Summary The U.S. Probation Office, District of Nevada, currently employs a staff of 48 professionals dedicated to supporting the court's mission of being accountable, responsible, and fostering a collegial environment. The duty station for this position is Las Vegas, Nevada. Responsibilities The Probation Services Assistant will provide specialized technical and administrative support to probation officers in a wide range of areas, including compiling information for investigations, providing support for administrative caseloads, preparing drafts of reports and correspondence, and coordinating with collateral agencies. The primary focus of the position is to sort, collect, compile, track, and maintain varied and technical information to support officers and officer assistants in the performance of their responsibilities involving the investigation and supervision of offenders. Responsibilities Conduct case file reviews and advise officers and officer assistants of matters needing their attention. Make chronological entries in supervision case records. Conduct records research and retrieval via telephone or mail to obtain required documentation. Set up new supervision case records and perform various file management tasks. Assist officers in responding to collateral requests for information. Assemble and process information to the Sentencing Commission. Keep various logs and records up to date. Format, type, edit, and finalize collaterals, reports and correspondence using word processing equipment. This may include, but is not limited to, documents such as presentence investigation reports, supervision case plans and reviews, and memoranda or reports to the court. Complete various standard forms for submission to the court and legal counsel using information provided by officers, including petitions, orders to the court, and similar documents. Operate the local/state law enforcement information retrieval system and Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) terminals to obtain criminal history information and route the information to appropriate recipients. Obtain fingerprint and credit checks, verifications of employment and education. Open, close, and update information into computerized records, including the Probation Automated Case Tracking Systems (PACTS). Research information from case records and enter into system as appropriate. Screen forms completed by officers and officer assistants and request corrections as needed. Retrieve information from databases and generate periodic reports. Participate in problem solving at staff meetings with other support staff, officers, and officer assistants. Make constructive suggestions for improvement in work processes to better achieve goals and objectives. Periodically act as administrative and clerical facilitator to distribute/redistribute work and optimize office support operations, as required. Provide general clerical office support by performing any or all of the following tasks: Answer telephones and take messages; copy and distribute documents; send and receive faxes and electronic mail messages; receive and distribute mail; attend meetings and take minutes; provide backup reception assistance; assist officers and officer assistants with word processing or other computer matters. Perform other appropriate duties as assigned. Requirements Conditions of Employment Due to the high sensitivity of this position, the Optional Background Questions (19-21) on the AO 78 form must be answered. The selected candidate must successfully complete an FBI background investigation with law enforcement agencies including fingerprint, criminal, financial and employment records check. The United States Probation Office, District of Nevada, is part of the Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government. All applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanently eligible to work in the United States. The Federal Financial Management Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages. Candidates must adhere to the Code of Conduct for Federal Judicial Employees. Qualifications Preferred Qualifications: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a field of academic study, such as criminal justice, criminology, psychology, sociology, human relations, or business or public administration and one (1) year of specialized experience. Excellent knowledge of office procedures and practices. General knowledge of personal computers and software applications to prepare reports and conduct investigation searches along with accessing the criminal retrieval system. Ability to give and receive accurate and timely information from individuals within and outside the court. Ability to decipher complex information; synthesize the data and concisely report the information gleaned in proper written format. Ability to prepare all types of investigations in proper format for our office as well as other districts. General knowledge of proper grammar usage and the ability to write and edit efficiently. Ability to carry oneself in a professional manner, as a representative of the probation office when visiting outside agencies. Knowledge of the roles and functions of the federal probation office. Knowledge of the practices and procedures used in probation and court processes, including knowledge of the administrative requirements to support these activities. Knowledge of the criminal justice system as it relates to federal probation policies and procedures. Knowledge of and compliance with the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees, and court confidentiality requirements. Ability to consistently demonstrate sound judgment. Education To qualify, an applicant must be a high school graduate or equivalent and have at least one year of specialized experience. Specialized experience includes progressively responsible clerical experience requiring the regular and recurring application of clerical procedures involving the routine use of keyboard skills and use of specialized terminology, and demonstrated ability to apply a body of rules, regulations, directives, or laws and involve the routine use of specialized terminology and automated software and equipment for word processing, data entry or report generation. Such experience is commonly encountered in law firms, legal counsel offices, banking and credit firms, educational institutions, social service organizations, insurance companies, real estate and title offices, and corporate headquarters or human resources/payroll operations. Education may not be substituted for specialized experience because operational court support positions require hands-on experience to be credited as specialized experience. Additional Information