Senior Water Master - Water Rights Judge in Court

Job Description - Senior Water Master )

Position Title:

Senior Water Master - (  )

The first review of applications will be October 7th, 2026. Please submit the following required documents on the State of Montana Careers website:

Resume - Please include dates of employment and your supervisor’s name/phone number for each position .

Three Professional References

Writing Sample

When submitting the required documents, you must check the “relevant document” box to ensure your attachments are uploading correctly to the specific application for this position. Documents not requested will not be considered in the recruitment process.

The Judicial Branch is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

An employee new to the Judicial Branch will serve a one-year probationary period. The successful applicant will be subject to a criminal background check. Travel may be required and working hours may include evenings & weekends.

The Montana Judicial Branch offers a variety of opportunities to help you make a difference in your community, and further your career. As a service-oriented employer, we seek employees with a passion for customer service to help us fulfill our mission t o provide an independent, accessible, responsive, impartial, and timely forum to resolve disputes; to preserve the rule of law;

and to protect the rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitutions of the United States and Montana.

Benefits of working for the Judicial Branch:

• Work/life balance
• Family friendly policies
• Dedicated and caring colleagues
• Health coverage
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and Holidays (combination of up to 38 per year)
• Opportunities and room for professional growth
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness - Employment with the State of Montana may qualify you to receive student loan forgiveness under the PSLF

Job Overview:

This is highly responsible, advanced legal work in adjudicating water rights in specific basins for the Montana judicial system.

Work includes legal research and writing, conducting hearings, mediations, and settlement conferences.

Work includes responsibility for making investigations of alleged water rights claims and holding hearings and issuing decisions to determine the validity of the most complex of water rights in 32 of the 85 basins.

Additional senior level duties include acting as Water Court liaison with other agencies and task forces.

Work is performed under the general supervision of the Chief Water Judge and is reviewed through conferences and analysis of written opinions.

Job Duties:(Any one position may not include all of the duties listed, nor do the examples cover all the duties which may be performed)

Represents the Water Court by participating in committee work to amend Montana Supreme Court Claim Examination Rules; represents the Water Court on the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation committee in the design and review of computerized database for statewide water rights.

Reviews decrees prior to issuance.

Organizes water rights claims, objections and notices to appear into cases, consolidates cases when necessary, calendars and monitors cases, conducts status conferences and settlement conferences, enforces discovery.

Conducts trials, rules on admissibility of evidence, makes and writes decisions; drafts findings of fact conclusions of law and recommendations for review by the Chief Water Judge.

Travels to hearing sites and presides at hearings; is responsible for the accuracy of court minutes, records, exhibits and witness lists including accurate indexing and recording of the proceedings before the Water Master.

Resolves objections and determines water rights; determines abandonment of water rights.

Conducts site…