Chief U.S. Probation Officer

Introduction and Representative Duties

The U.S. Probation Office for the District of Arizona is seeking an accomplished and self-motivated individual with excellent interpersonal skills and strong work-ethic for the position of Chief U.S. Probation Officer.  In this role, high importance is placed on an individual who will embrace our mission of working together creatively to transform lives and enhance the safety of our community.

Our fast paced, prestigious environment will provide opportunities for challenging and rewarding work as a member of the probation team. The successful individual must be able to thrive in an environment that promotes teamwork and professional enrichment by which we support and defend the U.S. Constitution, the worth and dignity of all people, treat all people with fairness and respect, and believe that all are capable of positive change through the use of evidence-based practices.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The United States District Court for the District of Arizona is seeking a qualified individual for the position of Chief Probation Officer. The Chief Probation Officer is directly responsible for the administration and management of the federal probation office in the district. The District of Arizona has 26 district judges and 14 magistrate judges. The probation office has a total staff of 320 employees, including probation officers, probation officer assistants, administrative and clerical support positions. The district supervises approximately 6,700 persons on post-conviction supervision and 2,364 persons on pretrial release. The district prepares approximately 4,760 presentence reports and activated 8,572 pretrial cases last fiscal year. The probation office has employees in four locations in the state of Arizona.

This is an executive level position that reports to the Chief Judge of this District. The Chief Probation Officer and the District Court Executive/Clerk of Court have a long history of working together to meet the unique demands of a border court and its stakeholders.

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES

• Organizes the probation office to ensure expeditious handling of investigative work for the courts, institutions, and parole authorities to include effective case supervision of probationers, parolees, persons on supervised release, and persons on pretrial release.
• Reviews, analyzes, and interprets statutory, Judicial Conference, U.S. Sentencing Commission, and Parole Commission requirements for the administration of probation, parole, supervised release services, and pretrial services; promulgates policies, procedures, and guidelines necessary to meet these requirements.
• Consistently communicates with the court to promulgate policies, procedures, and guidelines to meet the unique needs of the court, along with standards to ensure an appropriate level of service delivery.
• Selects and recommends candidates for appointment as probation officers, as well as all non-officer personnel; provides specific recommendations to the court in all other personnel matters including promotions, salary increases, disciplinary actions and dismissals; determines that all personnel are carefully selected and adequately trained; makes certain the work of all subordinates is systematically evaluated.
• Manages the staff of the office including all clerical, professional, supervisory, and administrative personnel.
• Estimates number of required personnel, space allocation, and operating allowance needs; approves requisitions; certifies vouchers for payment; and maintains appropriate fiscal controls in all matters pertaining to travel expenses and purchases of services, equipment, and supplies.
• Establishes and administers continuing in-service training programs to ensure high-quality service delivery through consistent staff development.
• Maintains a system of communication, enables awareness of pertinent information at all levels; delegates decision-making responsibility at appropriate levels; provides qualitative and quantitative measures of work performance; and assures accountability with minimal interference to service delivery.
• Maintains liaison with the chief judge and other judges; makes specific recommendations regarding court-related criminal justice issues with particular emphasis on matters relating to sound sentencing practices.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with other probation and pretrial services offices to assure all requests for assistance from other districts are met promptly and effectively.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with all components of the criminal justice system to include federal, state, and local law enforcement, correctional, and social service agencies.
• Promotes and maintains conditions which encourage staff loyalty, enthusiasm, and morale.
• Develops and maintains a public relations program which explains probation, parole, and other correctional services to the community; assumes responsibility for communication to the news media.
• Monitors community events and issues with special attention on alleviating hazardous office and field incidents.
• The person selected for this position will have contact with confidential material, which is protected under the Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol. 20: Chapter 8 and the pretrial services confidentiality regulations, issued under Title 18 U.S.C. § 3153(C)(2). Disclosure of any confidential information to the outside public is prohibited, unless otherwise authorized. 

Occupational Information

QUALIFICATIONS

To qualify for the position of Chief Probation Officer JSP 16, 17, or 18, a person must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university and possess a minimum of three years of specialized experience, one of which must have been at the next lower grade level or its equivalent. For example, to qualify for JSP 16, at least one year of the required specialized experience must be at or equivalent to a JSP 15 or CL 31. Preference will be given to applicants with a masters’ degree and/or five years of specialized experience.

Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible experience in the investigation, supervision, counseling, and guidance of offenders in probation, pretrial or community corrections programs is required. Experience as a police officer, FBI agent, customs agent, marshal, or similar position may not meet the requirements of specialized experience. Specialized experience must be earned after the bachelor's degree has been granted.

Substitution of Substantial Management Experience: Three years of substantial high-level management experience may be substituted for the requirement that one year of specialized experience is at or equivalent to the next lower grade level (and may be part of the three years of specialized experience described above). If the person does not have three years of substantial management experience, then one of the years of specialized experience must have been at or equivalent to the next lower grade level.

Substantial management experience is high-level administrative experience that provides a thorough understanding of the organizational, procedural, and human aspects of managing an organization. Such experience typically includes financial management, space and facilities management, oversight of the information technology, human resources functions, and long and short-range planning. Possible titles indicative of this experience within the judiciary would include deputy chief probation officer, deputy chief pretrial services officer, assistant deputy chief probation officer or assistant deputy chief pretrial services officer.

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:  Substantial knowledge of and experience in the operations and management of federal probation and pretrial services. Excellent organizational leadership and management skills. Knowledge of federal judiciary strategic plans, policies, and procedures. Knowledge of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the Bail Reform Act of 1984 and applicable statutes and case law, and Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. Knowledge of evidence-based practices and re-entry initiatives which clearly link to current and future operations and activities. Experience and tenure in leading teams, managing budgets and financial plans, leading large multifaceted projects, evaluating work processes and organizational impact, re-engineering or creating new organizational models, and planning and implementing organizational change. Understanding of the judiciary’s decentralized administrative model. Ability to effectively interact with judges, the legal community, and other law enforcement, corrections, and service providing agencies. Displays executive leadership skills, vision, and innovation.

Skill in operational leadership, strong analytical skills, and excellent oral and written communication abilities. Ability to learn and adapt to change while leading an organization, to get results under challenging conditions and inspire others to perform at a high level. Exhibits a presence that builds confidence in others. Must possess the ability to analyze problems from a fresh point of view and communicate their ideas/thoughts to others.

REQUIRED CLEARANCES

Successful applicants will be required to submit to a background investigation which includes drug screening, fingerprinting, a credit check, and a full field background investigation by the Office of Personnel Management. As a condition of employment, the incumbent will also be subject to an updated background investigation every five years.

MAXIMUM ENTRY AGE

There is no “maximum entry age” for this position. However, in order to be included under federal law enforcement officer retirement provisions, an individual would have to meet “maximum entry age” provisions as follows: 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 with previous federal hazardous duty experience under the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees’ Retirement System may be eligible for appointment.

MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS – LAW ENFORCEMENT 

Prior to first-time appointment under the federal law enforcement retirement provision, the selectee for this position will undergo a medical examination. Upon successful completion of the medical examination and drug screening, the selectee may then be appointed provisionally, pending a favorable background investigation and suitability determination by the court. The medical requirements and essential job functions derived from the medical guidelines for probation officers are available for public review at United States Courts website. As conditions of employment, the incumbent will be subject to ongoing random drug screening, and, as deemed necessary by the court for reasonable cause, may be subject to subsequent fitness-for duty evaluations.