Assistant Computer Systems Administrator

The Federal Public Defender’s Office for the District of Maryland is seeking an Assistant Computer Systems Administrator (ACSA). A primary responsibility of this position is to research, recommend, deploy, and maintain litigation support applications and to train and assist staff in their use. The ACSA will stay current on the software and applications provided by the Defender Services Office’s National Information Technology Operations and Applications Development (NITOAD) Branch and National Litigation Support Team (NLST) so that our Office adopts and uses them effectively.

As the Office’s subject-matter expert on these tools, the ACSA may also provide case-specific litigation support, such as setting up cases in electronic discovery review platforms, generating reports with tools such as Cellebrite, and using transcription and translation tools to process evidence.

We are seeking a candidate with an interest in artificial intelligence and in how to integrate AI tools ethically and responsibly into a client-centered legal practice while protecting confidential and privileged information. The ideal candidate will be able to evaluate a self-hosted, on-premises AI system against enterprise solutions offered by commercial vendors and, with guidance from Federal Defender offices that have already built such systems, build and maintain one for our Office.

The ACSA reports to the Computer Systems Administrator (CSA) and, together with a second ACSA based in Greenbelt, provides general IT support for a Microsoft Windows environment, including troubleshooting and resolving software, hardware, peripheral, and network issues, from individual problems to office-wide outages, and escalating as needed; installing, configuring, and updating operating systems and applications; installing, upgrading, and maintaining equipment; training staff;

and making procurement recommendations. The ACSA may also maintain the Office’s technology inventory. The ACSA will work primarily in our Baltimore office for at least the first year, with the possibility of later working primarily in our Greenbelt office. Regardless of home duty station, the position requires travel between offices and occasional weekend or holiday work.

We are looking for a self-directed, mission-driven professional who works well both independently and collaboratively in a law office environment. The ideal candidate thinks proactively and strategically about deploying technology when resources are limited and brings cultural humility, strong interpersonal skills, and sound judgment to the role.

Applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent and either a bachelor’s degree in computer science or six years of professional work experience, including at least three years of specialized experience in information technology. Applicants should have a solid working knowledge of computer systems administration principles and practices; a demonstrated ability to learn and apply new technical skills quickly; the ability to diagnose and resolve system problems promptly;

a strong customer-service orientation; and excellent communication skills.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or otherwise meet the citizenship requirements of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Partial telework is available; full-time telework is not. The selected candidate must successfully complete a background check.

Physical Demands and Work Environment
. The position may frequently require moving and lifting items up to 50 pounds and regularly requires sitting, standing, walking, bending, kneeling, reaching, and manual dexterity.

The starting salary range is $85,447 to $102,415 (Grade 11, Step 1 to Grade 12, Step
1) under the Judiciary…