U.S. Probation Officer

United States Courts; Fresno (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation and sick leave

Health/dental/vision insurance

Retirement – TSP

Job summary

The U.S. Probation Office for the Eastern District of California in Fresno is recruiting a U.S. Probation Officer.

This federal judiciary role involves investigations, preparing reports, supervising offenders, testifying in court, and coordinating with law enforcement and service providers to promote community safety. Minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree and either two years of specialized experience or a relevant advanced degree.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university provides the capacity to understand and apply legal requirements and human relations skills.
• CL 27: Two years of specialized experience or master’s degree or JD.
• CL 28: Two years of specialized experience.
• Current U.S. Probation Officer experience is preferred and high performance is expected.
• Specialized experience in probation, pretrial services, parole, corrections, or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Conduct investigations and prepare reports assessing offenders’ ability to pay fines, restitution, and supervision requirements.
• Interviews offenders and families, researches offenses and finances, and liaises with law enforcement, attorneys, and community organizations.
• Testify in court regarding guideline applications and assist the court in sentencing decisions.
• Develop supervision plans for offenders, maintain case records, and monitor compliance with conditions.

Skills

Investigative interviewing

Report writing

Evidence-Based Practices

Court testimony

Education

Bachelor's degree in a field related to law or human relations

Master’s degree in a related field

Juris Doctor (JD) degree

Job description

Overview of the Position The U.S. Probation Office for the Eastern District of California is currently recruiting for a U.S. Probation Officer in Fresno. By statute, probation officers serve in a judiciary law enforcement position and assist in the administration of justice and promote community safety, gather information, supervise persons under supervision/defendants, interact with collateral agencies, prepare reports, conduct investigations and present recommendations to the court. U.S. Probation Officers in the Eastern District of California are committed to enhancing community supervision programs that focus on Evidence-Based Practices (EBP). Candidates will find the U.S. Probation Office in the Eastern District of California is a great place to launch or continue a career with the federal court system. We offer a stable, positive, and professional work environment, a competitive salary range and full federal benefits. Our agency is currently comprised of 75 staff members and our district headquarters is located in Sacramento with a divisional office in Fresno. There are currently offices in Sacramento, Fresno, Roseville, Redding, Modesto, Visalia, and Bakersfield. Geographically, the Eastern District of California includes 34 counties in the central valley from the Oregon border to Bakersfield.

Investigative Duties: The incumbent conducts investigations and prepares reports assessing convicted individual’s ability to pay fines, restitution, cost of prosecution, incarceration, and supervision. 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 including identifying various variance criteria.

Post-Conviction Duties: The incumbent develops a supervision plan for offenders, maintains case records, and maintains personal contact with offenders to ensure adherence to court-imposed conditions and required correctional treatment. Incumbent will also coordinate, monitor, and verify offenders’ activities with substance abuse facilities, counselors, shelters, and/or employment facilities. Selected candidate will also monitor offenders’ sources of income, lifestyle, and associates to assess risk and compliance, detect and investigate violations, report violations to the court, and implement appropriate alternatives or sanctions.

A copy of the complete position description for CL 27 U.S. Probation Officer and CL 28 U.S. Probation Officer are available on our website .

Qualifications

To qualify for the position of U.S. Probation Officer at CL 27 or CL 28, the applicant must be a college graduate with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field of academic study which provides evidence of the capacity to understand and apply the legal requirements and human relations skills involved in the position and is required for all probation officer positions.

CL 27: Two years of specialized experience or completion of a master’s degree in a field of study closely related to the position, or a Juris Doctor (JD) degree.

CL 28: Two years of specialized experience.

General Experience

Current U.S. Probation Officer experience is preferred. The candidate must have demonstrated and sustained exceptional performance.

Specialized Experience

Progressively responsible experience, gained after completion of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, in such fields as probation, pretrial services, parole, corrections, criminal investigations, or work in substance/addiction treatment, public administration, human relations, social work, psychology, or mental health. Experience as a police, custodial, or security officer, other than any criminal investigative experience, is not considered specialized experience. Also, any volunteer or unpaid internship experience obtained prior to the completion of a bachelor’s degree is not considered specialized experience.

Employee Benefits

U.S. Probation Officers are Judicial Branch employees and are not covered by Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations. They are, however, entitled to the same benefits as other Federal employees. Some of these benefits are:

• Up to 13 days paid vacation per year for the first three years of employment; up to 20 days per year until the 15th year of service; thereafter, 26 days per year.Sick leave earned at four hours per pay period (13 days per year).
• Participation in the Federal Law Enforcement Hazardous Duty Retirement Program and in a tax-deferred Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) - similar to a 401(k) plan.
• Voluntary participation in a Federal health, dental, and vision insurance program.
• Voluntary participation in the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program.
• Up to 11 paid holidays per year.
• Optional enrollment in the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP), Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), and commuter benefits program.
• Time-in-service with other Federal agencies and prior military service will be taken into consideration in computing employee benefits.

Physical Requirements and Maximum Entry Age

The duties of probation officers require the investigation and management of alleged criminal offenders or convicted offenders who present physical danger to officers and to the public. In the supervision, treatment, and control of these offenders, these duties require moderate to arduous physical exercise, including prolonged periods of walking and standing, physical dexterity and coordination necessary for officer safety, and use of self-defense tactics. On a daily basis, these officers face unusual mental and physical stress because they are subject to danger and possible harm during frequent, direct contact with individuals who are suspected or convicted of committing Federal offenses.

Because officers must effectively deal with physical attacks and are subject to moderate to arduous physical exertion, applicants must be physically capable. Officers must possess, with or without corrective lenses, good distance vision in at least one eye and the ability to read normal size print. Normal hearing ability, with or without a hearing aid, is also required. Any severe health problems, such as physical defects, disease, and deformities that constitute employment hazards to the applicant or others, may disqualify an applicant. Examples of health problems that may be disqualifying are an untreated hernia, cardiovascular disorders, serious deformities or disabilities of the extremities, mental health disorders, fainting and/or seizure disorders, metabolic disorders, bleeding disorders, pulmonary disorders, and marked speech abnormalities.

First-time appointees to positions covered under law enforcement officer retirement provisions must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of appointment. Applicants 37 or over who have previous law enforcement officer experience under the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees' Retirement System and who have either a subsequent break in service or intervening service in a non-law enforcement officer position may have their previous law enforcement experience subtracted from their age to determine whether they meet the maximum age requirement.

Security Investigations

Applicants considered for this position must undergo a full Office of Personnel Management (OPM) background investigation, as well as a local background investigation.

Medical Examinations

Prior to appointment, the selectee considered for this position will undergo a medical examination and drug screening. Upon successful completion of the medical examination and drug screening, the selectee may then be appointed provisionally, pending a favorable suitability determination by the court. In addition, as conditions of employment, incumbent will be subject to ongoing random drug screening, updated background investigations every five years and, as deemed necessary by management for reasonable cause, may be subject to subsequent fitness-for-duty evaluations.

The medical requirements and the essential job functions derived from the medical guidelines for probation officers, pretrial services officers and officer assistants are available for public review .

Training Requirements

During their first year of duty, probation officers receive extensive local training and must also successfully complete a six-week national training program at the Federal Probation and Pretrial Services Academy (FPPA) in Charleston, South Carolina.

Applicants must be citizens of the United States or eligible to work in the United States. To review citizenship requirements for employment in the Judiciary, please visit the U.S. Courts website .

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.