Chief U.S. Probation Officer

The District Court Judges in the Eastern District of North Carolina are seeking qualified applicants for the position of Chief United States Probation Officer. The Chief Probation Officer is a high-level manager who operates under the direction of the Chief Judge and the Court which is comprised of four district judges and four magistrate judges who are located among five court locations: Raleigh New Bern Greenville Wilmington and Elizabeth City. The Chief U.S. Probation Officer manages the statutory duties of the position and oversees the administrative activities of the U.S. Probation Office which has a staff of 105 employees with divisional offices in Raleigh Jacksonville New Bern Greenville Wilmington and Elizabeth City. Travel is required.

This position is being advertised at the JSP 15 - JSP 17. Applications that are received by the initial cut-off date of August 15 2025 will be given first consideration.

The Chief Probation Officer performs duties and responsibilities which include but are not limited to the following:

• Reviews analyzes and interprets statutory Judicial Conference and Parole Commission requirements for the administration of pretrial probation and parole services; promulgates policies procedures and guidelines necessary to meet these requirements.
• Maintains administrative liaison with the court of jurisdiction to include promulgating policies procedures and guidelines to meet the unique needs of the court along with standards to ensure an appropriate level of service delivery.
• Selects and recommends candidates for appointment as probation officers to the court and appoints all non-officer personnel; provides specific recommendations to the court in all other personnel matters including promotions salary increases disciplinary actions and dismissals; determines that all personnel are carefully selected and adequately trained; makes certain the work of all subordinates is systematically evaluated.
• Manages the staff of the office including all clerical professional supervisory and administrative personnel.
• Makes estimates of personnel space allocation and operating allowance needs; approves requisitions; certifies vouchers for payment; and maintains appropriate fiscal controls in all matters pertaining to travel expenses and purchases of services equipment and supplies.
• Establishes and administers continuing in-service training programs to ensure high-quality service delivery through consistent staff development.
• Maintains a system of communication enabling awareness of pertinent information at all levels; delegates decision-making responsibility at appropriate levels; provides qualitative and quantitative measures of work performance; and assures accountability with minimal interference to service delivery.
• Maintains liaison with the chief judge and other judges; makes specific recommendations regarding court-related criminal justice issues with particular emphasis on matters relating to sound sentencing practices.
• Maintains a cooperative relationship with the Clerk of Court in the collaborative management of consolidated court units and shared services.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with other probation and pretrial services offices to ensure all requests for assistance from other districts are met promptly and effectively.
• Establishes and maintains cooperative relationships with all components of the criminal justice system to include federal state and local law enforcement correctional and social service agencies.
• Promotes and maintains conditions which encourage staff loyalty enthusiasm and morale.
• Develops and maintains a public relations program which explains probation parole and other correctional services to the community; assumes responsibility for communication to the news media.
• Monitors community events and issues with special attention on alleviating hazardous office and field incidents.
• Occasionally may perform the duties of probation or pretrial services officers or of supervising probation or pretrial services officers.
• Solicits contracts for carrying out the probation functions including mental health and substance abuse treatment.

To qualify for a position of Chief Probation Officer a person must have a bachelors degree from an accredited college or university and possess at least three years of progressively responsible specialized experience earned after the bachelors degree has been issued. The three years of specialized experience is mandatory and does not permit any substitutions. To qualify at the JSP-17 applicants must in addition to the three years of progressively responsible specialized experience possess three years of substantial management experience earned after the bachelors degree has been issued.

An advanced degree in a closely related field from an accredited university is preferred. Our ideal candidate should be highly organized a proven leader and motivator. Strong interpersonal and communication skills are required.

Specialized Experience:
Progressively responsible experience in the investigation supervision counseling and guidance of offenders in community corrections or pretrial programs is required. Experience in police officer FBI agent customs agent marshal or similar positions does not meet the requirements of specialized experience.

Substantial Management Experience:
Substantial management experience is high-level administrative experience that provided 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.

Possible titles indicative of this experience outside the judiciary would include president or vice president in charge of several departments or offices director or assistant director in charge of several departments or offices director or assistant director in charge of several departments or offices head manager or owner-operator of a medium to large company. Possible titles within the judiciary would include deputy chief probation officer or assistant deputy chief pretrial services officer.

Applicants must be United States citizens or lawful permanent residents actively seeking citizenship. Judicial Branch employees are considered at will employees and are not subject to the employment regulations of competitive service. Salary will be based on experience and qualifications. Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) for payroll deposit is required.

Applicants will be required to submit to a background investigation (including references criminal history and credit history) prior to an offer of employment being made. The person selected for this position will also be required to submit fingerprints for an FBI background check. As a condition of employment the selected candidate must successfully complete a ten-year background investigation with periodic updates every five years thereafter.

There is no maximum entry age for this position; however in order to be included under federal law enforcement officer retirement provisions an individual would have to meet maximum entry age provisions as follows: First-time appointees to positions covered under law enforcement officer retirement provisions must not have reached their 37th birthday at the time of appointment. Applicants age 37 or over who have previous law enforcement officer experience under the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees Retirement System and who have either a subsequent break in service or intervening service in a non-law enforcement officer position may have their previous law enforcement officer experience subtracted from their age to determine whether they meet the maximum age requirements.

Application Procedures:

All interested persons should apply online by visiting and submit an application package which is to include the following:

• A cover letter that addresses qualifications and relevant experience;
• A current resume;
• A narrative statement not to exceed one typed page outlining management style and leadership philosophy;
• Names and contact information for three (3) professional references; and
• Form AO 78 Application for Judicial Branch Federal Employment.

Travel and relocation expenses will not be reimbursed. The court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. All employees are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Judicial Employees which is available for review upon request. The court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement to withdraw the job announcement or to fill the position at any time before the closing date any of which actions may occur without any prior written or other notice. Due to the volume of applications received only candidates in consideration for this position will be contacted.