Principal Court Management Consultant

National Center for State Courts•Remote Work Eligible, VA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) is seeking an experienced Principal Court Management Consultant to join its Access to Justice team. This role provides advanced, high-level management consulting and technical assistance to state and local courts. The Principal Consultant will lead projects focused on increasing access to courts and legal services, reducing barriers to participation in the justice system, and driving innovation. Key areas of focus include the regulation of the legal profession, improving the legal information delivery ecosystem (e.g., self-help centers, court navigator programs, websites, forms, technology), and court improvement efforts (e.g., process simplification, civil diversion, legal desert solutions). Responsibilities involve analyzing data, court rules, statutes, and policies to identify problems and solutions, leading project teams, managing budgets, client relationships, and ensuring quality deliverables. The role also includes business development, identifying new client relationships, preparing grant applications and proposals, and representing NCSC in national initiatives and collaborations with judicial leaders and partners.

Requirements

Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from an ABA-accredited law school
8+ years of experience in court administration in the state courts, project management, consulting, or law administration
Demonstrated knowledge of access to justice issues, such as accommodations and accessibility, plain language, language access, civil diversion, the development and growth of allied legal professionals, self-help, technology, and the administration of justice.
Ability to travel to client locations, meetings, and/or conferences throughout the United States
Represent NCSC in a professional manner; including an ability to establish credibility and to interact productively with staff across the organization and with external stakeholders
Familiarity with the policy issues impacting local and state judicial systems as well as local and state governments, relevant to specialized areas of this position
Communicates timely and professionally, with internal and external clients, both orally and in writing
Considerable experience authoring proposals, reports, publications, or other written documents
Experience working with complex policy and political issues, including an ability to synthesize and summarize large amounts of information and to focus quickly on the essence of an issue
Demonstrate use of sound judgment in practical matters and critical decisions, choosing wisely after contemplating various options
Strong interpersonal skills, including an ability to establish credibility and to interact productively with staff across the organization and with others
Experience convening groups of policy makers, practitioners, stakeholders, researchers, and other constituencies with a range of interests and perspectives and supporting their efforts to develop consensus and move toward a desired outcome

Nice To Haves

A track record of successful proposal writing for federal solicitations and/or state grants preferred

Responsibilities

Provides virtual and on-site, intensive technical assistance to local and state teams and other stakeholders
Staffs CCJ-COSCA Committees and other collaborative efforts in the access to justice space
Leads a team and provides work direction, mentorship, and project management for court management consultants, senior court management consultants, and project associates
Provides direct supervision of staff members and help set strategic priorities for the Access to Justice Team
Plans and coordinates the work for the project and project teams, including overseeing project budgets, staffing levels, client relationships, and quality control of all deliverables
Plans, develops, and coordinates training and/or technical assistance services
Guides and assists clients with a wide range of management, organizational, and business improvements
Manages multi-faceted data-driven projects, including implementation of pilot programs
Manages and participates in large-scale, complex, and politically sensitive projects
Writes and coordinates the development of project reports and other deliverables
Builds justice system collaborations at the local, state, regional, and national levels
Represents NCSC perspective at local, state, regional, and national meetings and conferences
Assists with program and policy issue development
Oversees qualitative and quantitative analysis of existing programs, policies, and practices, and provides policy recommendations to clients
Monitors project implementation to ensure appropriate progress
Conducts program evaluations
Identifies and develops proposals, including grant writing and grant proposals, for funding, and manages grant-funded projects
Focuses on business development activities to identify new business opportunities
Builds relationships with court leaders, external experts, and other justice system partners and funders through seminars, conferences, and professional networking
Plans and coordinates meetings and training events with partners, public, media, and government officials in coordination with appropriate staff