What are the responsibilities and job description for the Probation Officer Assistant position at US District Court - District of Minnesota?
Salary : $52,208.00 - $84,860.00 Annually
Location : St Paul or Minneapolis, MN
Job Type : Full-Time
Job Number : 2024-10
Department : Probation & Pretrial Services
Opening Date : 12 / 31 / 2024
Position Overview
U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services in the District of Minnesota has its headquarters in the U.S. Courthouse located at 300 South Fourth Street, Suite 406, Minneapolis, Minnesota. There are field offices located in Bemidji, Duluth, Fergus Falls, Rochester, and St. Paul. The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office serves the Judicial District of Minnesota, which includes 87 counties.
The Probation Officer Assistant serves in a judiciary law enforcement position; under the direction and guidance of a supervisor, provides technical support and assistance to U.S. Probation / Pretrial Services Officers in a wide range of areas, including assisting with compiling information for investigations; assisting with and supervising defendants and / or offenders; preparing and drafting reports and correspondence; and similar duties.
This position is considered hazardous duty, which requires irregular work hours to include nights, weekends, and holidays. The incumbent will also be expected to travel to field offices.
CL-25 : $52,208-$84,860
2024 CPS Pay Table Minneapolis-St. Paul)
This vacancy announcement is based on budget availability, and more than one position may be hired from this announcement. This vacancy announcement is open until filled. Preference will be given to complete applications submitted by 5 : 00 p.m. CST on January 21, 2025.
Representative Duties
- Under the guidance and direction of a (Supervisory) U.S. Probation Officer, supervise selected caseloads of low-risk defendants and / or offenders, requiring contact by telephone, in the office, and in the field. Conduct selected investigations as needed for pre-release / furlough, pre-sentencing, and bail reports; draft and submit selected reports. Observe and report to supervisors on the lifestyle, personal problems, and needs of offenders / defendants. Maintain case files and records, as well as detailed chronological records of activity.
- Assist officers with presentence investigations to include : compiling criminal histories / profiles, running record checks through local and national databases and files, conducting inquiries with collateral agencies, and similar activities. Visit or contact various local, state, and national law enforcement and regulatory agencies to collect and record information. Provide officers with verifiable and supportable documentation to assist in completion of pretrial and probation reports. Assist in the development of community resources to meet the needs of offenders / defendants.
- Under the guidance and direction of a (Supervisory) U.S. Probation Officer, respond to judicial officers' requests for information and occasionally testify in court, accompanied by an officer, regarding the basis for factual findings, and if applicable, guideline applications.
- Conduct collateral investigations and draft and submit collateral reports, which may entail making telephone, office, and / or field contacts. Perform recordkeeping.
- Schedule and conduct urinalysis tests of offenders / defendants of the same gender, following established procedures and protocols. Maintain paper and computerized records of test results. Inform officers on test results. Maintain and mail or transport tests and materials to laboratories for confirmation. Maintain chain of custody of urinalysis testing materials. Maintain inventory of supplies. Enter data and information into the office's computerized database system. Testify, as necessary, before the Court or Parole Commission.
- If bilingual or multilingual, assist officers and non-English speaking offenders, family members, and witnesses in translating speech, documents, and correspondence, as required.
- Operate various criminal justice, law enforcement, and probation automated systems.
- Participate in ongoing training and development programs to remain abreast of advanced techniques.
- Perform other appropriate duties as assigned.
Position Requirements And Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
To qualify for the position of Probation Officer Assistant, applicants must be a high school graduate or equivalent. Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE
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 involve the routine use of specialized terminology and automated software and equipment for word processing, data entry or report generation. Such experience is commonly encountered in law firms, legal counsel offices, banking and credit firms, educational institutions, social service organizations, insurance companies, real estate and title offices, and corporate headquarters or human resources / payroll operations.
EDUCATIONAL SUBSTITUTION
Education may not be substituted for specialized experience because operational court support positions require hands-on experience to be credited as specialized experience.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS (COURT PREFERRED SKILLS)
The ideal candidate may also possess the following preferred skills :
MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS
Probation Officer Assistants must meet the medical requirements for law enforcement officer positions.
Prior to appointment, the selected candidate must undergo a medical examination and drug screening. Upon successful completion, the candidate may then be appointed provisionally, pending a favorable suitability determination by the Court.
Probation Officer Assistants 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 the candidate.
MAXIMUM ENTRY AGE REQUIREMENTS
Probation Officer Assistants must also meet the maximum age requirements for law enforcement officer positions.
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 years of age or older 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 officer experience subtracted from their age to determine whether they meet the maximum age requirement.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEMANDS
Work is generally performed in an office setting and may also be performed in the community. Work requires contact with persons who may have violent backgrounds. These contacts may be made in both generally controlled office settings, as well as in field situations (such as uncontrolled and unsafe neighborhoods, or environments where illegal activities and violence may occur). The incumbent may be accompanied by a probation officer while conducting duties in the field.
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT
Applicants selected for interviews will be required to participate in job-related screening as part of the screening process. Prior to appointment, the selected candidate must undergo a local records check, check of financial and credit records, full OPM background investigation, fingerprinting, medical examination, and drug screening.
The selected candidate 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.
This position is considered hazardous duty, which will require irregular work hours to include nights, weekends, and holidays. This position will also require travel to field offices.
The mandatory separation age for positions covered under law enforcement retirement is 57, with 20 years of service (5 U.S.C. §§ 8335(b), 8425(b)).
Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States.
The U.S. District Court requires employees to adhere to a Code of Conduct Policy. This position is also subject to mandatory Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) for payroll deposit.
Supplemental Information
APPLICATION INFORMATION AND PROCESS
This is an ONGOING RECRUITMENT for our Minneapolis or St. Paul office, which is based on budget availability . More than one position may be hired from this announcement.
Qualified applicants can apply for employment via our job portal () by uploading the following :
o A summary of continued educational coursework taken, educational efforts or other steps taken to prepare the applicant for this role as outlined in the vacancy announcement; and
o Information on how the applicant has used technology to streamline and / or improve a process.
Only submissions containing all of the required documents listed above will be considered for this opportunity. All submissions considered complete and received by any posted preference date and / or closing date will be reviewed in order to identify the best qualified candidates. Only applicants selected to proceed to the next phase of the recruitment process will be notified. Please allow ample time to submit an application (including all of the required documents) online. Applications submitted in any manner (including but not limited to email, fax, U.S. mail) after the vacancy announcement has been closed will not be accepted.
Applicants must be in good standing in their current employment. Applicants may not be considered if a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) or disciplinary / adverse action has been initiated and / or is in effect during the opening and closing date of this vacancy announcement.
Applicants selected for an in-person interview must travel at their own expense.
The U.S. District Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this vacancy announcement or to withdraw the announcement, or to fill the position sooner than the closing date, any of which action may occur without prior written notice.
The Federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
Are you a current federal judiciary employee?
Do you have a high school diploma or equivalent?
Do you have at least one (1) year of specialized experience?
Have you reached your 37th birthday?
If your response to Question #4 is "Yes", do you have previous law enforcement officer experience under the Civil Service Retirement System or Federal Employees Retirement System and have either a subsequent break in service or intervening service in a non-law enforcement officer position?
Are you able to work irregular hours including nights, weekends, and holidays?
Are you a U.S. citizen or eligible to work in the United States?
Do you have a valid driver's license?
Have you attained 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, or another closely related field which provides evidence of the capacity to understand and apply the legal requirements and human relations skills involved in the position?
May we contact your current and former employers?
If your response to Question #10 is "Yes", please write "OK to contact".If your response to Question #10 is "No", please explain why.
On your Federal Judicial Branch Application for Employment (AO 78), did you : Enter your date of birth? Complete all sections with "Yes", "No", "N / A", and / or relevant information including dates in mm / dd / yyyy format? Handwrite your signature on the last page?
Did you upload all of the required documents : Cover letter? Resume? Professional references (minimum of three, one of which must be a current or former supervisor)? Two (2) most recent performance evaluations? Federal Judicial Branch Application for Employment (AO 78)? Only submissions containing all of the required documents will be considered for this opportunity.
If you want to provide comments pertaining to your application, you may do so in the space below.If you do not want to provide comments, please write "None".
Required Question
Salary : $52,208 - $84,860