The U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh, PA, is seeking an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for its Criminal Division. The Assistant U.S. Attorney will have responsibility to investigate and prosecute federal crimes. More details on the position can be found under the duties section.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Summary
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh, PA, is seeking an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for its Criminal Division. The Assistant U.S. Attorney will have responsibility to investigate and prosecute federal crimes. More details on the position can be found under the duties section.
The United States Attorney's Office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is seeking an Assistant U.S. Attorney for its Criminal Division. The Assistant U.S. Attorney will have responsibility to investigate and prosecute federal crimes, including drug trafficking, firearms offenses, armed robberies and other crimes of violence, child exploitation, money laundering, mail and wire fraud, corporate fraud, and healthcare fraud. The Assistant U.S. Attorney may also be tasked with targeted outreach to strategic partners throughout the district.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Applicants must demonstrate personal integrity, good judgment, analytical ability, and excellent organizational, interpersonal, and litigation skills. In addition, applicants must be willing to follow rules and directives, and work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff, and client agencies.
All initial attorney positions to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis. Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
For more information on the Department of Justice and the United States Attorney's Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/careers/careers.html
Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
Satisfactory completion of pre-employment background which includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
If you are a male applicant born after Dec 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
J.D. degree with at least 3 years post J.D. Legal experience required.
Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys upon appointment generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information.
Bar Requirements: You must be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia. Active bar membership (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
Security Requirements: Position may require Secret/Top Secret/SCI.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
Applicants must have a J.D. degree and at least three years of post-J.D. legal experience. In addition, applicants must possess superior oral and written communication skills as well as strong interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, and be able to function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment. The District seeks attorneys who have outstanding legal ability, high moral character, mature judgment, and demonstrated excellence in criminal trials.
Applicants must be duly licensed and authorized to practice as an attorney under the laws of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia.
Applicants will be required to go through a background investigation, including credit, tax, fingerprint, and drug tests. Initial appointment is conditional based upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication, and continued employment past the 14 month provisional period is subject to a favorable adjudication of the background investigation.
You must meet all the above qualifications and conditions of employment as of the closing date of this announcement.
Preferred Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will possess outstanding litigation skills. Experience litigating criminal cases in federal court is desirable. Ideal qualifications include at least four to eight years of post-J.D. litigation experience, including experience handling a variety of complex criminal matters, first-chair federal trial experience, strong academics, outstanding organizational skills, superior legal writing and research ability, and a demonstrated commitment to professionalism, ethics, civility, and public service.
Applicant must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and the facility to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues in a case. Applicants must demonstrate superior oral writing skills, as well as strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment. Applicants must have a demonstrated capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding environment while balancing a high case load, which often requires night and weekend work. Excellent computer literacy skills are also necessary.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree and three years post J.D legal experience.
Additional information
Salary Information: AD 21 ($55,204- $84,186) to AD 29 ($84,936 to $129,528) base pay annually. AUSA pay is administratively determined based on the years of professional attorney experience, performance, and availability of funds, plus 19.40% locality pay for 2020. Adjusted pay range is $65,914 to $154,656 which includes locality pay.
Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees.
Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this announcement. Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. An attorney interview panel will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview. The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.
We will notify you that your resume has been received. You will be notified if selected for an interview, and after making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/Security background investigation for the candidate selected. We expect to make a final job offer within 120 days from the closing date of the announcement. Once a final selection is made, notification will again be sent to all applicants. To check the status of your application, please refer to USAJobs.
Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit the completed Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed. Visit the OPM website, http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that his or her retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that he/she was transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).
Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Please see How To Apply section for application package requirements.
Department of Justice Policies:
Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected genetic information, status as a parent, or any other non-merit-based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO statement.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee's Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/02/2020 to receive consideration. Applications will only be accepted through the USAJobs system. Resumes will not be accepted by email, fax, or regular mail.
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Required - Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire (online).
Required - Your resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include day/month/year), AND the Location and Month/Year of your J.D. Degree, AND the Jurisdiction Month/Year of your bar exam.
Required: Proof of active bar membership under the laws of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia. This could be a copy of a bar card, certificate of good standing, or screenshot of the appropriate bar or disciplinary board website showing active status and dates.
Required (if a federal employee): A recent copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), showing title, series, grade and current salary; and a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.
Required (if applicable): To receive veterans preference consideration, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire, and you must submit the appropriate complete supporting documentation (DD-214, Veterans Administration Letter, etc) as outlined in the veterans preference section. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.
Optional - Cover letter. Documents should be addressed to the First Assistant United States Attorney (FAUSA), Stephen R. Kaufman.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation follow the instructions and are submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact Western District of Pennsylvania at Elisabeth.Lewellen@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
Western District of Pennsylvania
700 Grant St.
Suite 4000
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
US
Next steps
We will notify you through USAJobs of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit and tax checks, and a drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 120 days after the closing date of the announcement.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Please see How To Apply section for application package requirements.
Department of Justice Policies:
Equal Employment Opportunity: The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of color, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, marital status, disability (physical or mental), age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected genetic information, status as a parent, or any other non-merit-based factor. The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO statement.
Outreach and Recruitment for Qualified Applicants with Disabilities: The Department encourages qualified applicants with disabilities, including individuals with targeted/severe disabilities to apply in response to posted vacancy announcements. Qualified applicants with targeted/severe disabilities may be eligible for direct hire, non-competitive appointment under Schedule A (5 C.F.R. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority. Individuals with targeted/severe disabilities are encouraged to contact one of the Department's Disability Points of Contact (DPOC) to express an interest in being considered for a position. See list of DPOCs.
Suitability and Citizenship: It is the policy of the Department to achieve a drug-free workplace and persons selected for employment will be required to pass a drug test which screens for illegal drug use prior to final appointment. Employment is also contingent upon the completion and satisfactory adjudication of a background investigation. Congress generally prohibits agencies from employing non-citizens within the United States, except for a few narrow exceptions as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). Pursuant to DOJ component policies, only U.S. citizens are eligible for employment with the Executive Office for Immigration Review, U.S. Trustee's Offices, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unless otherwise indicated in a particular job advertisement, qualifying non-U.S. citizens meeting immigration and appropriations law criteria may apply for employment with other DOJ organizations. However, please be advised that the appointment of non-U.S. citizens is extremely rare; such appointments would be possible only if necessary to accomplish the Department's mission and would be subject to strict security requirements. Applicants who hold dual citizenship in the U.S. and another country will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All DOJ employees are subject to a residency requirement. Candidates who have lived outside the United States for two or more of the past five years will likely have difficulty being approved for appointments by the Department Security Staff. The two-year period is cumulative, not necessarily consecutive. Federal or military employees, or dependents of federal or military employees serving overseas, are excepted from this requirement.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 06/02/2020 to receive consideration. Applications will only be accepted through the USAJobs system. Resumes will not be accepted by email, fax, or regular mail.
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
Required - Your responses to the Occupational Questionnaire (online).
Required - Your resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include day/month/year), AND the Location and Month/Year of your J.D. Degree, AND the Jurisdiction Month/Year of your bar exam.
Required: Proof of active bar membership under the laws of a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia. This could be a copy of a bar card, certificate of good standing, or screenshot of the appropriate bar or disciplinary board website showing active status and dates.
Required (if a federal employee): A recent copy of your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), showing title, series, grade and current salary; and a copy of your most recent performance appraisal.
Required (if applicable): To receive veterans preference consideration, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire, and you must submit the appropriate complete supporting documentation (DD-214, Veterans Administration Letter, etc) as outlined in the veterans preference section. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.
Optional - Cover letter. Documents should be addressed to the First Assistant United States Attorney (FAUSA), Stephen R. Kaufman.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package. (It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation follow the instructions and are submitted prior to the closing date.)
3. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact Western District of Pennsylvania at Elisabeth.Lewellen@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
Western District of Pennsylvania
700 Grant St.
Suite 4000
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
US
Next steps
We will notify you through USAJobs of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit and tax checks, and a drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make a final job offer within 120 days after the closing date of the announcement.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
