Public Defender Legal Clerical Unit Supervisor

Salary : $81,781.71 - $130,494.10 Annually
Location : Ventura, CA
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 1707PDO-26AC (EO)
Department: Public Defender (recruitment by CEO-HR)
Opening Date: 10/28/2026
Closing Date: 11/13/2026 5:00 PM Pacific

THE POSITION
Under general direction, supervises a line or operations work unit, performs staff support duties, or acts as a technical resource for mid-level management. Depending on assignment, the incumbent may be involved in planning and supervising the work of clerical or technical support staff, performing special studies, and/or at times performing the most complex duties and assignments.

IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate will have strong oral and written communication skills with some experience administering programs and/or operations. The successful candidates will demonstrate the ability to exercise independent judgment; and use automated systems, modern office methods, and equipment, including computers and applicable software applications, such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat Pro and databases.

PAYROLL TITLES AND ANNUAL SALARIES:
Staff/Services Specialist I: $81,781.71 - $121,359.31
Staff/Services Specialist II: $88,242.76 - $130,494.10

NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department.

EDUCATIONAL/BILINGUAL INCENTIVE: Incumbents may be eligible for an educational incentive of 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% based on completion of an Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree that is not required for the classification. Incumbents may also be eligible for bilingual incentive depending upon operational need and certification of skill.

The Staff/Services Specialist I and II are represented by Services Employees International Union (SEIU) and are eligible for overtime compensation.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: Wednesday, October 28, 2026CLOSING DATE: Friday, November 13, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.APPLICATION REVIEW COMPLETE: Week of November 16, 2026.
Examples Of Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Plans, organizes, coordinates and supervises the work of clerical support staff including participating in the selection and evaluation of staff, providing cross training and employee development, and assigning work to meet workload demands, evaluating outcomes, and determining the most effective use of resources.
• Provides liaison with representation from other agencies/departments and interacts with and assist indigent persons/clients. Answers inquiries from staff, members of the public, vendors and contractors regarding the services provided within the criminal justice defense/legal field. Investigates and resolves problems related to the line operation's service or contractor/vendor performance.
• Works on special projects as assigned by department management in a multitude of areas provided within the criminal justice defense/legal field including conducting surveys, researching topics and issues, writing reports, analyzing data, and preparing statistical and narrative reports.
• Assists in developing policies and procedures and making recommendations for changes as needed. Analyzes new trends, legislation, etc. provided within the criminal justice defense/legal field to determine and respond to changes required in policies and procedures.
• Compiles and analyzes data to determine operational requirements, set benchmarks, and measure work performance.
• Performs research on a variety of topics provided within the criminal justice defense/legal field as requested; prepares staff reports or position papers and makes recommendations based on research findings.
• Maintains a variety of records and produces management reports using Microsoft Word and Excel, automated systems, manuals, and other reference materials.
• Prepares public relations brochures and informational material, customer satisfaction surveys, etc. using Adobe Acrobat Pro and other similar tools.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Typical Qualifications

These are the entrance requirements to the examination process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE:
Some to considerable progressively responsible operations, project or staff experience, customer service and/or administrative support experience leading to the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position.

An example of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities can be obtained by the following:

Staff/Services Specialist I:
Bachelor's degree in a related field with two (2) years of administrative, operations, project, staff and/or customer service experience.
OR
At least six (6) years of administrative, operations, project, staff, or customer service experience.

Staff/Services Specialist II:
Bachelor's degree in a related field with four (4) years of considerably progressively responsible administrative, operations, project, staff, and/or customer service experience including four (4) years of direct supervision.
OR
At least eight (8) years of administrative operations, project, staff, and/or customer service experience with at least four (4) of the years including direct supervisory experience.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff at all levels, other County personnel and the general public.
• The ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Effective written communication skills must be demonstrated in the completion of the employment application and supplemental questionnaire.
• Ability to coordinate multiple operational functions with competing priorities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Word, Excel and Adobe Acrobat Pro.

DESIRED:

• Experience interacting with and assisting indigent persons/clients
• Experience supervising staff.
• Some experience working in the criminal justice defense or legal fields.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

Working to considerable knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of effective supervision;
• The use of automated systems including databases;
• Planning, organizing, coordinating staffing coverage and cross training needs to meet workload demands;
• Work processes/methods related to the criminal justice defense or legal fields;
• Researching and interpreting codes, regulations and policies related to the department and those related to public/customer relations techniques.

Working ability to:

• Supervise staff and administer various projects;
• Exercise independent judgment;
• Explain department policies and procedures and serve as departmental resource and liaison;
• Develop and implement necessary work processes and related procedures;
• Assist in developing or enhancing office automation applications;
• Draw logical conclusions and make appropriate recommendations or adjustments as needed;
• Organize and prioritize work assignments to coordinate multiple operational functions with competing priorities;
• Read and interpret technical material; and, complete required forms accurately and completely;
• Communicate effectively verbally and in writing.

Ability to:

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff at all levels, other County personnel and the general public;
• Interact with and assist indigent persons/clients.

Skill in:

• Utilizing Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Recruitment Process

FINAL FILING DATE: Applications must be received by the County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 13, 2026.

To apply online, please refer to our website at If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

NOTE: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here for additional information.

Note to Applicants: Sufficient information must be provided under the Education/Work Experience portion of the application and supplemental questionnaire to thoroughly and accurately demonstrate your qualifications to determine eligibility. A resume may be attached to supplement your responses in the above-referenced sections; however, it may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE- qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this examination at the time of filing. The supplemental questionnaire will be used throughout the examination process to assist in determining qualifications for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in removal of the application from further consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION - qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether the stated requirements are met. Applicants meeting the stated requirements will be invited to continue to the nex