Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer

United States Courts; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Paid sick leave

Federal holidays

Health insurance

Thrift Savings Plan

Job summary

United States Courts in the Southern District of New York seeks a Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer to lead the Pretrial Services Office, overseeing daily operations, budgets, training, and program development across Manhattan and White Plains facilities.

The role emphasizes evidence-based administration, staff development, and collaboration with the court and other criminal justice partners. The successful candidate will manage personnel, contracts, and performance metrics, ensure compliance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required and three years of specialized experience.
• Three years of substantial management experience post-bachelor’s degree.
• Strong organizational, leadership, and written/oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Organizes the pretrial services office to ensure expeditious handling of investigative work for the courts and effective supervision of persons on pretrial release.
• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets statutory, Judicial Conference, and Administrative Office requirements; promulgates policies and guidelines.
• Maintains administrative liaison with the court to meet unique needs and ensure service delivery.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

Specialized experience

Management experience

Leadership

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

Court Name/Organization New York Southern Pretrial Services

Overview of the Position The Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer is a Court Unit Executive (CUE) responsible for all aspects of the administration and operations of the U.S. Pretrial Services Office for the Southern District of New York. The Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer also serves as a vital member of the courthouse management team, comprised of the CUEs in the district, who collaborate and consult with the Chief Judge on Courthouse matters of mutual concern.The Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer has the ultimate leadership responsibility for U.S. Pretrial Services Office, overseeing the administration and management of the daily operations of the Pretrial Services Office for the Southern District of New York.The majority of the personnel and operations of the Pretrial Services Office are based in the District’s courthouses in Manhattan. The Chief is expected to maintain a substantial personal presence in the Manhattan location as well as appropriate personal presence in the Court’s White Plains location where substantial Pretrial Services operations are performed.This position is responsible for ensuring operations, budget and internal control processes and procedures comport with the Guide to Judiciary Policies and Procedures as well as local policies. The Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer is also responsible for sustaining a professional culture by promoting capable and independent leaders who are wholly committed to developing staff, serving the Court and to achieving the mission of the Southern District of New York U.S. Pretrial Services Office. The Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer is responsible for the oversight of the department’s wellness program to ensure officers, administrative support staff and managers have access to training and resources that support their physical and mental well-being. The Pretrial Services Office in the Southern District of New York is an evidence-based organization where work is approached through an empirical lens and policies are grounded in research that have measurable and positive outcomes for the community and for defendants in community correction or pretrial program. The Southern District of New York Pretrial Services Office is committed to providing excellence in service to the Court, inspiring positive change in justice-involved individuals, and protecting the community.

Representative duties of the Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer include, but are not limited to the following.

• Organizes the pretrial services office to ensure expeditious handling of investigative work for the courts and effective supervision of persons on pretrial release
• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets statutory, Judicial Conference, and Administrative Office requirements for the administration of pretrial services; promulgates policies, procedures, and guidelines to meet these requirements
• Maintains administrative liaison with the court of jurisdiction to include promulgating policies, procedures, and guidelines to meet the unique needs of the court along with standards to ensure an appropriate level of service delivery
• Appoints all pretrial services officers and non-officer personnel with the approval of the district court; responsible for all other personnel matters including promotions, salary increases, disciplinary actions, and dismissals; determines that all personnel are adequately trained; makes certain the work of all subordinates is systematically evaluated
• Manages the staff of the office including all clerical, professional, supervisory, and administrative personnel
• Makes estimates of personnel, space allocation, and operating allowance needs; approves requisitions, certifies vouchers for payment, and maintains appropriate fiscal controls in all matters pertaining to travel expenses and purchases of service, equipment, and supplies. Manages the pretrial services office’s decentralized funding allocation and advises the court of the adequacy of funds to support operations.
• Establishes and administers continuing in-service training programs to ensure high-quality service delivery through staff development
• Solicits contracts for carrying out the pretrial services functions
• Maintains an effective system of communication providing pertinent information at all levels; delegates decision-making responsibility at appropriate levels; provides qualitative and quantitative measures of work performance; and assures accountability in the performance of duty
• Maintains liaison with the chief judge, other district judges, and magistrate judges; makes specific recommendations regarding court-related criminal justice issues with particular emphasis on matters relating to sound pretrial release and detention practices
• Supports pretrial diversion programs operated in district
• Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with other pretrial services and probation offices to assure all requests for assistance from other districts are met promptly and effectively
• Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with all components of the criminal justice system to include federal, state, and local law enforcement, correctional, and social service agencies
• Effectuates and maintains conditions that encourage staff loyalty, enthusiasm, and morale
• Develops and maintains public relations program that explains pretrial services to the community; assumes responsibility for communication to the news media under the direction of the court
• Monitors community events and issues with special attention to mitigation of potentially hazardous office and field incidents
• Coordinates local agencies that may serve as third-party custodians of persons on pretrial release
• Advises the court on an ongoing basis of the eligibility, availability, and capacity of local agencies that may serve as third-party custodians of persons on pretrial release
• Establishes and maintains contact with public and private agencies that provide employment and medical, legal, or social services
• Develops, implements, and maintains a system to monitor and evaluate bail activities; provides information to the court on results of bail decisions; prepares periodic reports to assist in the improvement of the bail process
• Performs such other functions as required by the court

Qualifications

Mandatory Qualifications
To qualify for the position of Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer JSP 18, the applicant must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, three years of progressively responsible specialized experience, and three years of substantial management experience post bachelor's degree.

A successful candidate should be highly organized and professional. The incumbent should consistently exercise tact, good judgment, poise, initiative, and an exemplary work ethic. The ability to work harmoniously with people from diverse backgrounds, organizations, and the public, and to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, are required. The incumbent must be able to balance the demands of varying workload responsibilities and deadlines.

Specialized Experience
Progressively responsible experience in the investigation, supervision, counseling and guidance of offenders in community correction or pretrial programs is required. Experience in police officer, FBI agent, customs agent, marshal or similar positions, other than any criminal investigation experience, does not meet the requirements of specialized experience.

Substantial Management Experience
Substantial management experience is high-level administrative experience that provides a thorough understanding of the organizational, procedural and human aspects of managing an organization. Such experience typically includes financial management, space and facilities management, oversight of the information technology and human resources functions, and long and short-range planning. Possible titles indicative of this experience outside the judiciary would include president or vice president in charge of several departments or offices, director or assistant director in charge of several departments or offices, or head manager or owner-operator of a medium to large company. Possible titles within the judiciary would include any of the court unit executive or type II second-in-command titles, assistant deputy chief probation officer or assistant deputy chief pretrial services officer.

Preferred Qualifications
A master’s degree in a related field such as social sciences or management is preferred. Experience with managerial oversight and working knowledge of various administrative functions such as budget, procurement, human resources, information technology, and financial reviews is also preferred.

Position Requirements
This is an executive, high‐sensitive position within the Judiciary that is subject to a mandatory background check. A high-sensitive background investigation with law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint and criminal record checks, will be conducted as a condition of employment. Any applicant selected for the position will be hired provisionally pending successful completion of the background investigation. Unsatisfactory results may result in termination of employment.

The Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer position is a secondary law enforcement officer (LEO) position. There is no “maximum entry age” for this position if the selectee is not covered by the LEO retirement provisions. However, to be included under federal LEO retirement provisions, an individual would have to meet “maximum entry age” provisions as follows: First time appointees to positions covered under law enforcement officer retirement provisions must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of appointment.

For an applicant with LEO experience under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and who has a subsequent break in service or intervening service in a non-law enforcement officer position, the maximum entry age is increased by adding the number of years of previous law enforcement experience to 37. As an example, for a candidate with five years of creditable previous law enforcement experience, the maximum entry age would be 42. To qualify for coverage under the law enforcement provision of the federal retirement system, there are mandatory retirement requirements that apply.

This position requires travel. If the government vehicle is not available, the Chief U.S. Pretrial Services Officer must use a personal vehicle for official travel purposes (with mileage reimbursement).

Employee Benefits

• During the first three years of full-time employment, employees receive 13 days of paid vacation. Thereafter, between 20 and 26 days of paid vacation are provided, depending upon the length of federal service.
• Employees receive 13 days of paid sick leave (unlimited accumulation) and twelve paid federal holidays a year
• Eligible for medical coverage with pre-tax employee premiums and flexible benefits program for health care, dependent care, and commuter/parking expenses
• Eligible for Group Life Insurance, Long Term Disability, and Long-Term Care coverage
• Participation in the Thrift Savings Plan (similar to 401K plan) with employer matching contributions
• Participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System
• Creditable service time in other federal agencies or the military will be added to judiciary employment

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or eligible to work for the U.S. Government. This position is subject to mandatory favorable background checks. The successful candidate for this position will be subject to ongoing random drug screening, updated background investigations every five years and/or, as deemed necessary by the Chief Judge of the District for reasonable cause, subject to subsequent fitness-for duty evaluations.

This position is subject to mandatory electronic funds transfer for payment of net pay.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, without prior written or other notice