Financial Specialist

Position Overview

The Clerk of Court for the United States Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin is seeking qualified applicants for two full-time Financial Specialists. A Financial Specialist performs administrative, technical, and professional work related to financial accounting, purchasing, internal controls, property management, and budgetary activities for the court ensuring compliance with appropriate guidelines, policies, procedures, and internal controls.

A Financial Specialist assists in the support of financial and procurement operations of the court by processing a wide variety of financial and procurement transactions, interpreting and applying complex rules and regulations, maintaining a high level of processing accuracy, attention to detail and timeliness, and providing excellent customer service to internal and external parties.

A Financial Specialist is part of the Finance Department team and reports to the Financial Administrator. Occasional business travel may be required. This position may occasionally require working beyond normal business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) to meet the demands of the court.

Summary of Representative Duties and Responsibilities

· Assists with the formulation, evaluation, and implementation of policies, procedures, and protocols related to finance, procurement, internal controls, property management, and budgetary operations throughout the court.

· Maintains, reconciles, and analyzes accounting records, consisting of a cash receipts journal, registry funds, and deposit funds as well as subsidiary ledgers for fiscal records.

· Reviews and performs accounts payable and accounts receivable duties; has responsibility for the accuracy and accountability of monies received and disbursed by the court.

· Reconciles daily receipts and processes refunds, trustee payments, and unclaimed funds disbursements on a recurring basis.

· Ensures that internal controls related to all transactions/activities in the areas of finance, procurement, property management, and budget are adhered to and followed.

· Serves as the court’s internal controls reviewer for purchase card purchases and for the automated financial management system and prepares recurring reports related to this role for the Financial Administrator and the Clerk.

· Creates payment authorization transactions in the automated financial management system for various disbursement types (e.g. travel reimbursements, purchase and travel card purchases, invoices) and serves as a first level approver responsible for ensuring that all payment requests are legal, proper, and correct.

· Assists with the assessment of requests for goods and services, ensuring they are allowable under limitations, restrictions and policies. Assist in the negotiation with vendors for the best price for contracted services and purchases. Assist with preparing requisitions and purchase orders.

· Assists with procuring supplies, equipment, services, and furnishings from government and non-government sources through new contracts, competitive bids, GSA schedules, and existing judiciary and government wide contracts. Assists with maintaining purchasing records. Plans and coordinates time and delivery of purchases. May be required to serve as purchase card holder for small dollar procurements.

· Serves as the court’s vendor administrator for adding and monitoring vendors in automated financial management system.

· Manages tenant alterations and cyclical maintenance projects, those done through General Services Administration (GSA) via reimbursable work requests, and those done independently, including developing statements of work, obtaining estimates, obtaining proper approvals, coordinating contractors and schedules, and inspecting completed work. Assess, document, prioritize, and respond to project problems.

· Serves as the court’s custodial officer responsible for maintaining and updating the court’s master personal property report using the Judiciary Inventory Control System (JICS). Assigns and affixes asset identification labels to accountable and non-accountable property.

· Conducts biennial physical sightings of all accountable property and prepares a comprehensive report for the Clerk.

· Works with the designated disposal officer to identify excess personal property and drafts appropriate documentation for the disposal officer to initiate the disposal process.

· Writes and updates procedures for property management and works with the IT department to track and account for all IT equipment.

· Assists with the administration of the local court budget by monitoring court spending, develops and adjusts spending projections, tracks and monitors obligations and expenditures, updates the local status of funds report, and prepares and executes budget reprogrammings, as necessary.

· Prepares and submits complex financial reports to the Administrative Office as prescribed by established judiciary schedules.

· Performs projects of an analytical or administrative nature as requested by the Clerk, judges, or the Financial Administrator.

Minimum Qualifications

To qualify for the position at CL 26, the applicant must have a minimum of two years of specialized experience in addition to two years of generalized experience.

To qualify for the position at CL 27, the applicant must have a minimum of three years of specialized experience, in addition to two years of generalized experience.

Specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible experience in or closely related to the position’s work that has provided the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the position’s duties successfully. Experience from financial, administrative, technical, or professional positions may be considered. Completion of a bachelor’s degree may be substituted for up to one year of specialized experience.

Generalized experience is defined as progressively responsible clerical, office, or other work that indicates the possession of or ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of this position.

Court Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be a well-organized and detail-oriented professional who is capable of maintaining highly accurate records. In addition, the candidate will have personal characteristics that include: a strong work ethic, the ability to maintain confidentiality, and integrity. The selected candidate is expected to be a collaborative and flexible team player, capable of exercising sound judgment, and have a proven ability to independently manage multiple tasks and stringent deadlines, while consistently applying policies, procedures, and internal controls. Knowledge of legal terminology, federal court processes, and functions of the court is preferred.

Salary

The salary range for the position is CL 26/1 ($56,862) to CL 27/61 ($101,544), starting grade and pay is commensurate with qualifications, specialized experience, budgetary considerations and/or prior classification under the Court Personnel System or Judiciary Salary Plan.

A successful candidate hired at a CL 26 ($56,862-$92,412) may be promoted to a CL 27 ($62,467-$101,544), without further competition, at the discretion of the Clerk of Court, based on performance and subject to budgetary considerations.

Benefits Information

This is a full-time position which is eligible for the Federal Judiciary’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes paid annual and sick leave, health and life insurance, dental and vision insurance, retirement plan, Thrift Savings Plan, commuter benefit program, flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care, transportation subsidy program (contingent on budgetary funding), employee assistance program, and eleven paid Federal holidays per calendar year. Additional information about the benefits can be found at www.uscourts.gov/careers/benefits. Telework options are available after training period is complete, but this is not a full-time telework position. Salary is payable only by Electronic Funds Transfer (direct deposit).

Conditions of Employment and Additional Information for Applicants

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court is a part of the judicial branch of the United States Government. Employees of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court serve under “Excepted Appointments” and are considered “at will employees. Federal Civil Service classifications or regulations do not apply; however, court employees are entitled to substantially the same benefits as other Federal Government employees.

The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The court reserves the right to fill more than the advertised number of positions with this announcement, to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the job announcement, or to fill the position sooner than the closing date, if a closing date is shown, any of which actions may occur without any prior written or other notice.

Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position and only applicants selected for an interview will be notified. Participation in the interview process will be at the applicant’s own expense and relocation expenses will not be provided. Interviews for applicants outside of the Milwaukee Metro area may be held by Zoom.

Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States.

Applicants are required to answer Optional Background Information questions 19-21 on the AO-78, Federal Judicial Branch Application for Employment before an offer of employment will be made.

This is considered a high-sensitive position. The selected candidate must successfully complete a background investigation, which includes an FBI fingerprint check, with periodic updates every five years thereafter. Employment is provisional until the completion of the background check and a favorable suitability determination.

Employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees.

Application Process and Information

Applicants are invited to electronically submit a cover letter; resume (including educational information, employment experience, and salary history); three professional references and contact information; and a completed AO-78, Application for Judicial Branch Federal Employment, which can be downloaded from the court's website.

All documents are to be forwarded as one PDF file via email to: hr_wieb@wieb.uscourts.gov. Please include in the subject line: FINANCIAL SPECIALIST (#26-04).

This position is open until filled, but preference will be given to application packages received on or before close of business, May 13, 2026.

Pay: $56,862.00 - $101,544.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• On-site gym
• Paid parental leave
• Paid time off
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person