U.S. Probation Officer

United States Courts; Lafayette (LA); On-site; USD 51,000 - 116,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division, is seeking a U.S. Probation Officer. This permanent position may start at CL 25 with potential promotions to CL 27/28.

Salary ranges from $51,419 to $116,394 and requires a bachelor’s degree and post-degree specialized experience. Primary duties include conducting presentence investigations, compiling and analyzing information, and developing supervision plans. Applicants must be U.S.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in a field that supports legal requirements and human relations skills.
• Specialized experience post-degree requested, with levels corresponding to CL 25/27/28.
• Applicants must be physically capable and meet health and age requirements.

Responsibilities

• Conducts presentence investigations and analyzes information from investigations.
• Identifies sentencing and community treatment options and makes recommendations to the court.
• Formulates recommendations and participates in presentence conferences with the court.
• Conducts violation investigations and prepares reports for court, Parole Commission, and authorities.
• Maintains supervision plans and conducts counseling and referrals to social services or mental health agencies.
• Maintains case records and participates in ongoing training and community activities.

Skills

Thorough investigations

Multitasking

Computer skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree (criminal justice, criminology, psychology, sociology, human relations, business, or public administration)

Job description

Court Name/Organization Louisiana Western Probation and Pretrial Services

Overview of the Position The Probation and Pretrial Services Office of the U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana, is accepting applications for the position of U.S. Probation Officer for our Lafayette, Louisiana office. This position is open to all qualified individuals. If the selected candidate starts this position as classification level CL 25, the candidate may later be promoted to CL 27 and/or 28 without further competition. If the selected candidate starts this position as classification level CL 27, the candidate may later be promoted to CL 28 without further competition.

Location Lafayette, LA

Opening and Closing Dates 11/12/2026 - Open Until Filled

Appointment Type Permanent

Classification Level/Grade CL 25/01 - CL 28/61

Salary $51,419 - $116,394

Announcement Number 27-0001

Position Description

A U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer performs a variety of duties and responsibilities that include, but are not limited to the following:

• Conducts presentence investigations on defendants, which requires specialized investigative skills.
• Compiles, analyzes, and evaluates information from investigations.
• Identifies and develops appropriate sentencing and community treatment alternatives and makes recommendations to the court.
• Formulates specific recommendations and participates in presentence conferences with the court, requiring comprehensive knowledge of all relevant laws, sentencing guidelines, and post-sentence procedures.
• Conducts violation investigations, prepares reports and makes recommendations to the court, U.S. Parole Commission, and military authorities on offenders who are alleged to have violated the conditions of their supervision.
• Conducts other investigations as required by the court, the U.S. Parole Commission, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and military parole authorities.
• Enforces conditions imposed by the court and the Parole Commission, develops supervision and treatment plans to include identification of individual problems and community safety requirements, and establishes specific objectives to address those problems and requirements.
• Supervises offenders, which requires routine travel (some at non-traditional hours) to remote rural areas and inner-city neighborhoods; develops, evaluates, and implements supervision plans; provides individual or group counseling, and makes referrals to social service or mental health agencies; arranges community service, and maintains regular contact with offenders to insure progress and compliance.
• Maintains case records as required by statute, the court, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, and the Chief Probation Officer, documenting significant behavior of offenders, events, and officer/offender interaction.
• Participates in and contributes to ongoing training programs and remains informed of new developments and techniques in the correctional field.
• Complies with established training and safety standards for carrying of firearms, if authorized by the court.
• Makes public presentations concerning probation and pre-trial, and, participates in appropriate community activities as a representative of the court, the arole Commission, and the U.S. Probation System.
• Performs pretrial duties as may be required.

This list is intended to reflect typical duties and does not include all duties or special work assignments.

Qualifications

Personal Characteristics:

To qualify for this position, a person must also demonstrate that he/she possesses:

• Unquestioned integrity.
• Ability to exercise initiative in handling problems encountered while performing assigned duties.
• Maturity of judgment; and
• Ability to conduct thorough investigations and make sound evaluations and recommendations.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Completion of 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, which provides evidence of the capacity to understand and apply the legal requirements and human relations skills involved in the work of the position, is required for all Probation Officer positions.
• The following years of specialized experience, which is earned after the bachelor’s degree is conferred.
• CL 25 - One year of specialized experience at the CL 23 level.
• CL 27 - Two years of specialized experience, including at least oneyear equivalent to workat the CL 25 level.
• CL 28 - Two years of specialized experience, including at least oneyear equivalent to work at the CL 27 level.
• Applicants must be physically capable, have good vision, and normal hearing ability. First-time appointees to federal hazardous duty must not have reached their 37th birthday prior to entrance on duty. Applicants 37 or older with previous hazardous duty experience under the U.S. Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees’ Retirement System may be eligible for appointment.

A degree which relies primarily upon credit for life experience, rather than academic course work, will neither qualify nor substitute for the required education or experience.

General Experience

Physical Requirement and Maximum Entry Age:

The duties of a U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer 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 case management of these offenders moderate to arduous physical exercise, prolonged periods of walking and standing, physical dexterity, and use of self-defense tactics may be required. Daily, 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 that constitute employment hazards to the applicant or others may disqualify an applicant. Examples of health problems that may be disqualifying are hernia (with or without truss), organic heart disease (whether compensated or not), severe varicose veins, serious deformities or disabilities of the extremities, mental or nervous disease, chronic constitutional disease, and marked speech abnormalities.

The medical requirements and the essential job functions derived from the medical guidelines for Probation and Pretrial Officers, and Officer assistants are available for public review.

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 who are age 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. Retirement is mandatory at age 57.

Specialized Experience

• Specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible experience in the investigation, counseling, and guidance of offenders in community correction or pretrial programs.
• Experience in closely allied fields, such as education guidance counselor, social worker, caseworker, psychologist, substance abuse treatment specialist, and correction researcher, may constitute a portion of the specialized experience.
• Experience as a Correctional Officer, Police Officer, FBI Agent, Customs Agent, Marshal, or other similar position does not meet the requirement of specialized experience.
• Specialized experience must be earned after the Bachelor’s Degree is conferred in order to be qualified. Completion of one academic year of study in one of the social sciences may be substituted for one year of specialized experience.

Preferred Skills:

• Proficient typing, word-processing, and computer skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously

Employee Benefits

The Judiciary offers multiple insurance programs to provide peace of mind for you and your loved ones.Please visit our website to learn more.This position is subject to mandatory electronic fund transfer (direct deposit) for payment of net earnings.

All employees are required to use Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) for payroll deposit. The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office offers a competitive salary and an excellent fringe benefit package.

The court requires employees to adhere to a Code of Conduct which is available upon request. The candidate must be a U.S. citizen or eligible to work in the United States.

Background Investigation, Drug Screening, and Medical Standards

A background investigation is required for any applicant selected for this position prior to permanent appointment. Applicants considered for this position will undergo a records and reference check by the U.S. Probation Office, a complete background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management, and pre-employment drug screening. Also, prior to appointment, the selectee will undergo a medical examination. Upon successful completion of the Probation Office investigation, 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, the incumbent will be subject to on-going random drug screening, updated background investigation every five years and, as deemed necessary by management for reasonable cause, may be subject to subsequent fitness-for-duty evaluations.

Additional Information

Due to the volume of applications which may be received, the U.S. Probation Office will contact only the most qualified applicants, who will be invited to one or more personal interview(s). Applicants selected for an interview will be required to travel to the designated location at their own expense. The U.S. Probation Office is not authorized to reimburse applicants for travel and/or relocation expenses. Applicants progressing beyond the initial interview phase may be tested for eligibility.

The U.S. Probation Office has the right to modify the conditions of the vacancy announcement, withdraw the announcement, or fill the position at any time, any of which may occur without prior written notice. Multiple vacancies may be filled from this announcement. Preference will be given to applications received on and before Dec. 11, 2026.

The U.S. Probation Office provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please notify human resources at: [e-mail] . The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be made on a case‑by‑case basis.

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.