Court Mediator/Investigator I

Position Information

The Orange County Superior Court is now accepting applications for:

COURT MEDIATOR/INVESTIGATOR I

ANNUAL SALARY

Court Mediator/Investigator I: $88,670.40 - $101,649.60

(Upon advancement to Court Mediator/Investigator II: Up to $113,422.40*)

BENEFIT HIGHLIGHTS

Choice of five medical plans

Defined Benefit Retirement Plan (2.50% at 67 formula)

Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)

Vacation and sick leave packages

14 paid holidays per year

Defined benefit retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Optional deferred compensation program (457 plan)

APPLICATION DEADLINE

This recruitment will remain open until the needs of the Court have been met and may close at any time. However, the deadline to apply for first round consideration is Thursday, May 2, 2024, at 11:59 PM PST

This recruitment is open to external candidates, internal OCSC employees, internal OCSC promotions, and internal OCSC lateral transfers. The eligible list established from this recruitment will be used to fill current and future vacancies.

TELEWORK/ON-SITE OPPORTUNITY

The Court Mediator/Investigator job classification is eligible for a combination of telework and on-site work assignments after 6 months of employment for employees who are in good standing. Telework must be completed from a pre-designated home-based location within the State of California and employees may be required to report on-site to address business needs.

Telework is at the sole discretion of the Court and may be rescinded with 48 hours' notice, based on needs of the Orange County Superior Court.

ABOUT THE POSITION

Under general supervision, the Court Mediator/Investigator assists parties in resolving child custody and visitation disputes by using conflict resolution skills and techniques; conduct mediations, child custody investigations, emergency investigations, minor interviews, second-parent adoptions and termination of parental rights investigations, minor marriage investigations, and prepare written reports with recommendations to the court and/or provide expert testimony to the court; and perform related duties within area of assignment.

Court Mediator/Investigator Iis the entry level classification into this professional series. This classification typically reports to the Family Court Services Supervisor and works under close supervision.

Incumbents are expected to gain proficiency to promote to Court Mediator/Investigator II journey level classification within the one (1) year probation period. As incumbents gain experience, they are expected to work with increasing independence and proficiency and to perform the full scope of journey level classification duties.

• A Court Mediator/Investigator I is expected to qualify for advancement to Court Mediator/Investigator II by the end of a one (1) year probationary period. There is no permanent status in this classification. Upon advancement to Court Mediator/Investigator II, incumbents are placed on a six (6) month promotional probation period.

Court Mediator/Investigator IIis the journey level classification of the professional series. The classification typically reports to the Family Court Services Supervisor.

Incumbents are expected to rotate and perform mediation and investigation functions while performing the full range duties including being assigned complex and conflicted cases. Incumbents may also function as a clinical consultant and mentor to junior level staff, and develop and present training to fellow colleagues.

Examples of Duties

Dutiesmay include but are not limited to the following:

• Conducts mediation sessions on child custody and visitation disputes; uses clinical skills and techniques, crisis intervention and conflict resolution skills to assist parties in conflict to reach agreement on a parenting plan that is in the best interest of the child(ren).

• Conducts court-ordered investigations on matters related to child custody, including domestic violence, substance abuse, criminal history and child abuse/neglect. Other investigation types involve emergency referrals which require expedited assessment of the above safety issues; obtains pertinent information and prepares either a written or oral report with expert testimony.

• Mediates disputes involving Family Law Litigation, Juvenile Dependency Court, Probate Court and/or other parties, including parents, social workers, grandparents, and attorneys, to assist in resolving parenting plan disputes and other issues concerning the welfare of minor children in Family Law, Dependency, or Probate Court.

For more details and to read the entire job descriptions, click the following links:

Court Mediator/Investigator I

Minimum Qualifications

REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE (Note: The following education and experience requirements must both be met.)

Education:Master's Degree from an accredited college or university in psychology, social welfare, social work, marriage, family and child counseling or other behavioral science substantially related to marriage and family counseling.

*Note: A copy of your college diploma or official transcripts must be included with your application.

And

Experience: Three (3) years of recent full-time (or equivalent) post master's degree experience in the field of family counseling and assessments in a variety of settings that demonstrates possession of a majority of the knowledge and abilities described below.

SUBSTITUTION

Licensure by the State of California as a Clinical Social Worker, Marriage & Family Therapist, Clinical Psychologist, or Professional Clinical Counselor may substitute for one (1) year of the required non-California Superior Court mediation experience.

Highly Desirable

A licensed mental health professional

Knowledge of:

• Principlesand methods of interviewing, counseling, and investigating

• Dynamics of conflict, techniques for resolution and management of conflict

• Theories of counseling and different therapeutic approaches

• Adult psychopathology and the dynamics of family dysfunction

Ability to:

• Perform competently and rotate among the service areas of mediation and conducting investigations, report writing and testifying in the courtroom.

• Use effective approaches in communicating with populations within varying socioeconomic, cultural/ethnic, languages and education levels, including use of interpreters, when needed.

• Maintain neutrality and professionalism while conducting mediations or investigations, particularly when working with parties who are uncooperative and acrimonious toward one another.

• Use of one's own private vehicle to travel to field locations throughout Orange County and surrounding areas.

Additional Information

Application Process:

All applicants are required to submit a completed online application and supplemental questionnaire. To learn more about how to create an application, clickHERE.

For tips on completing/updating your application, refer to our "Helpful Application Tips" guide by clickingHERE.

Résumés will not be accepted in lieu of the required application and supplemental questionnaire.

Human Resources will review applications to identify candidates who meet the minimum qualifications; therefore, it is to your benefit to include all current andpreviousrelated work experience.

Selection Process:

Step 1:Applications will be reviewed to identify candidates who meet the minimum qualifications and/or desirables; those candidates will be referred to step 2 in the selection process.

Step 2:Candidates' supplemental question responses may be evaluated and ranked. Depending on the number of applications, assessments and/or screening interviews may be conducted.

If any part of the assessment process consists of proctored, in-person tests, candidates will be required to appear in person regardless of where they reside. Note: Though candidates may live outside of the State of California while participating in a recruitment process, individuals must reside within the State to be eligible for Court employment.

Step 3:Those candidates who are successful in the review/assessment will be placed on the eligible list. Placement on the eligible listis not aguarantee of interview or employment.

All candidates will be notified via email of their status at each step of the process.

Additional steps for the selection process will include a local background and reference check; for current Court employees, click HERE.

Reasonable Accommodations

Orange County Superior Court provides reasonable accommodations upon request for applicants with disabilities. Please contact the Human Resources Department at HRStaffing@occourts.org if you feel you will need a reasonable accommodation for any aspect of the selection process.

Eligible List:

This recruitment will be used to establish an eligible list for current and future vacancies. The eligible list will remain active until the list is exhausted or a new recruitment opens.

Status Notifications:

You will be notified by email during the process of this recruitment through governmentjobs.com. Please check your email spam/junk folders and accept emails ending with governmentjobs.com and occourts.org. If your contact information changes, please update your profile at www.governmentjobs.com.

eVERIFY

The Superior Court of California, County of Orange participates in the eVerify program.

Questions?

For questions on this recruitment, please contact Adriana Cortez at acortez@occourts.org. For general employment information, please clickHERE.

An Equal Opportunity Employer