Dictionary Definition
postmaster n : the person in charge of a post
office
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Noun
- the head of a post office
- the account name of the administrator of an electronic mail system
- a scholar at Merton College Oxford
Extensive Definition
Postmaster (or Postmistress) refers to the head
of an individual post office.
When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution
organization (usually sponsored by a national government), the
title of Postmaster
General is commonly used.
Responsibilities of a postmaster typically
include management of a centralized mail distribution facility,
establishment of letter
carrier routes, supervision of letter carriers and clerks, and
enforcement of the organization's rules and procedures.
The level of pay is based on deliveries and
revenue of the post office. Levels are from EAS (Executive and
Administrative Service) 11 through 26. Smaller part time post
offices are EP levels 51-55. Larger metropolitan post offices are
PCES (Postal Career Executive Service).
Many Postmasters are members of a management
organization which consults with USPS for compensation and policy.
The two management organizations are NAPUS (National Association of
Postmasters of the United States) http://www.napus.org which has
approximately 80% of Postmasters as members and The League of
Postmasters http://www.postmasters.org, which
is a smaller group. Some Postmasters are members of both
organizations.
Each post office facility has a Postmaster,
whether there are hundreds of employees or if there is just one
(the postmaster himself or herself).
In the United States, women have served as
postmasters since the Revolutionary War and even earlier, under
British rule. "Postmaster," regardless of the person's sex, has
always been the official title for this position.
See also
postmaster in German:
Postmeister