Court Director of Information Technology (Open and Promotional)

Description

The Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo is seeking highly qualified candidates for the position of Court Information Technology Director.

Located in Redwood City, at the heart of Silicon Valley, the San Mateo Superior Court offers the best of both worlds-a mission-driven organization that values innovation, integrity, and impact.

The Court Director of Information Technology position provides an exceptional opportunity for an IT professional to help advance the Court's mission "to provide equal access to justice that is impartial and strive to maintain public trust and confidence in the San Mateo County Superior Court."

Working as part of the six-member court executive team, the Court Director of Information Technology (Director) will play a key role in shaping how justice is delivered in one of California's most forward-thinking and community-centered courts.

The Director is responsible for strategic planning, leadership, and oversight of all technology functions within the Court. This role ensures that technology systems effectively support judicial operations, administrative functions, public access, and security requirements. The Director provides executive-level guidance, manages technology resources, and ensures compliance with state and local policies, cybersecurity standards, and court technology initiatives.

Receiving general direction from the Court Executive Officer, the Director exercises direct and indirect supervision over lower level managerial, professional, and technical personnel. Currently, the Court IT staff includes the Director, two Court IT Managers over Infrastructure and Business Applications, one Senior Business Operations/Automation Analyst, two Court Operations Business Analysts, one Court Application Developer, one Senior IT Analyst, five IT Analysts, one Senior IT Tech, and one IT Tech.

A candidate with court experience is preferred, however, this is an ideal opportunity for a strategic leader to bring their directorship experience to a fast-paced, professional organization committed to the vision of being a model court for accessibility, judicial excellence, collaboration, customer service, and innovation.

Examples Of Duties

The Court Information Technology Director will have the opportunity to lead in the following critical areas:

Leadership & Strategic Planning

• Works with Court executive leadership to develop and implement the Court's multi-year IT strategic plan aligned with judicial and administrative goals.
• Provides leadership and direction to IT staff, including hiring, training, performance management, and professional development.
• Advises Court Executive Leadership and judicial officers on technology trends, opportunities, and risks.
• Oversees IT governance, budgeting, and long-term resource planning.

Technology Operations & Infrastructure

• Directs the design, implementation, and maintenance of Court IT infrastructure, including servers, networks, storage, and cloud services.
• Ensures the availability, reliability, and performance of critical court systems, such as case management systems, jury systems, e-filing, and financial systems.
• Oversees help desk operations and end-user support for judicial officers, staff, and courtroom technology.

Cybersecurity & Risk Management

• Develops and enforces IT security policies, disaster recovery plans, and business continuity strategies.
• Ensures compliance with state cybersecurity standards and court technology mandates.
• Coordinates incident response, vulnerability management, and system monitoring.
• Conducts risk assessments and mitigation planning.

Systems Administration & Application Management

• Oversees installation, configuration, and maintenance of applications used by the Court, including upgrades, patch management, and vendor-supported systems.
• Evaluates emerging technologies and manages implementation projects.
• Ensures data integrity, backups, retention, and recovery procedures.

Project & Vendor Management

• Plans and manages large-scale technology projects, including system migrations, network upgrades, and new application deployments.
• Coordinates with external vendors, county/state IT departments, and the Judicial Council on system integrations and shared technology services.
• Reviews and negotiates contracts, service agreements, and licensing.

Courtroom & Public Facing Technology

• Oversees courtroom audiovisual systems, recording systems, teleconferencing, remote-appearance platforms, and evidence presentation technology.
• Ensures reliable public access to online services (e-filing, online payments, calendars, jury portals).

Policy, Compliance, and Documentation

• Develops IT policies, standards, procedures, and internal controls.
• Ensures compliance with Judicial Council rules, local administrative orders, and applicable laws.
• Prepares reports, technology assessments, budget documents, and presentations for executive leadership or the bench.

Budget & Administrative Management

• Develops and manages the Court's technology budget, including operational costs, capital projects, and grants.
• Oversees procurement of hardware, software, and services in compliance with Court and government purchasing guidelines.
• Ensures cost-effective and efficient allocation of IT resources.

The Ideal Candidate will be:

• A passionate leader committed to supporting the mission of Superior Court of California in San Mateo County to provide justice to all court users.
• A visionary who sees where our organization can capitalize on opportunities for growth and development and work with other executive leaders to solve problems and reimagine work by enabling technologies to provide the best experience for system users.
• An informed technologist with extensive experience in information systems who can develop a multi-year roadmap to match changes in the business of court operations.
• A persuasive collaborator who can bring together internal and external stakeholders to align needs with investments in technology.
• A systemic thinker who can build bridges between the current environment and the future state of our technology footprint to best serve the judiciary, our clients, and our employees.
• An accomplished project manager with a proven track record in leading staff through technology transformation projects.
• An experienced, respected, and thoughtful manager who is committed to developing the skills and capabilities court staff and creating an environment of high performance.
• At least four years of increasingly responsible experience performing duties related to information services systems and technology implementation and management in a large, complex organization, with a preference of at least two years of experience in an executive level administrative or management leadership position.

Qualifications

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to qualify is:

• Education: Equivalent to a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in information sciences, business, criminal justice, public administration, or any related disciplines.
• Experience: Four years of increasingly responsible experience performing duties related to information services management in a large, complex agency including two years of experience in a senior level administrative or management position. Experience in a Court environment is strongly preferred.
• Any combination of education and experience that demonstrates the ability to perform.

Benefits:

The Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to attract and retain top talent. We are proud to provide exceptional benefits that promote work-life balance, wellness, and financial security:

• Compensatory time accrued at 5 hours per bi-weekly pay period, which may be used for additional time off or eligible for yearly cashed out.
• Fully paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families.
• San Mateo County administers benefits for the Superior Court and offers a variety of plan options. Please visit the Benefits At-A-Glance page on the County's website for a summary of available benefit packages.
• Wellness and professional development programs designed to support your personal and professional growth. Most opportunities are offered during work hours and at no cost to you.
• Participation in the federal Social Security system, providing valuable retirement benefits based on your salary and years of service.
• CalPERS pension plan with optional deferred compensation programs for additional retirement savings.
• Generous leave programs including vacation, sick leave, and 14 paid holidays per year.
• Participation in Social Security and the CalPERS pension system, with optional deferred compensation programs.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Longevity pay.

Application/Examination

This is an Open & Promotional recruitment. Anyone may apply. Current employees of the Superior Court of California in the County of San Mateo with at least six months (1040 hours) of continuous service in a classified regular, probationary, or extra-help/limited term position prior to the final filing date will receive five points added to their final passing score.

The examination process will consist of an application screening (pass/fail) based on the candidate's application and responses to the supplemental questions. Candidates who pass the application screening will be invited to a panel interview (weight: 100%).

Depending on the number of applicants, an application appraisal of education and experience may be used in place of other examinations, or further evaluation of work experience may be conducted to group applicants by level of qualification. Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications are not guaranteed advancement through any subsequent phase of the examination. All examinations will be given in San Mateo County, California, and applicants must participate at their own expense.

IMPORTANT: Applications for this position will only be accepted online through the County of San Mateo application portal. If you are currently on the County's website, you may click the "Apply" button. If you are not on the County's website, please go to https://jobs.smcgov.org/ to apply.

The following materials must be submitted:

• County of San Mateo Employment Application Form
• Resume
• Cover Letter expressing your interest in the position and providing responses to these four supplemental questions/subject areas (no more than three pages:

1. Vision: Consider your current or previous place of employment. Describe how you developed the overall vision of the Information Technology (IT) division in that organization. Then, based on the research you have done regarding the Superior Court of California in San Mateo County, describe your overall vision for an Information Technology (IT) division within a Superior Court. How do you envision the IT division supporting judicial officers, court staff, justice partners, and the public?

1. Presentation: Describe your experience working with governance bodies (e.g., executive committees, judicial councils, executive leadership, or other decision-making bodies). Provide an example from your work history when you presented complex technical issues to non-technical stakeholders? Include the name of the organization and your role there.

1. Leadership/development: Explain how you have assessed the skills and structure of an existing IT organization. Thinking about the IT team from a specific organization, what were strengths and areas for improvement? What steps did you take in your first year to strengthen the team? Please include the name of the organization.

1. Planning: Imagine the court is experiencing increasing demand for digital services while facing staffing and budget limitations. Outline the steps you would take, or similar steps taken in the past to stabilize operations, plan for modernization, and communicate priorities to leadership.

Tentative Recruitment Schedule

• Final Filing Date: February 11, 2026, at 11:59 PM
• Application Screening: February 18-19, 2026
• Panel Interviews: March 2 and/or 3, 2026, or March 9 and/or 10, 2026
• Finalist Interviews: Week of March 9, 2026, or week of March 16, 2026

About San Mateo County

San Mateo County is centrally located between San Francisco, San Jose, and the East Bay. With over 750,000 residents, San Mateo is one of the largest and most diverse counties in California and serves a multitude of culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities.

The Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, as an employer, is committed to advancing equity to ensure that all employees are welcomed in a safe and inclusive environment. The Court seeks to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community. We encourage applicants with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply. Eighty percent of employees surveyed stated that they would recommend the County as a great place to work.

The Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo is an equal opportunity employer. We seek to hire, support, and retain employees who reflect our diverse community.

If you have questions regarding this position or the recruitment, please email Chet Overstreet at coverstreet@smcgov.org.

(The Human Resources Department of the County of San Mateo is facilitating this recruitment for the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo.)

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• County of San Mateo Human Resources Department

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