programmer

The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina is accepting applications for a programmer. This position can sit in any one of our divisional offices. The JERS programmer will assist all courts currently using JERS and those courts in the process of installing JERS. The JERS programmer continues to develop JERS in order to remain current with operating systems and audio / visual technologies. The JERS programmer will work with the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to develop JERS to be accessible via the electronic case filing system (CM/ECF) to all parties. The duties specified herein are intended to provide generalized examples of the major duties and responsibilities that are performed by the incumbent.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES:

The Programmer position supports a court specific electronic evidence recording system called JERS (Jury Evidence Recording System) for the entire district as well as other courts throughout the nation who have adopted this system or will be adopting the system. This position is responsible for the following duties:

• Research and test JERS for any security vulnerabilities.
• Research current and future technologies and trends and analyze alternatives, including commercial off the shelf software.
• Develop prototype applications and coordinate with judges, senior management and staff to ensure that development efforts are meeting the needs of the court.
• Assist other courts with the design, installation, training of staff, troubleshooting and assisting with change requests for JERS.
• Create bug fixes and patches for the program.
• Maintain development of the JERS program to be current with operating systems and audio / visual technology changes and upgrades.
• Maintain the JERS website and the JERS Listserv.
• Support other technical areas of the court as needed. 

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Thorough knowledge and expertise of C# or Java programming languages. Proficiency in writing and analyzing SQL queries in SQL Server, MySQL or Informix databases. Knowledge of and skill in using current information technology applications and capabilities. Basic knowledge of audio / visual technologies such as working with encoding, decoding, and streaming video. Thorough knowledge of software testing methods, practices and preventative maintenance activities. Knowledge of and skill in identifying complex problems and reviewing alternatives. Skill and ability to break down complex projects into manageable components. Ability to design develop and modify computer programs for court needs. Advanced ability to utilize multiple operating systems. Ability to design, engineer, maintain and support the JERS program for multiple courts.  

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (COURT PREFERRED):

Knowledge of PERL, PHP, or Javascript is also desirable.  

GRADE QUALIFICATIONS:

CL 28 – Two years of specialized experience or completion of a Master’s Degree or two years of graduate study in a field closely related to the subject matter of the position.  

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS  Only qualified applicants satisfying all qualification requirements, as specified in the vacancy announcement, will be considered for an interview. Placement above the step 1 of the grade for which the applicant qualifies is based on previous relevant experience.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible to work in the United States. Positions in the United States Courts are excepted appointments, are not under the Civil Service System, and are considered “at will” positions. Successful employment with the United States Courts is based on acceptable performance. The court requires employees to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judiciary Employees which is available upon request.

The United States District 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. More than one position may be filled from this posting in more than one location.  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.

The court is not authorized to reimburse travel expenses for interviews or relocations. This position is subject to mandatory electronic direct deposit of salary payments. Please note: successful candidate will undergo an FBI fingerprint background check.

The Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

BENEFITS

The judiciary offers a number of exceptional benefits to its employees. As a judiciary employee, you may be eligible to participate in the following benefits programs:

• Health Insurance

• Dental and Vision Insurance

• Thrift Savings Plans (Retirement savings plan) with a government matching contribution

• Life Insurance

• Paid Annual and Sick Leave

• 13 Federal Holidays per year

• Flexible Spending Accounts (Medical and Dependent Care)

• Commuter Benefit Program

• Long Term Care Insurance

Additional information about federal judiciary benefits and compensation can be found on the United States Courts website career page at: http://www.uscourts.gov/Career...