Massachusetts Trial Court: Assistant Chief Probation Officer 2023

Description

MASSACHUSETTS PROBATION SERVICES

PROMOTIONAL EXAMINATION

FOR THE POSITIONS OF

ASSISTANT CHIEF PROBATION OFFICER

EXAMINATION INFORMATION

OPENING REGISTRATION DATE: Tuesday, September 19, 2023

LAST DAY OF REGISTRATION: 11:59pm on Wednesday, October 6, 2023

Examination Date: Saturday, December 2, 2023* (Start time to be determined)

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, October 6, 2023

Examination Fee:$50

Examination Location: Hynes Convention and Exhibition Center900 Boylston Street, Boston, MA

Note: A source list of the documents from which the content of the job knowledge

questions will be drawn, will be emailed to candidates along with a study guide

once registration closes no later than October 6, 2023.

*Depending on the number of candidates registering for the exam, the Trial Court reserves the right to offer the exam on additional dates and/or at alternative locations if necessary. Registrants would be notified by email should this occur.

DESCRIPTION:

This examination is open to current Probation Officers (PO) and is held to comply with state law, which requires the passing of an exam to be eligible for the position of Assistant Chief Probation Officers (ACPO).Individuals who do not take and pass this examination will not be eligible for consideration for the position of ACPO until they take and pass another examination when it is offered in the future. The previous exam results will no longer be valid when this new exam is administered.

PRIOR EXAMS WILL NO LONGER BE VALID.

After December 2, 2023, the next written exam is planned to be administered in approximately 2 years.Any PO interested in becoming an ACPO within the next 2 years, is encouraged to register for this exam. The results of this exam will determine the candidates who are eligible to apply for these positions over this period.Current ACPOs do not need to take this exam in order to be considered for ACPO positions in other courts.

The examination will be divided into two sections.All candidates will be administered one section with multiple-choice job knowledge questions and one section of multiple-choice job skills and abilities questions.

A source list of the documents from which the content of the job knowledge questions will be drawn will be emailed to candidates along with a study guide by the Human Resources Department no later than October 9, 2023.

Passing the Massachusetts Probation Services Promotional Examination for the position of Assistant Chief Probation Officer alone does not guarantee that you will receive an interview. Persons who apply to a job posting for ACPO after passing this examination must also meet the eligibility minimum requirements for the job in order to be considered for appointment.

PLEASE REVIEW the position summary and position requirements below before you consider registering for this Probation Department Promotional Examination.

ASSISTANT CHIEF PROBATION OFFICER POSITION SUMMARY:

The Assistant Chief Probation Officer serves as a member of the probation management team under the direction of the Chief Probation Officer and where applicable, the First Assistant Chief Probation Officer. It is their responsibility to supervise probation staff and to ensure the implementation of best practices, compliance with the standards and policies of the Office of the Commissioner of Probation, the personnel policies and procedures promulgated by the Office of Court Management, collective bargaining agreements, and local office policies and procedures. The Assistant Chief is also responsible for delegating specific responsibilities to the probation staff, monitoring their work, and regularly updating the Chief Probation Officer on operational conditions and needs of the probation office. The Assistant Chief Probation Officer collaborates with First Justices, the Chief Probation Officer and other court officials as necessary and may serve as the department head as required in the absence of the Chief Probation Officer.

Assistant Chief Probation Officers, through consistent and effective supervision, and communicating both orally and in writing, positively contribute to probation officers efforts to reduce future client re-offending and increase positive outcomes in the dispute intervention process by providing their staff with feedback, support, training, and coaching on staff activities that have been correlated with achieving positive behavioral change.

ASSISTANT CHIEF PROBATION OFFICER MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Education and Experience:

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited educational institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation is required; a graduate degree in the behavioral sciences, education, administration, management, criminal justice, or law is preferred;

A minimum of years 3 (Three) years’ work experience as a Probation Officer, Senior Community Corrections Probation Officer, or higher position in Probation Services;

Applies for all ACPOs:

Ability to reviewvarious assessments, reports, and investigations to ensure compliance with Trial Court and Massachusetts Probation Services standards, policies and procedures;

Ability to apply knowledge of the collective bargaining agreement as it relates to probation officers;

Understands and applies the Trial Court’s Rules and Discipline Policies in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement and in consultation with the Chief Probation Officer;

Ability to use data to diagnose problems and drive enhancements and efficiencies in departmental operations;

Proficiency using personal computers and related software to develop data bases and systems to record and track projects;

Must have a background that demonstrates a history of regular professional development.

In order to comply with state law and be considered for appointment, those candidates who have passed this examination and who meet the minimum qualifications for the ACPO position shall be subject to behaviorally-based interviews and candidate assessments, including case study, presentation and writing assessments. More detailed information regarding this process will be provided at a later date.

ADDITIONAL EXAMINATION INFORMATION

Reasonable Exam Accommodations: If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation for the examination due to a documented impairment, you must register for the exam online and submit a completed Exam Accommodation Form, which is available at the Trial Court Employment Webpage at https://www.mass.gov/jobs-with-the-court-system. You must also submit a letter of support from a qualified professional detailing what type of reasonable accommodation you are requesting at the examination site.

Exam Accommodation Forms and supporting documentation must be faxed to the Trial Court Exams at (617) 742-0968 on or before October 6, 2023. Late Exam Accommodation Forms will not be accepted. This information is requested only to provide reasonable accommodation for examinations and will not be used for any other purposes.

Current Military Personnel: All military personnel who have military orders that indicate their unavailability due to military service on the examination date must register for the examination, pay the processing fee, and request a makeup examination in writing, with a copy of your military orders attached. Military related requests must be emailed to ex***@ju*.us or mailed to:

Office of Court Management
2 Center Plaza, Room 540 
Boston, MA 02108 
ATTN:Test Administration – Probation Department Promotional Exam

Please include with your request an email address, daytime base phone number and/or name and phone number of a friend or family member with whom you have regular contact and entrust with your personal communication. Note: Only candidates who have registered and submitted the processing fee for this examination by the October 6, 2023 registration deadline will qualify for a military makeup examination.

During the Trial Court review process or during the life of this candidate pool, candidates must make original supporting documentation related to requested exam accommodations and military orders available should the issue of authenticity arise with any submitted document copies.

No Makeup Examination: With the exception of current military personnel as described above, no candidate has a right to a makeup examination due to personal or professional conflicts on the testing date. Candidates are advised to consider this policy BEFORE applying for the examination.If you register and subsequently encounter a personal emergency or unanticipated hardship, you may request a makeup examination by filing a written request with verifiable documentation via email to ex***@ju*.us or via mail to:

Office of Court Management

Office of Court Management
2 Center Plaza, Room 540 
Boston, MA 02108 
ATTN:Test Administration – Probation Department Promotional Exam

Note: Previously scheduled vacation plans do not qualify as a personal emergency, unanticipated hardship, or grounds for a makeup examination.

Makeup examination requests must be received no later than seven (7) calendar days after the scheduled examination date.The Trial Court reserves the right to approve or deny a request and may require an additional examination processing fee upon approval of a request.

Identification at the Examination Site: At the examination site, registrants must present current and valid photo identification with signature (e.g., driver’s license, passport, military ID, Trial Court ID).

Change of Personal Information:Registrants are responsible for maintaining accurate contact information (e.g., address, email, phone number) with the Trial Court.Failure to keep your records up-to-date and to email them to ex***@ju*.us may jeopardize opportunities for employment.

Refunds:There will be NO REFUND of the examination processing fee unless the examination is cancelled by the Trial Court.

During the Trial Court review process or during the life of this candidate pool, candidates must make original supporting documentation related to requested exam accommodations and military orders available should the issue of authenticity arise with any submitted document copies.

Contact Information:

The Office of the Court Management is managing the examination process for this position. For more details or questions regarding this process please contact the Office of Court Management:

Business Hours: Monday through Friday, 8:30 am-5:00 pm, except holidays
Email: ex***@ju*.us
Telephone Number: 617-742-8575

Examination Registration and Payment Information:

All registrations must be received and accompanied by an examination-processing fee of $50 by 11:59p.m. on October 6, 2023. You will receive a confirmation email when you have completed the process. Your registration is not complete until you have received a confirmation email.

For information on a fee waiver, please send an email to ex***@ju*.us. Please note, fee waivers will only be granted for employees facing extreme financial hardship.

To register and pay the fee, scroll up on this page and click the “Add to cart” button. You can then click the “Checkout” button on the right-hand side of the screen. This will prompt you to enter your billing information, create an account, and enter your payment information. Finally, click the “Place order” button at the end of this page.

You will be redirected to a confirmation page which contains your order number. This order number will serve as your registration number throughout the examination process.

Persons who have successfully registered will later receive an email notification that includes important information about the date, time, location, and other general information for their examination. An orientation and preparation guide will also be emailed to all confirmed registrants at no additional cost. Please check the email address you registered with regularly for up-to-date information about the upcoming examination. Be sure to also check your junk/spam folder for emails.