Bilingual Receptionist

Salary: Depends on Qualifications
Location : Houston, TX
Job Type: Regular Full-time
Job Number: 17250
Department: Public Defender's Office
Opening Date: 09/24/2026
Closing Date: 9/30/2026 11:59 PM Central
Max Number of Applicants: 100


Position Description
About the Harris County Public Defender's Office :

The Harris County Public Defender's Office is committed to providing high-quality, client-centered representation to individuals accused of criminal offenses who cannot afford counsel. Our office works collaboratively across legal and support teams to advocate for our clients, protect constitutional rights, and promote fairness within the legal system. We value professionalism, integrity, teamwork, and compassionate public service.
Position Description:
The Bilingual Receptionist serves as the first point of contact for clients, visitors, attorneys, court personnel, and community partners. This position is responsible for providing exceptional customer service, managing front desk operations, and ensuring efficient communication within the office. The ideal candidate is professional, organized, customer-focused, and able to communicate effectively in both English and Spanish while interacting with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including justice-involved populations and their families.
Duties and Responsibilities:

• Answer and manage a multi-line telephone system and direct calls promptly and accurately.
• Maintain confidentiality of privileged legal information, sensitive client records, and office operations.
• Ensure reception and common office areas remain organized, professional, and presentable.
• Maintain visitor logs, coordinate badge access, and follow office security procedures.
• Monitor office equipment and coordinate maintenance or repair requests when needed.
• Greet clients, visitors, and vendors in a professional, courteous, and welcoming manner.
• Order, organize, and maintain office supplies and coordinate inventory needs.
• Perform a daily inter-office pickup and deliveries to various county departments in Downtown complex.
• Report to work on time and present themselves in a professional manner and appearance at all times.
• Maintain confidentiality and professionalism when interacting with clients, including individuals involved in sensitive criminal defense matters.
• Manage incoming and outgoing mail, packages, and deliveries.
• Communicate effectively with clients, attorneys, court personnel, incarcerated clients, family members, and members of the public in both English and Spanish.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer


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This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements
Education and Experience:

• High School Diploma or G.E.D. equivalent from an accredited educational institution.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Bilingual English and Spanish (reading, writing, speaking) required.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, high level of accuracy, effective organizational and time management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams).
• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.
• Must be customer service oriented and possess excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Presents a positive demeanor, works well with the public and other staff.
• Ability to manage multiple calls, inquiries from courts, lawyers, clients (including those detained in jails and prisons), and clients' families.

NOTE : Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.
Preferences

• Associate degree preferred.
• Two (2) years of receptionist, administrative, or office support experience preferred.
• Familiarity with legal terminology or criminal justice environment.
• Experience working in a law office, government agency, court setting, or professional services environment.
• Experience supporting attorneys or legal support teams.
• Ability to manage difficult or emotionally sensitive client interactions with professionalism.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to prioritize competing tasks.

General Information
Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

• Regular Full-time
• Monday - Friday | 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

Work Environment and Physical Demands:

• This position operates in a professional legal office environment supporting attorneys and staff dedicated to criminal
  defense representation.
• The role requires frequent interaction with clients, legal professionals, court personnel, incarcerated clients, and internal administrative teams.
• This position may involve managing high call volumes, interacting with individuals experiencing stress or crisis, and handling sensitive and confidential information.
• Employees must maintain professionalism, discretion, and a client-centered approach in all interactions.

Salary:

• Starting: $54,500.00 Annually
• Depends on Qualifications
• Based on 26 pay periods

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

HARRIS COUNTY EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Harris County offers a highly competitive benefits program, featuring a comprehensive group health plan and defined benefit retirement plan.
The following benefits are offered only to Harris County employees in regular (full-time) positions:
Health & Wellness Benefits

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Wellness Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-Term Disability (LTD) Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account

Paid Time Off (PTO)

• Ten (10) days of vacation leave per year (accrual rate increases after 5 years of service)
• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays
• One (1) floating holiday per year
• Paid Parental Leave*
• Sick Leave

Retirement Savings Benefit

• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are available to Harris County employees in full-time and select part-time positions:

• Professional learning & development opportunities
• Retirement pension (TCDRS defined benefit plan)
• Flexible work schedule*
• METRO RideSponsor Program*

* Participation may vary by County department. The employee benefits plans of Harris County are extended to all eligible participants across various departments with the exception of the Harris County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, for which the cited Health & Wellness Benefits are administered through the State of Texas.
In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, group health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Harris County Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.
For plan details, visit the Harris County Benefits & Wellness website:
01


Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?

• High School or GED diploma
• Associates Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree or higher
• None of the above

02


Are you bilingual in English and Spanish (reading, writing, speaking)?

• Yes
• No

03


Do you have two (2) years of receptionist, administrative, or office support experience?

• Yes
• No

04


Do you have familiarity with legal terminology or criminal justice environment?

• Yes
• No

05


Do you have experience working in a law office, government agency, court setting, or professional services environment?

• Yes
• No

06


Do you have experience supporting attorneys or legal support teams?

• Yes
• No

07


Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions:Advanced:A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Intermediate:A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Basic:A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it.Entry Level:A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced
• Intermediate
• Basic
• Entry Level
• Not proficient

Required Question