Tribal
Government Employment
Phone: 480-789-7119 Fax:
480-816-0419
____________________________________________________
Chief Judge
DEPARTMENT: Tribal Court
REPORTS TO: General Manager (for administrative purposes only)
DEFINITION/PURPOSE:
Direct and supervise overall operation of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Tribal Court; preside over criminal, civil and juvenile cases.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Essential functions may include the following tasks, knowledge, skills and other characteristics. This list of tasks is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY, and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and tasks performed by positions in this class.
TASKS:
Oversees all non-judicial administrative operational functions of the Tribal Court; plans, directs and supervises court staff; establishes overall operating policies and procedures; identifies and implements training programs for judicial and non-judicial court staff; provides general direction to other Tribal Court Judges in administrative matters; represents the Tribal Court within and outside of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation.
Presides over civil, criminal, traffic, juvenile, probate and other cases; provides and oversees an impartial forum for settling matters in dispute; examines and rules on evidence to determine strength and relevancy to charges; impartially rules on matters before the Court; presides over evidentiary hearings; presides over jury and non-jury trials; issues search and arrests warrants at various hours of the day or night; issues court orders/rulings; performs legal research; interprets law, ordinances, case law and applies to the facts of the case; provides direction and oversight to jurors; reviews and signs court documents.
Serves as an Appellate Judge when the conditions of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Tribal Code are met; delegates certain non-judicial administrative responsibilities to other Tribal Court staff.
KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES:
- Knowledge of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Constitution, Law and Order Code, Arizona Revised Statutes, Federal Indian Law, including but not limited to Indian Civil Rights Act and the Indian Child Welfare Act;
- Knowledge of Tribal Case Law, Federal Rules of Evidence;
- Knowledge of judicial protocol, proceedings, practices and techniques that may be required at times outside normal business hours or days;
- Knowledge of legal research utilizing books and electronic research systems;
- Knowledge of basic principles of management/supervision/administration, personnel management, bookkeeping, record keeping, case and cash management;
- Skill in interpreting and applying complex laws, statutes, ordinances, rules to the facts and evidence presented;
- Skill in drafting and/or reviewing and approving complex court orders;
- Skill in listening to court cases with impartiality;
- Skill in effectively and efficiently managing a high case load consisting of a variety of case types;
- Skill in utilizing a computer and in software capable of word processing;
- Skill in establishing and maintaining effective and cooperative working relationships with other departments of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation while also maintaining the impartial role of the Tribal Court.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/EDUCATION
(established by Article VI, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Constitution):
1) At least thirty (30) years of age 2) Must be a law school graduate OR possess a minimum of three years experience as a judge, practicing attorney or advocate and have a high school diploma or GED Certification 3) Must have no felony convictions and no serious misdemeanor criminal convictions within the past five years 4) Must submit to and pass a FBI criminal history background check 5) Must successfully pass a pre-employment drug screen 6) Must have a current AZ driver’s license and meet FMYN insurance standards.
POSITION STATUS: Regular, Full-time
PAYRATE: $80,743.05 - $96,891.66
OPEN DATE: August 19, 2009 CLOSE DATE: Open Until Filled
SUBMIT APPLICATION TO:
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation
Human Resource Department
Attn: Recruiter
P O Box 17779
Fountain Hills, AZ 85269
Phone: 480-789-7119
Fax: 480-816-0419
Email: recruiter@ftmcdowell.org
INDIAN PREFERENCE:
Preference will be given to qualified applicants who are members of federally recognized Indian tribes. To be considered for Indian Preference, you Must submit your Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) with your application.
WILL REQUIRE TO PASS A PRE-EMPLOYMENT DRUG SCREEN AND COMPLETE A BACKGROUND CHECK WHICH MAY REQUIRE FINGERPRINTING