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Job Details for Laboratory Technician

Court Name/Organization New York Southern Probation Office
Overview of the Position The U.S. Probation Office and Pretrial Services Office for the Southern District of New York is accepting applications for a Shared Services Laboratory Technician in our New York City Office. The Lab Tech is responsible for assisting with the operation, integrity, and efficiency of both office’s on-site substance abuse testing program. The incumbent may be called upon to appear in court to testify against supervisees who fail to comply with their supervision.
Location New York City, NY
Opening and Closing Dates 08/21/2026 - Open Until Filled
Appointment Type Permanent
Classification Level/Grade CL 24-25
Salary $52,678 - $94,588
Announcement Number 2026-10

Position Description

The U.S. Probation Office and Pretrial Services Office for the Southern District of New York is accepting applications for a Shared Services Laboratory Technician in our New York City Office. The Lab Tech is responsible for assisting with the operation, integrity, and efficiency of both office’s on-site substance abuse testing program. The incumbent will collect urinalysis samples from defendants and individuals under supervision. Maintains a log of defendants and supervisees and the chain of custody of any testing materials. The incumbent will maintain paper and computerized records of test results while working closely with U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officers providing said results. The incumbent may be called upon to appear in court to testify against supervisees who fail to comply with their supervision.

Qualifications

Minimum requirements include high school diploma or equivalent and one year of specialized experience. Applicants must be able to multitask, prioritize, pay exceptional attention to detail, and have organizational skills to ensure that the workflow runs smoothly. Excellent customer service skills are required along with the ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Preferred Qualifications: 

  • College graduate
  • Previous laboratory experience
  • Prior judiciary experience
  • Exceptional interpersonal and organizational skills
  • Ability to pay close attention to details and work well with others
  • Ability to work within precise time frames and deadlines

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.

Employee Benefits

  • Paid Annual & Sick Leave
  • Paid Holidays
  • Employer-subsidized Health Insurance
  • Group Life Insurance
  • Supplemental Vision/Dental Insurance
  • Retirement Benefits Plan (FERS)
  • Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Transit Subsidy Program (pursuant to eligibility requirements)
  • Pre-tax benefit programs

Miscellaneous

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents seeking U.S. citizenship. In order to be compensated with appropriated funds for a position within the continental United States, applicants must be:

  1. U.S. citizen,
  2. Lawful permanent resident (i.e., green card holder) who is seeking citizenship as outlined in 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)(B).

Note: Some noncitizen applicants who are permanent residents may not yet be eligible to apply for citizenship at the time they begin. Such individuals may still lawfully be employed if they provide an affidavit indicating that they intend to apply for citizenship when they become eligible to do so.

Employees of the U.S. District Court are not included in the government’s Civil Service classification and are at-will employees.

All employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees available for public review on the USCourts.gov website.

All applicants considered for the position will be required to undergo a thorough background investigation, which includes an FBI fingerprint check, and subsequent re-investigations, as the position involves handling of confidential and highly sensitive information. The selectee may be appointed provisionally, and retention will depend upon favorable suitability determination of the background investigation.

Some travel may be required for this position.

Application Info

To be considered for this position, please submit your:

  1. Resume detailing your education and work experience
  2. A cover letter. The cover letter must indicate the position for which you are applying, including the vacancy number, and identify how your education and/or experience relate to the duties and responsibilities of the position.
  3. AO78 Application for Federal Employment

Only applications submitted via email will be accepted. It is preferred for the applications to be submitted in a single PDF document, and for candidates to include the vacancy number and position title in the subject field of the email containing the application. Applications submitted as zip files, cloud files and/or links will not be accepted. Applications that do not conform to the above procedures will not be considered.

Please submit your application to: Careers@nysd.uscourts.gov

The federal Judiciary is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.