Senior Program Manager, Forms

Employment Opportunities

| State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

Closing Date This position will remain open until filled. However, those persons submitting materials by Friday, June 14, 2024, will be given first consideration. Division Access to Justice Division Benefits An attractive judicial branch benefits package is offered, including pension, medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, as well as deferred compensation and generous leave time. Salary Minimum salary $75,324 salary at hire to be commensurate with experience PURPOSE We share a vision of a community free from bias, systemic unfairness, and oppression, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. The Access to Justice (“ATJ”) Division's objective is to improve access to the civil justice system for all court users, particularly to those who are low-income and vulnerable, through creating standardized statewide court forms, improving language access and interpreter services, and developing training materials and educational programs for judges and court personnel, among other priorities. This professional position is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Judicial Branch's uniform court forms program and supports the work of the ATJ Division and Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (Commission). The Senior Program Manager, Forms coordinates the program and performs functions related to standardized form development, design, and implementation for the Illinois courts. This position will work closely with all Illinois courts, external stakeholders, and the Commission’s Forms Committee. Persons in this position perform a variety of duties and work independently. Work is performed under the direct supervision of the Deputy Director of the ATJ Division and the Supervising Senior Program Manager and is reviewed based on conferences, reports, and results achieved. ESSENTIAL DUTIES It is anticipated the position will focus on the following areas: Supports the work of the ATJ Division and works to advance the statewide standardized forms project. Serves as a principal liaison to the Commission’s Forms Committee and its subject area subcommittees that produce standardized court forms for Self-Represented Litigants (SRLs) across various legal subject matter areas. Acts as project manager for overseeing all aspects of forms development and management including:

Creating new forms with numerous assigned subcommittees, including onboarding/training subcommittee members, scheduling subcommittee meetings, preparing and distributing forms for subcommittee review before meetings, live-editing the forms during those meetings, and otherwise running the meetings. Overseeing the multiples layers of review of forms including:

User testing (designs user testing scenarios, recruits users to test the effectiveness and efficiency of each form to increase usability; analyzes and shares user testing results with assigned subcommittees and manages revisions), Forms Committee reviews (schedules meetings, prepares and distributes forms for review, conducts live editing during meetings, and runs meetings), and Public comments (checks comment list, organizes comment by subcommittee/forms set, communicates with subcommittees, and schedules meetings to discuss comments as appropriate).

Coordinating with the ATJ Division’s Language Access team regarding translation of forms. Interfacing with the IT division regarding programming and posting of forms. Disseminating notices of forms publication or other information regarding forms to relevant stakeholders. Scheduling every published form for appropriate reviews for necessary updates based on changes in the law or submitted suggestions. Partnering with Illinois Legal Aid Online for plain language review of all forms sets and for their automated document assembly interview creation and updating.

Proofreads forms for typos, grammatical errors, and inconsistent formatting. Formats and edits forms in appropriate software (Microsoft Word using tables, Adobe InDesign, or other similar platform) to be consistent with applicable style guides and protocols. Tracks and manages the status of forms throughout the drafting and review process. Communicates with the project team regarding the status of each subcommittee and their form suites. Ensures administrative tasks, like organizing and responding to inquires from the public, generating forms numbers, and updating, maintaining, and organizing forms databases are completed and reports to management or other stakeholders regarding the status of forms. Conducts post-implementation analysis to determine the effectiveness of standardized forms within the system and determines possible improvements. Keeps apprised of current form issues, policies, and technological changes in form creation and makes recommendations for use in the courts, when appropriate. Acts as a resource to judges, circuit clerks, and court users in addressing standardized forms. Presents at public meetings and judicial education events regarding the development and use of standardized forms. Performs other duties as assigned. SELECTION FACTORS A desire to minimize or eliminate barriers to the court system. Understanding of barriers facing self-represented litigants when attempting to access the court system. Knowledge of Illinois law and court practice. Knowledge of standard project management principles and administrative techniques, including office procedures, composition, records management, and office communications. Skills in program development, implementation, and evaluation. Ability to organize work effectively and meet required deadlines and schedules. Proficiency with technology platforms, such as:

Microsoft Office products, including Word (particularly using tables), PowerPoint, Excel and Access; Google products, including shared drives and Google Forms; Adobe products, including InDesign; Zoom or Teams.

Ability to coordinate with councils, committees, state agencies, and other organizations. Knowledge of the principles and practices of court management and operations. Strong proof-reading skills and attention to detail. Strong written and oral communication skills. Strong organizational and interpersonal skills. Use of independent judgment within established practice and procedural guidelines. Ability to collect data and prepare statistical and informational reports. EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS A Juris Doctor Degree from an accredited law school, approved by the American Bar Association, is required. Experience working with Illinois courts or in other relevant positions gaining experience and knowledge of project management, proof-reading, and collaboration is preferred. Candidates must have a demonstrated commitment to working with underserved and marginalized communities, self-represented persons, criminal defendants, and/or people with limited English proficiency. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS Ability to sit for extended time periods. Normal office working environment requiring telephone usage and ability to process written documents. Travel within Illinois may be required. Currently, the position is primarily remote, but employees may select to work from the Chicago AOIC office. Employees will be provided necessary computer equipment for work duties, but must have sufficient home internet (at no cost to employer) in order to work remotely. Candidates must be able to report to the Chicago office when in-person work is required and when it becomes the standard work model once again. This position will remain open until filled. However, those persons submitting materials by Friday, June 14, 2024, will be given first consideration. The start date for this position is flexible but expected to be August 19, 2024.

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