Administrative Services Specialist

ANNOUNCEMENT NO: 2026-03

Full-time/Regular, Excepted Service

Location:

Roanoke, Virginia
Opening Date:
February 20, 2026
Closing Date:
March 9, 2026
Salary: $54,372 - $97,098 (CL 26/1 – CL 27/61)

Starting salary defaults to Step 1 but affords limited discretion for advanced in step appointments.

The Clerk’s Office for the Western District of Virginia seeks a detail‑oriented professional to administer the court’s Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Payment Program, ensuring compliance with 18 U.S.C. §3006A, and provide administrative and operational support for such matters as archives retrieval, property disposal, attorney admissions, and internal controls self‑assessments. The Clerk’s Office currently consists of 41 employees who support 10 judicial officers and their staff located in five divisions throughout the district (Abingdon, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, and Roanoke).

The position is stationed in the Roanoke office, with the option of remote work available for the right candidate. Travel, including overnight, within and outside the district may be required.

• Conducts legal and procedural compliance audits of all CJA vouchers submitted for payment, including research of CJA guidelines, court docket, and other sources as needed to make necessary determinations on changes/corrections, as applicable.
• Advises the court and the bar on CJA legal procedural issues and makes recommendations to judges on legality and reasonableness of payments and services.
• Enters data into the automated CJA payment system and properly maintains CJA payment records, ensuring accuracy and proper accounting processes.
• Serves as liaison between the bar, the court, the Circuit, the Administrative Office, and the Federal Public Defender’s Office (FPDO) regarding all CJA payment‑related matters.
• Keeps current with CJA guidelines and reference material and assists with updating judges, clerk’s office personnel, and CJA panel attorneys regarding changes, as applicable.
• Assists with management of CJA panels for multiple locations within the district. Participates in training CJA panel attorneys on voucher processing and payment.
• Maintains internal records and statistics regarding CJA payments and appointment activity for use by the clerk’s office, the court, the Administrative Office, and other parties. Provides training and support to personnel in the use of the CJA Payment Program and voucher processing.
• Serves as the district’s point of contact for archive inquiries and retrieval of records from the Federal Records Center (FRC).
• Serves as the disposal officer for managing excess property and compliance requirements, ensuring compliant reuse, transfer, donation, or sale.
• Assists with maintaining internal control processes and compliance requirements. Assists in conducting annual self‑assessments.
• Inputs new WDVA attorneys upon notification of admission, updating information and active/inactive status as necessary and editing duplicate data. Reviews certificates in good standing and registrations and verifies bar membership status. Distributes logins/passwords as appropriate. Processes acknowledgement letters to counsel as required, records and maintains disciplinary actions taken against WDVA attorneys, and maintains hard‑copy files as required.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

High school graduate or equivalent and at least one (1) year of specialized experience for appointment at a CL26 or at least two (2) years of specialized experience for appointment at a CL27 is required.

Specialized experience is progressively responsible clerical or administrative experience requiring the regular and recurring application of clerical procedures that demonstrate the ability to apply a body of rules, regulations, directives, or laws and involves the routine use of specialized terminology and automated software and equipment for word processing, data entry or report generation.

Clerical/administrative experience in the legal field or prior federal judiciary experience are preferred. The ideal candidate is a self‑directed, highly organized professional who is mature,…