U.S. Probation Officer

Eastern District of North Carolina•Greenville -Jacksonville -Wilmington, NC

4d•$71,583 - $116,394•Hybrid

About The Position

The U.S. Probation Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina is seeking qualified applicants for a full-time probation officer position. This position will supervise defendants/offenders, conduct investigations, and provide recommendations to the court. This position is being advertised at a grade CL 25 and has promotional potential to a CL 28 ($71,583 – $116,394). Applications that are received by the initial cut-off date of August 28, 2026, will be given first consideration. Depending upon experience and qualifications. U.S. Probation Officers perform a variety of functions to assist in the administration of justice and promote community safety. Incumbents are assigned to either the Court Services Unit or Supervision Services Unit depending upon unit availability and candidate qualifications. In order to effectively manage assigned cases, all probation officers conduct fieldwork including but not limited to community, home, and employment visits with clients and collateral sources.

Requirements

A four-year degree from an accredited college or university in a field of academic study such as criminal justice, criminology, psychology, human relations, social work, accounting, education, business or public administration.
One year of specialized, progressively responsible experience gained after the completion of a bachelor's degree, in criminal or financial investigations, report writing, probation, pretrial services, human services, parole, corrections, counseling, or work in substance abuse/addiction treatment.
Excellent written and oral communication, proofing and grammatical skills.
Excellent computer skills, in particular, word processing.
Ability to exercise initiative in handling assignments.
Ability to perform thorough investigations.
Ability to analyze and evaluate varied information from multiple sources and form conclusions.
Ability to write clear, concise, grammatically correct reports while meeting strict deadlines.
Unquestioned integrity, maturity in judgment, and trust.
Demonstrated ability to meet people, inspire confidence, and secure cooperation and teamwork.
Must meet the age and physical standards established under the Federal Employees Retirement System and its provisions for law enforcement personnel.
Must possess, with or without corrective lenses, good distance vision in at least one eye and the ability to read normal size print.
Normal hearing ability, with or without a hearing aid, is also required.
Applicants must be United States citizens or lawful permanent residents actively seeking citizenship.

Nice To Haves

Experience as a police, custodial, or security officer, other than any criminal investigative experience, does not qualify as specialized experience.

Responsibilities

Conduct investigations and prepare reports for the court with recommendations for sentencing of individuals convicted of federal offenses.
Interview offenders and their families, investigate the offense, prior record and financial status of the offender, and contact law enforcement agencies, attorneys, victims of the crimes, schools, churches, and civic organizations.
Interpret and apply the U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines and relevant case law.
Testify in court as to the basis for factual findings and guidelines applications, and serve as a resource to the court to facilitate proper imposition of sentence.
Supervise defendants/offenders to maximize adherence to imposed conditions, reduce risk to the community, provide correctional treatment, and facilitate long-term positive changes in offenders.
Provide risk-based supervision services consistent with district goals for evidence-based practices.
Complete and utilize risk assessment tools to determine offender risk, needs, and compliance.
Conduct pre-release planning and investigations.
Develop viable case plans.
Detect substance abuse through urine collection and other methods.
Refer offenders to appropriate agencies to assist with education, employment training, cognitive-based programming and treatment.
Prepare written reports of detected violations with appropriate court testimony and disposition recommendations.
Perform other duties as assigned.