US Probation Officer

By statute, the Probation Officer serves in a judiciary law enforcement position and assists in the administration of justice. The incumbent promotes community safety, gathers information, supervises offenders/defendants, interacts with collateral agencies, prepares reports, conducts investigations, and presents recommendations to the court. The incumbent performs duties that involve general pretrial services or probation cases, under the guidance of a Supervisory Officer.

Up to 13 days paid vacation per year for the first 3 years of employment: 20 to 26 days per year thereafter, depending on length of federal service. A minimum of 11 paid holidays per year. Sick leave of 13 days the first year. Up to 12 weeks paid parental leave. Mandatory participation in the Federal Retirement System (FERS) and Social Security programs.

FERS Social Security supplement until the age of 62. Optional Thrift Savings Plan (employer matching component) with diversification control. Annual Cost-of-Living Adjustments, as approved by Congress. Full extension of health benefits that can be carried into retirement. Optional participation in the federal health insurance program of your choice (no waiting period). Optional vision, dental, and disability insurance programs of your choice (no waiting period).

Optional participation in a flexible spending program for health and/or dependent care. Optional participation in group life insurance; disability; and long-term care programs. Flexible schedule options available. Please review the Federal Employee Compensation Package.

CL 28 - Salary Range: $70,894 to $115,213

• Two years of specialized experience with a bachelor's degree.

CL 27 - Salary Range: $59,133 to $96,147

• Two years of specialized experience or a master's degree.

CL 25 - Salary Range: $48,890 to $79,443

• One year of specialized experience, superior academic achievement with a bachelor's degree, or one academic year of graduate work.

The salary range listed reflects the full pay scale spanning across all classification levels for this position. Starting salaries depend on education, skills, and experience.

If the incumbent commences employment at CL 25 or CL27, promotional opportunities are available without further competition based on experience and performance.

• Progressively responsible experience in fields such as probation, pretrial services, parole, corrections, criminal investigations, or work in substance/addiction treatment, public administration, human relations, social work, psychology, or mental health.
• Experience as a police officer, custodial officer, or security officer is considered, but it does not qualify as specialized experience in determining the classification level.

• Officers are eligible for retirement after 20 years of service at the age of 50, or after 25 years of service at any age. Therefore, first-time appointees must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of appointment.
• Applicants aged 37 or over who have previous federal law enforcement experience under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) may have previous law enforcement officer experience subtracted from their age to determine whether they meet the maximum age requirement.

• Medical requirements and essential job functions for officers are available for public review at U.S. Probation & Pretrial Services Employment Suitability Requirements.
• Prior to appointment, the selectee considered for this position will undergo a medical examination and drug screening. Upon successful completion of the medical examination and drug screening, the selectee may then be appointed provisionally, pending a favorable suitability determination by the court. In addition, as a condition 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.