U.S. Probation Officer

Overview of the Position U.S. Probation Officers serve in a judiciary law enforcement position and assist in the fair administration of justice. Incumbents promote community safety, gather information, supervise defendants/persons under supervision, interact with collateral agencies, prepare reports, conduct investigations, and present recommendations to the court. Regular travel is required as a duty function as well as occasional travel outside the district for on-going professional development and training.

Officers must be available to routinely work untraditional hours, including evening hours. This position may be in pre-sentence investigation or post-conviction supervision with the caveat that the incumbent could be moved to the other discipline, at the Chief’s discretion, based on district needs. Should there be interest, the candidate may be considered for a Probation Officer Assistant position.

Investigative Officer Duties
:
The incumbent conducts investigations and prepares reports for the court with of individuals convicted of federal offenses. The preparation of these reports requires interviewing offenders and their families, investigating the offense, prior record and financial status of the offender, and contacting law enforcement agencies, attorneys, victims of the crimes, schools, churches and civic organizations. An integral part of this process is the interpretation and application of the U.S. Sentencing Commission guidelines and relevant case law.

The incumbent testifies in court as to guideline applications and serves as a resource to the court to facilitate proper imposition of sentence.

Supervision Officer Duties
:
The incumbent supervises released offenders to maximize adherence to imposed conditions, reduce risk to the community and provide correctional treatment. This is accomplished through personal contact with offenders in office and community settings. Offenders’ employment, sources of income, lifestyle and associates are investigated to assess risk and measure compliance. Written reports of detected violations are prepared with appropriate court testimony and disposition recommendations.

Officer Assistant Duties
:
The incumbent develops and maintains an understanding of, and commitment to, the policies, procedures, mission, goals, and values of the probation office; assists officers in performing probation investigations of all types for own office and other districts (i.e. collateral, presentence, post sentence, etc.); visits to various local law enforcement and court agencies to collect record information for both presentence investigation reports and collateral investigations will be required;

collects and conducts urine tests to determine if offenders have been using alcohol and/or illicit drugs, and maintains appropriate records thereon.

Required Qualifications
:

Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field of academic study such as criminal justice, criminology, psychology, sociology, human relations, business or public administration. Unquestioned integrity and exemplary character. Less than 37 years old at time of appointment, unless previous federal law enforcement officer experience under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Applicants must possess a valid driver’s license.

The requirements listed above are not subject to substitutions.

Classification Level Requirements
:

To qualify for appointment at the CL 27, candidates must have two years of specialized experience or completion of the requirements for a master's degree from an accredited college or university. Promotional potential to CL 28 with no further competition.

Specialized Experience is defined as progressively responsible experience as a probation officer, pretrial services officer, or in such fields as parole, criminal investigations, or work in substance/addiction treatment. Experience as a police, custodial or security officer, other than criminal investigation experience, is not creditable. Also, graduate degrees and/or academic standing based on grade point average (overall 2.9 or better on a 4.0 scale or 3.5 or better…