Director, Whatcom County Public Defender's Office

Whatcom County Public Defender
Application Process
Submit cover letter, resume and completed Whatcom County application online by September 17, 2017.
Whatcom County
Human Resources
311 Grand Ave. Ste 107
Bellingham, WA 98225
[email protected]
ph: (360) 778-5300
Save-the-Date
 Interviews will be conducted October 5, 2017.
 Top candidates will be invited to an Executive Inter-view on October 17, 2017.
Salary & Benefits
$8,864 - $12,084 monthly, DOQ (with an anticipated increase in 2018)
Whatcom County offers a com-prehensive benefits package with medical, dental and vision coverage for employees, spouses and eligible dependents. Our benefits package also includes attractive paid leave provisions, including a Paid Time Off program, an average of 12 paid holidays per year, and short- and long-term disability coverage and life insurance for employees. Employees participate in the Washington State Retirement System and may select from two deferred compensation pro-grams. The County provides a match of up to 2% of salary for deferred compensation plan contributions.
Whatcom County seeks an experienced criminal defense attorney with management experience to direct all legal and administrative functions of the Public Defender’s Office. The office of the Public Defender serves indigent clients in Whatcom County and is currently staffed by approximately 31 employees, including deputies, investi-gators, support staff, and a behavioral health specialist.
QUALIFICATIONS
 Graduation from an accredited school of law;
 6 years progressively responsible related experience as a practicing criminal defense trial attorney on felony cases;
 3 years of management/supervisory experience.
 A current member in good standing of the Washington State Bar Association, OR if another State Bar Association must become a member of the Washington Bar by passing the next Washington State Bar exam.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The ideal candidate will demonstrate solid interpersonal and public relations skills including well-organized written and oral communication and effective public speaking. In addition they will possess advanced experience in felony criminal defense litigation.
ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES
 Managing tasks related to effective administration of the department.
 Performing defense duties involving highly complex and sensitive felony criminal cases, and acting as trial counsel.
 Developing and implementing stra-tegic short– and long-range plans, programs, goals and objectives.
 Preparing and justifying department budget, including assuring grant and contract compliance.
 Serves as liaison with administra-tors, and representatives of the Courts, probation departments, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Sher-iff’s Office, local law enforcement agencies, judges, social service agencies, Stat Criminal Lab, and the Coroner’s Office.
“An Opportunity to Distinguish Yourself in Public Service and Make a Commitment to Whatcom County’s Future” See full job description for more information or visit www.whatcomcounty.us/jobs
Whatcom County Public Defender
BE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY
Whatcom County, Washington, is truly “Someplace Special.” Nestled along the Canadian border, beautifully positioned between the San Juan Islands and the Cascade mountain range, our scenic community is made up of approximately 212,000 people. Seattle is 90 miles to the south and Vancouver, British Columbia, is 50 miles to the north. According to Money Magazine, “Bellingham is the 5th best place to live in the West and the 24th best place in the nation to live.” Citizens of Whatcom County enjoy the breathtaking scenic beauty of coastlines, Bellingham Bay, Mount Baker and many spectacular parks and lakes. Outside Magazine named Bellingham as a “Dream Town” and described one epic day in Bellingham (well, maybe two): “wade in a tide pool, paddle from shoreline bluffs to a San Juan is-land, snowshoe along a crevasse, plunge down rapids, scale a volcanic cliff, and canoe past organic berry farms on a paper-flat floodplain.” National Geographic Adventurer magazine named Bellingham among the “Top 10 Adventure Towns in America”. Bellingham was rated the 3rd most secure mid-sized U.S. city to live in by Farmers Insurance in 2010. Bellingham has been previously rated by Money Magazine as the 2nd best place in the country for entrepreneurs, and by Inc. as 6th out of 393 boomtown cities in the U.S. For more details about our wonderful
DEPARTMENT OVERVIEW
Created in 1982 by County ordinance, the Public Defender’s Office provides indigent legal defense for felony, misdemeanor and proba-tion violation charges against adults and juveniles in Whatcom County Superior and District Courts and for individuals undergoing involuntary mental health and alcohol commitment proceedings. The overall mission of the department is to provide high quality legal representa-tion as efficiently and economically as possible, while maintaining the confidence of clients that they are receiving competent and skilled representation. The Public Defender’s Office also works with other branches of the criminal justice system (the Washington State BAR Association, the Office of Public Defense, Department of Social and Health Services, and the Attorney General’s Office) to continue the implementation and expansion of drug court, family treatment court and mental health court in Whatcom County
For more information visit http://www.whatcomcounty.us/311/Public-Defender. You may also view the Public Defender’s Office 2017-2018 Mission and Objectives online