.
 

How to Apply:
Qualified candidates must submit a cover letter, resume, a minimum of three references with contact information, and the AO-78 Application Form (available for download in the application portal). All application materials must be submitted here: CASD HR Application Portal. More information on career opportunities may also be found at www.casd.uscourts.gov.
Preference will be given to applicants who submit application materials
before 4:30pm, Friday March 13, 2026.

Information for Applicants
The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. In the event that a position becomes vacant in a similar classification, within a reasonable time of the original announcement, the Clerk of Court may elect to select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the position.
Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. Employees of the U.S. District Court serve under “Excepted Appointments” and are considered “at will” employees. Federal Civil Service classifications or regulations do not apply; however, court employees are entitled to substantially the same benefits as other Federal Government employees.
All information provided by applicants is subject to verification and background investigation. Applicants are advised that false statements or omission of information on any application materials or the inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment or dismissal after being employed.
Participation in the interview process will be at the applicant’s own expense and relocation expenses will not be provided.
The position is subject to the mandatory electronic fund transfer (EFT) participation for payment of net pay (i.e., Direct Deposit).
Non-citizens may be interviewed and considered for employment, but employment offers will only be made to individuals who qualify under one of the exceptions in 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)(B). In most cases, this means that an offer of employment cannot be made unless the candidate is a lawful permanent resident who is seeking U.S. citizenship as explained below.
Under 8 U.S.C. §1324b(a)(3)(B), a lawful permanent resident seeking citizenship may not apply for citizenship until he or she has been a permanent resident for at least five years (three years if seeking naturalization as a spouse of a citizen), at which point he or she must apply for citizenship within six months of becoming eligible, and must complete the process within two years of applying (unless there is a delay caused by the processors of the application). Non-citizens who have not been permanent residents for five years will be required to execute an affidavit that they intend to apply for citizenship when they become eligible to do so.
If selected for first time appointment to a position, you may be required to complete an initial performance probationary period. Failure to successfully complete the probationary period may result in termination of employment.
THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER