Clerical Technician 3 - Orphan's Court

In order to be considered for this position, applicants must successfully submit a completed application prior to the posting deadline. Applications submitted with incomplete or missing education and/or work experience sections will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. These applicants will be disqualified from consideration. The attachment of a resume to the application does not fulfill this requirement and will not prevent incomplete applications from being rejected. Education and work experience fields must be completed, regardless of the presence of an attached resume.

Once the posting closes, all applications will be reviewed. The information provided on the application will be utilized to determine whether or not each applicant meets the Minimum Requirements for this position as noted in the Job Description. We encourage all applicants to provide a comprehensive, concise history of their education, certification, licensing, and employment history. Please read the Minimum Requirements thoroughly and then demonstrate that you meet these requirements on your application.

For questions regarding this posting, please contact Sherry Christman, Human Resources Analyst at schristman@norcopa.gov or 610-829-6382.

Equal Employment Opportunities - It is the policy of Northampton County to provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, sex, gender identity, gender expression, age, genetic information, disability, or any other status protected by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and any other state, federal, or local law.

GENERAL PURPOSE
This is advanced clerical work responsible for the performance of procedural processing tasks related to the Orphans' Court & Register of Wills, involving Termination of Parental Rights, Adoptions, Guardianships, Trusts, Estates, Powers of Attorney and Probates. A position in this class independently carries out involved, multi-step procedures usually requiring gathering and verifying information, comparing against established standards, and determining conformance to requirements and/or further action needed. Work includes the performance of specific tasks in the area of specialization and may include the performance of higher or lower level duties on an incidental basis. This class is differentiated from related classes by the incumbent's individual responsibility for independently carrying out and accounting for assigned processes that facilitate the accomplishment of remaining functions.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED
This position reports directly to The Deputy Clerk of Orphan's Court OR The Deputy Register of Wills.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED
This position is not responsible for the supervision of other employees or functions.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES OF THE POSITION

Accounting:
Maintains accurate recording of payments received.

Prepares or assists with the preparation of daily account balances and deposits.

Classifies and records invoices, bills, checks, and/or other items into the current system with keyboard or other entry devices.

Balances daily collections against supporting documents.

Calculates and processes payments due to the State and fees due the County.

Uses established computer spreadsheet, ledger or database to enter information.

Maintains records and issues reports of accounts receivable and fees collected.

Receives and processes payments in connection with certification requests and filings.

Receives and issues receipts for payments.

Posts payments and other information to records.

Prepares bank deposits.

In the Processing Specialty:
Uses management software to enter, secure, and analyze information.

Makes calls to secure or verify pertinent information.

Helps with the maintenance of court statistics through the case management system.

Receives and reviews petitions, orders and other legal documents pertaining to Terminations, Adoptions, Estates, Guardianships, Probates and Powers of Attorney.

Enters accurate data into the case management system.

Prepares Notices, Citations, and letters.

Prepares files prior to scheduled hearings.

Attends Court hearings, records their outcome and tracks future deadlines.

Prepares hearing lists and distributes to concerned parties.

Answers questions regarding the combined Register of Wills/Orphan's Court office.

Assists the public in processing petitions, reports and similar activities.

Processes marriage applications, returns and issues marriage certificates.

Processes Probate petitions and issues short certificates when approved.

Issues and certifies early birth and death records.

Keeps track of ongoing cases and similar activities and accounts.

Helps with the maintenance of official records of court proceedings.

Administers oaths and reads information to Petitioners as necessary.

Files and ships cases to Superior Court and/or Archives as needed.

Keeps the Deputy or Clerk informed of all issues, processes, and requests.

Receives and reviews paperwork from taxpayers, clients, attorneys and other visitors.

Assists individuals in completing forms and explains the reason for the same.

Forwards information to the Deputy or Clerk for further action.

Verifies information by checking against more than one source.

Coordinates receipt and distribution of information with other local and State Courts.

Drafts reports, case files, petitions, and similar documents for review and action.

Processes Decrees and Petitions as established and ensures compliance with deadlines.

Maintains records of time and attendance.

Informs the Clerk or Deputy when purchase of office supplies is required.

Establishes and maintains files on alphabetic, chronological, numerical or other basis.

Retrieves requested materials from files; signs, date-stamps and/or controls files.

Assembles and makes copies of records, training materials and other information.

Answers telephone and receives visitors to office.

Answers questions about services and refers for further assistance.

Opens, sorts and distributes mail.

Operates automated data processing, copying, microfiche and calculators.

In the Personnel Specialty:
Compiles and submits reports for use by the Clerk for statistical, evaluative and planning purposes. Exercises discretion and sound judgment regarding the confidentiality of all non-public information. Reviews and maintains the confidentiality of non-public data, including, but not limited to, non-public records and information contained in party files, pending Court decisions / orders. In addition to confidential data and filings, sensitive matters may not be discussed or distributed pursuant to the internal Non-disclosure Statement.

*An employee assigned to this title shall perform a majority, but may not perform all, of the duties listed in this job description. Conversely, minor level duties performed on the job may not be listed. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.

REQUIRED MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE - Completion of a high school, or general equivalency, diploma; AND

At least two (2) years of general clerical work experience in an administrative, professional, governmental, or judicial setting.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
Understanding of methods employed in administrative, legal, or judicial offices.

Knowledge of process for posting and reconciling transactions, and compiling reports.

Ability to operate a word processing program or typewriter as required.

Thorough knowledge of English usage, grammar, spelling and punctuation as used in clerical assignments in governmental or judicial offices.

Skill in gathering information from and explaining procedural and/or processing requirements to visitors, callers, clients, members of the public and representatives from other offices both within and outside of the County or the Court.

Skill in organizing workload, prioritizing and completing processing requirements.

Ability to use spreadsheet, database, or similar computer programs, when required.

Ability to establish and/or maintain filing and other recordkeeping systems.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates, callers, visitors, clients, representatives of other offices and the public.

Ability to work as a team, demonstrating an ability to integrate and get along with others.

Ability to effectively deal with interruptions from the tasks at hand and effectively multitask.

Ability to work cooperatively with the Judges, Court staff, Attorneys and other visitors.

Ability to provide exceptional customer service to people conducting business with the Court.

Answers inquiries from the Court, Attorneys and the public regarding procedures and case status.

Ability to instruct parties about the required forms and timing of Court appearances.

Knowledge of, and ability to explain, procedures or forms to parties in cases or to the general public.

Avoids habits that interfere with the work of others.

Conducts him/herself in a professional and courteous manner.

This Clerical position is expected to perform tasks from the Orphans' Court and Register of Wills (Cross trained).

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
Telephone, typewriter, personal computer (including Microsoft Office applications and other specialized software), calculator, adding machine, fax machine, copy machine, scanner, and other office equipment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to walk, sit, talk or hear.
The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to twenty-five (25) pounds.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

The noise level in the work environment ranges from quiet to moderately noisy.

SELECTION GUIDELINES
Formal application, rating of education and experience, interview, and reference check as well as job related tests may be required.

The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.


FLSA STATUS: FLSA NON-EXEMPT (ELIGIBLE FOR OVERTIME)
DESIGNATION: CAREER SERVICE
PAY GRADE: CR-15
UNION STATUS: COURT RELATED NON-PROFESSIONAL

Updated December 2023