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Job Details for U.S. Probation Officer

Court Name/Organization:	Illinois Northern Probation Office
Overview of the Position:	The Probation Office for the Northern District of Illinois serves 35 U.S. District Judges and 14 Magistrate Judges and covers 18 counties in northern Illinois. Our office is comprised of 100+ employees. The Probation Office headquarters is located at 230 South Dearborn, Suite 3400, Chicago, Illinois 60604. There are two divisional offices (Eastern, located in Chicago, IL and Western, located in Rockford, IL) and one satellite office (located in Lisle, Illinois). This vacancy announcement is solely for a U.S. Probation Officer position in the Rockford, IL Office.
Location:	Rockford,, IL
Opening and Closing Dates:	04/08/2024 - Open Until Filled
Appointment Type:	Permanent
Classification Level/Grade:	CL 25 - CL 28
Salary:	$55,778 - $126,233
Link to Court Careers Information:	https://www.ilnp.uscourts.gov
Announcement Number:	24-02
Link to Job Announcement

Position Description

• Conduct investigations and prepare reports for the court with recommendations. Interview offenders and their families and collect background data from various sources.
• Interpret and apply policies and procedures, statutes, Federal Rules of Criminal Procedures, and U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Monographs, and relevant case law, as applicable.
• Enforce court-ordered supervision components and implement supervision strategies. Maintain personal contact with offenders, investigate employment, sources of income, lifestyle, and associates to assess risk and compliance. Address substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, and similar problems and refer to appropriate specialist.
• Schedule and conduct drug use detection tests and DNA collection of offenders, following established procedures and protocols. Maintain records of test results. Maintain chain of custody of urinalysis testing materials.
• Respond to judicial officers’ requests for information and advice. Testify in court as to the basis for factual findings and guideline applications, if warranted. Maintain detailed records of case activity.
• Investigate and analyze financial documents and activities and take appropriate action. Interview victim(s) and provide victim impact statements to the court. Ensure compliance with Mandatory Victims Restitution Act.
• Review and resolve disputed issues involving offenders and present unresolved issues to the court for resolution.
• Assess offenders’ level of risk and develop a blend of strategies for monitoring, restrictions and interventions designed to mitigate risk.
• Provide offenders with information on local resources and programs regarding employment, GED certification assistance, ongoing education, and vocational training. Identify interests, aptitudes, and abilities of offenders through interviewing, gathering appropriate information and collaborating with stakeholders. Assist offenders toward integration into the community.
• Communicate with other organizations and personnel (such as the U.S. Parole Commission, Bureau of Prisons, law enforcement, treatment agencies, and attorneys) concerning offenders’ behavior and conditions of supervision.
• Identify and investigate violations and implement appropriate alternatives and sanctions. Discuss violations with Supervisory Probation Officer. Report violations of the conditions of supervision to the appropriate authorities. Prepare written reports of violation matters and make recommendations for disposition. Testify at court or parole hearings. Conduct Parole Commission preliminary interviews

Qualification

Required Qualifications
Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or provide documentation proving eligibility to work in the United States.

• Required Education & Experience: All probation officer positions require completion of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with at least one year of specialized experience*. At least one year of experience at or equivalent to the next level below the level of the position for which the person is being considered. Sufficient keyboarding skills (or alternative skills) to demonstrate proficiency in producing reports/documents/correspondence using electronic word processing and other office system technology is required.

*Specialized Experience is described as progressively responsible experience, gained after completion of a bachelor’s degree, which provides evidence of the capacity to understand and apply the human behavior management skills involved in the position. Experience as a police, parole, custodial, or security officer does not qualify as specialized experience.

• Maximum Age Requirement: First time appointees to positions covered under federal law enforcement officer retirement provisions must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of appointment. Applicants 37 years old and older who have previous law enforcement experience covered under the Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) 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 deducted from their age to determine whether or not they meet the maximum age requirement.
• Medical Requirements: Prior to appointment, the applicant considered for this position will undergo a medical examination and drug screen. Upon successful completion of the medical examination and drug screen, the applicant will be appointed under a provisional status, pending the completion of a favorable background investigation. 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 at http://www.uscourts.gov/.
• Physical Requirements: 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 hearing aid(s), 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 applicant.
• Other qualifications required: (1) Unquestioned integrity and exemplary character. (2) Sound health. (3) a valid driver’s license (4) Fluency in Spanish is helpful but not required.

Benefits

• Up to 13 days paid vacation per year for the first 3 years of employment, thereafter, 20 to 26 days per year, dependent upon the length of federal service
• 11 paid holidays per year
• Mandatory participation in the federal retirement system and social security program
• Thrift Savings Plan –Employer matching up to an additional 5% of employee contribution
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Flexible Spending program for health and dependent care
• Commuter reimbursement program
• Group life insurance program
• Possible participation in Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
• Employee fitness center on-site

Miscellaneous

Important Notice: All new employees must be fully vaccinated (i.e., at least two weeks after last dose) for COVID-19 and, prior to the starting with the Probation Office, present proof of vaccination or submit a request in writing for an exemption to this requirement on the basis of a sincerely held religious belief or medical condition. If an exemption is requested, approval of the exemption is required before the candidate can start employment. Only electronic submissions will be accepted. Applicants must be a citizen of the United States or eligible to work in the United States. To be considered for this position the Quality Ranking Factors narrative is required. All employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for judicial employees. The incumbent will be subject to ongoing random drug screening, updated background investigations every five years and, as deemed necessary by the Chief U.S. Probation Officer 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. Probation Office reserves the right to interview only those applicants who have demonstrated that they possess these preferred qualifications. Due to the volume of applicants received, the probation office will contact only those applicants who will be tested or interviewed. All information provided by applicants is subject to verification and background investigation. Applicants are advised that false statements or omission of information on any application materials may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment or dismissal after being employed. The U. S. Probation Office is not authorized to reimburse candidates for interviews or relocation expenses.

The Probation Office reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice.

The U.S. Probation Office is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce.

How To Apply

For consideration, qualified applicants must provide the following in a single PDF:

• Cover letter
• Resume
• Completion of AO78, Application for Judicial Branch Federal Employment - required to complete the optional background information on the AO-78
• Copy of transcript(s) for a Bachelor’s degree & any advanced degree
• Last two performance appraisals/evaluations from your current and/or previous employer(s). (If unable to provide these, please explain the reason in your cover letter.)
• Narrative addressing the below Quality Ranking Factors:

Quality Ranking Factors
Applicants must submit a narrative statement addressing the factors listed below:

1. Describe your qualifications, skills and abilities that are relevant to the field of probation, court services, corrections, counseling or case management.
2. Describe why you would like to become a United States Probation Officer for the Northern District of IL.

Complete applications should be submitted via e-mail to human_r_ilnp@ilnp.uscourts.gov. All application materials should be sent as a single PDF document. Please include the Position Announcement # and Position Title in the Subject line of the email. Save your document in the following format: Last Name, First Name. Failure to follow directions and/or submit a complete packet may disqualify you from consideration. If you are seeking a transfer opportunity, please include ‘Transfer USPO’ in the subject line.

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.