Traffic Court Clerk/Tribal Court Clerk

Position Title: Traffic Court Clerk/Tribal Court Clerk
Department: Tribal Court
Supervisor Title: Chief Judge
Salary Grade: D.O.E.

POSITION SUMMARY:
Under the general supervision of the Chief Judge this position is responsible to greet visitors, perform data entry duties, handle all matters relating to civil traffic citations issued by the Pueblo of Santa Clara law enforcement officers, and performs the duties of a Tribal Court Clerk as needed.
This job description is illustrative only of the responsibilities performed by this position and is not at all inclusive.

DUTIES AND REPONSIBILITIES:
• Responsible for greeting visitors in person, answering telephones and directing enquiries to appropriate court staff in a kind and professional manner;
• Know the jurisdictional difference between civil and criminal jurisdiction;
• Attend all meetings with the Chief Judge when the meetings involve civil traffic citations;
• Research tribal and state laws on traffic citations;
• Work with the tribal police department to receive civil traffic citations and resolve any issues in a timely manner;
• Responsible for the case management of all civil traffic citations when received from the tribal police until final disposition; case management shall be through Sleuth and paper files;
• Case management responsibilities include, collecting applicable fines and fees, scheduling challenged civil traffic citations for formal hearings before the court, writing letters to unresponsive offenders and determining whether the uncollected citations should be referred to a collection agency;
• Work with a collection agency on a daily basis to determine the status of each ticket provided to the collection agency;
• Work with traffic offenders prior to court, through the telephone and in written correspondence;
• Report any challenged civil traffic citation immediately to the Chief Judge;
• Responsible for weekly deposits of collected fines and fees to the accounting department;
• Responsible for compiling monthly, quarterly and yearly statistics on collected and uncollected fines;
• Responsible for compiling daily incarceration costs of jailed individuals;
• Responsible for compiling monthly, quarterly and yearly statistics on criminal and civil cases;
• Responsible for creating, implementing and maintaining all cases handled through the tribal courts using the Sleuth system and other programs;
• Responsible for accurate data entry and maintenance with the court recorder system;
• Must be proficient in and perform basic filing and recovering of identified materials within an established filing system;
• Responsible for bi-weekly back-up and storage of information on all court computers;
• Responsible to support office staff by means of cross-training in different areas to back up other officer positions;
• Responsible for working with the probation department on correspondence with the BIA on long term placement of incarcerated individuals for Santa Clara Pueblo;
• Advice Chief Judge whenever further training is needed to accomplish the tasks;
• Responsible for providing services to the court or probations department as directed by the Chief Judge;
• Responsible for general accounting duties as instructed;
• Assists in grant-writing; and
• Work with Tribal Court Administrator as directed by Chief Judge.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
• Knowledge of Tribal and department policies and procedures;
• Knowledge of tribal, federal, and state laws and regulations related the court;
• Knowledge of time management and the effect on one's well-being and stress level;
• Knowledge of the steps to effective conflict resolution;
• Knowledge of problem solving techniques;
• Knowledge of project evaluation procedures and processes;
• Skill in strong interpersonal skills for restructuring priorities to meet changing goals or objectives;
• Skill in writing letters and reports and filling out forms for routine operations;
• Skill in collecting, grouping, organizing information;
• Skill in building group consensus to meet objectives through give and take;
• Ability to develop new insights into situations in order to improve the situation, increase efficiencies, or to mitigate safety problems;
• Ability to function as an effective team member to interact and communicate effectively with staff and tribal leadership and able to recognize changing conditions, develop alternative strategies and take appropriate action;
• Ability to be decisive and use sound reasoning to arrive at a conclusion/decision and to recognize and correct unsafe practices and conditions;
• Ability of effective listening, speaking, and writing skills;
• Ability to perform computer skills such as word processing, software applications, advanced accounting software, email, internet and spreadsheets;
• Ability to perform duties under stressful and adverse conditions, such as long work hours, and emergency situations;
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret complex documents, including policies and procedures;
• Ability to deal with employees and community members regarding sensitive, confidential information; and
• Ability to handle multiple tasks, meet project deadlines and prioritize workload.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
• AA degree in any field plus one (1) year data entry experience is desirable; or equivalent combination of work-related experience;
• Valid New Mexico Driver's License and insurable through the Tribe's insurance carrier;
• Must not have any DUI/DWI convictions within the last five (5) years from any Tribal, State or Federal Court;
• Must pass a background check successfully; and
• Must pass a drug/alcohol screening.

PHYSICAL/WORK ENVIORNMENT:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. The employee is frequently exposed to high, precarious places and outside weather conditions. The employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Travel may be periodically required for training, meetings and presentations and incumbent may be required to work occasional nights and/or weekends.

Operating Values
• Respect- Treats everyone with courtesy, politeness and dignity. Listens to and communicates with teammates, employees and community members in ways that build mutual respect and positive working relationships.
• Citizenship- Follows proper procedures and keeps appropriate records. Ensures compliance with regulatory and legal requirements.
• Caring- Cares about and demonstrates concern for employees, vendors and community members. Builds mutual beneficial relationships with employees and community members.
• Trustworthiness- Takes actions that build confidence in Department and Pueblo of Santa Clara. Demonstrates honesty and high standards of integrity in all interactions. Gains trust and confidence in relationships with teammates and employees at all levels.
• Fairness- Listens to the concerns of employees. Make decisions after careful and appropriate consideration.
• Responsibility- Takes accountability for the services provided, pursuing excellence in everything. Finish rather than surrendering to obstacles or excuses. Continually look for ways to improve work. Fulfill obligations and help to fulfill the obligations of the Department.