Chief US Probation and Pretrial Services Officer

UNITED STATES PROBATION AND PRETRIAL SERVICES

WESTERN DISTRICT OF WASHINGTON

CHIEF U.S. PROBATION AND PRETRIAL SERVICES OFFICER

Announcement Number 26-WAW-13

Announcement Date March 5, 2026

Closing Date Preference given to resumes received by April 6, 2026

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington is currently accepting applications for the Chief U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer. The Western District of Washington is comprised of seven active U.S. District Judges, ten senior U.S. District Judges, and seven Magistrate Judges. The district has courthouses in Seattle and Tacoma, with satellite probation and pretrial services offices in Everett, Tukwila, and Vancouver, Washington.

The Office: The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office has three distinct units: a pretrial services unit including investigations and supervision, a presentence unit, and a post-conviction supervision unit. We have approximately 41 law enforcement officers and 16 support positions. The law enforcement officer positions include 8 supervisory staff, 1 Deputy Chief U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer, and 1 Assistant Deputy Chief U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services officer.

The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office is a Shared Services district. The 22 employees in Shared Services (human resources, budget, procurement, space and facilities, and IT) are employees of both U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services and District Court. U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services contributes a financial percentage to Shared Services for salaries and operations. The District Court Executive and the Chief Probation and Pretrial Services Officer co-manage Shared Services.

U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services in Western Washington supports scientific research and data integrity to make informed decisions about mental health, substance use disorder, medication-assisted treatment, criminogenic risk factors, and traumatic experiences. Additionally, the use of evidence-based risk assessment tools is utilized in both pretrial investigations and post-conviction supervision.

The presentence unit utilizes and requires critical thinking and analysis as independent professionals in service to the Court.

The post-conviction supervision unit is grounded in the application of evidence-based practices to ensure appropriate levels of supervision and accountability, as well as successful long-term change and protection of the community.

The Western District of Washington: The Western District of Washington is a national leader in advanced evidence-based programs to support people on federal supervision. The programs include the following: Freedom to Incarceration, Pretrial Support Group, Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT), Staff Training Aimed at Reducing Re-Arrest (STARR), implementation of Adverse Childhood Experiences assessment (ACEs), a pre-adjudication drug court, Drug Re-Entry Alternative Model (DREAM), and a pre-adjudication mental health court, Promoting, Accountability, Treatment, Healing and Wellness (PATHWAY).

The Western District of Washington is nationally recognized with high pretrial release rates grounded in evidence-based practices and proactive supervision.

Representative Duties

Human Resources:
•    Oversee the executive management and management teams. Delegate operational functions appropriately to these teams while ensuring accountability for all staff.
•    Execute and manage personnel decisions in close collaboration with Human Resources.
•    Ensure all operations are following Administrative Office guidelines.
•    Maintain comprehensive human resources, budget, procurement, space and facilities, and information technology services to the Court in collaboration with the managers of IT, Budget, and Human Resources.  
•    Select and recommend to the Court candidates for appointment as probation and pretrial services officers. Appoint all support personnel.

Office Culture:
•    Demonstrate through actions and policies that the organization is inclusive of race, age, gender, ethnic and cultural differences. 
•    Promote a culture that is respectful and free from harassment or bullying in any form; actively support the local and national Employee Dispute Resolution / Workplace Conduct policies.

Management:
•    Collaborate with the District Court Executive in the administration of Shared Services and shared court operations. Partner with Chief Deputy of District Court to ensure continual process improvement.
•    Manage the annual budget, authorize all expenditures, maintain appropriate fiscal controls and compliance with Administrative Office requirements. Work in collaboration with the budget administrator.
•    Assure all space and facilities needs are met. Work in collaboration with the Ninth Circuit Executive Office, General Services Administration (GSA), and district space and facilities specialist.
•    Provide oversight in the development and revision of internal control procedures.
•    Collaborate with the data quality / statistical analyst to utilize and interpret data for operational decisions, recognizing data integrity is fundamental to all operations.
•    Review and interpret statutory, Judicial Conference, Administrative Office, and Parole Commission requirements and implement policies and procedures accordingly.

Connections:
•    Represent the district within the Ninth Circuit and nationally to provide input on the future direction and policies of probation and pretrial services.
•    Participate on local, Ninth Circuit, and national committees. Attendance at national and Ninth Circuit trainings is required.

•    Serve as liaison to and meet regularly with the Chief Judge, District Judges, and Magistrate Judges. Make specific recommendations regarding Court-related criminal justice issues. Provide clear data analysis and executive summary information orally and in writing.  
•    Represent the organization on the local Facility Security Committee. Ensure comprehensive emergency preparedness plan and continuity of operations procedures are in place and feasible.
•    Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with other agencies in the criminal justice system including law enforcement, social service agencies, residential re-entry centers, and universities. 
•    Maintain proactive and collaborative relationships with the Federal Public Defender, U.S. Attorney, U.S. Marshal, GSA leadership, and the Warden of Federal Detention Center Sea-Tac.
•    Promote and support continuous learning, requiring comprehensive training and professional development of all staff.
•    Ensure officers are professionally trained in reality-based safety, defensive tactics, and verbal de-escalation.  Guarantee that officers are provided with proper safety equipment.
•    Promote a culture that emphasizes wellness and resiliency.
•    Always be accessible via cell phone. 
•    Must travel regularly between five offices.

Required Competencies

Leadership:
•    Possess business acumen to understand the systems, policies, procedures and protocol needed to lead successfully. 
•    Lead consistently with strong ethical core values and beliefs.
•    Act with integrity, transparency, and truthfulness.

Vision:
•    Professional maturity, stability, presence, and composure.
•    Demonstrate and communicate an inspired vision and purpose.
•    Embrace and promote diversity to create a more cohesive workforce and accept differences among staff.

Competencies:
•    Possess managerial courage to execute decisive, timely, informed, and at times unpopular decisions. 
•    Organizational savvy skills to maneuver through political and interpersonal situations confidently. 
•    Ability to be strategically agile and flexible based on needs of the Court.

Education

Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field 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 position.  A master’s degree, JD, or other advanced degree is preferred.

Experience

This position requires at least three years of Specialized Experience and at least three years of Substantial Management Experience.

Specialized Experience:  At least three years in the investigation, supervision, counseling, and guidance of individuals under supervision in community corrections, probation, and/or pretrial services programs.  Experience within federal probation and pretrial services is preferred.

Substantial Management Experience:  At least three years of executive 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 information technology and human resources functions, and long- and short-range planning.

Salary Range

Judiciary Salary Plan – Court Unit Executive 
JSP 16, Step 1 – 10, $195,021 - $249,900
JSP 17, Step 1 – 10, $223,441 - $249,900 
Depending on experience and qualifications; additional promotional potential without further recruitment.

Procedures For Selection

The Court will screen all applications, and the best qualified applicants will be invited for personal interviews.  Travel expenses associated with interviews, if applicable, will be borne by the applicant.  Some relocation expenses may be reimbursable.

Qualified applicants are required to submit the following:

•    Cover letter.
•    Completed AO78 form.
•    Resume detailing years of specialized experience, including management experience, functions managed, and the number and composition of personnel supervised.
•    A narrative statement of no more than two typewritten pages in response to the following prompts:  
As a Chief U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Officer, you are responsible for leading a district in a complex environment with increasing supervision demands, limited resources, and heightened expectations from the community and the Court. 
•    Describe your leadership philosophy and how it would shape the culture and performance of the district.
•    What would be your three strategic priorities for the first year and why?

Submit completed application packets via e-mail (Word or Acrobat .pdf format) to:
seattle_personnel@wawd.uscourts.gov

Or to:

Human Resources (#26-WAW-13) 
U. S. District Court
700 Stewart Street
Seattle, WA  98101

Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position.  Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States.

Background Investigation

This is an executive level, highly sensitive position within the Judiciary.  Employment is provisional pending the successful completion of a ten-year, full field OPM background investigation, and favorable suitability determination.  Investigative updates are required every five years.

The United States District Court requires employees to follow a Code of Conduct which is available upon request. Reference checks with current and former employers will be conducted on top candidates.  A background investigation with law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint and criminal record checks, will be conducted as a condition of employment.  Any applicant selected for a position will be hired provisionally pending successful completion of the investigation.  Unsatisfactory results may result in termination of employment.

Law Enforcement Retirement Coverage

To qualify for coverage under the law enforcement provision of the federal retirement system, there is a mandatory retirement age of 57 with 20 years’ federal law enforcement experience.  There is no mandatory retirement age for regular federal retirement benefits.

The Federal Financial Management Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages. 
The Court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please notify Human Resources. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the announcement, or to fill the position sooner than the closing date, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice.

Benefits

Employees of the United States District Court are considered “at will” employees.  Judiciary employees participate in the Federal Employees Retirement System, Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401K), health and life insurance benefits, long-term disability and long-term care options, annual and sick leave accrual, and ten paid holidays per year.  Judiciary employees are not covered by the Office of Personnel Management’s civil service classification system or regulations. For additional information on employment with the Federal Courts, please visit www.uscourts.gov.

The United States District Court is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the workplace.

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