Adminsitrative Assistant

United States Probation and Pretrial Services

Western District of Washington

Administrative Assistant

Announcement Number

26-WAW-22

Announcement date

May 21, 2026

Closing Date

Open until filled; preference given to applications received by June 10, 2026.

The U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office for the Western District of Washington is currently accepting applications for the position of Administrative Assistant.  Administrative Assistants provide support to federal law enforcement officers in a wide range of areas to support the mission of the agency. The successful candidate must be responsible, flexible, and able to work collaboratively in a professional environment that requires discretion and confidentiality.

There are five offices within the Western District of Washington (Seattle, Tacoma, Tukwila, Everett, and Vancouver). This position is located in the Probation and Pretrial Services office in Seattle, Washington, with some required travel to the other offices within the district.

Representative Duties

• Organizes, prepares, and maintains paperless/electronic case files.
• Enters case file and statistical date into automated databases.
• Retrieves records from criminal records databases and other courts.
• Format reports; prepare letters, memoranda, recurring reports, and forms.
• Answers telephones; greets visitors and clients, referring them to appropriate staff.
• Processes incoming/outgoing mail and electronic notifications / documents
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent and a minimum of two years progressively responsible administrative or clerical experience. Experience in a court or related legal field is preferred. 
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite.  
• Proven experience in handling multiple priorities including frequent interruptions.
• Strong computer skills and the ability to type at least 65 w.p.m.
• Excellent written skills: editing, spelling, punctuation, grammar.
• Ability to take initiative and work without direct supervision.
• Ability to communicate information in an accurate, timely, and discreet manner with a wide variety of people tactfully and courteously, both in person and on the phone.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to problem-solve.
• Ability to exercise sound independent judgment and maintain strict confidentiality.
• Ability to work well under stress.
• An attendance record that indicates reliability and commitment.

Salary Range

Court Personnel System Classification Level:

CL23, Step 1 – 61, $45,347 - $73,766 annually

CL24, Step 1 – 61, $50,241 - $81,660 annually

Depending on experience and qualifications; additional promotional potential without further recruitment.

Benefits

The District Court offers a generous benefit package, competitive salary, and a dedication to work/life balance including flexible schedules, ORCA transit passes, and telework opportunities. Judiciary employees participate in the Federal Employees Retirement System, Thrift Savings Plan (similar to a 401K), health and life insurance benefits, long term care options, annual sick leave accrual, and eleven paid holidays per year. Judiciary employees are not covered by the Office of Personnel Management’s civil service classification system or regulations. For additional information on employment with the federal courts, please visit www.uscourts.gov.

Information for Applicants

Qualified applicants are required to submit the following:

• Cover letter and resume
• From the following list of competencies associated with the position of Administrative Assistant, please select two and describe why you feel they are important for this position?
• Policy and Court System Awareness
• Ethics and Values
• Quality Driven
• Problem Solving
• Planning
• Continuous Learning
• Communication
• Composure
• Team Orientation
• Workload Management

• Completed *AO78, Application for Federal Employment - *For this vacancy announcement (26-WAW-22), you do not need to complete the optional background information – questions 18, 19, and 20.

Attachments must be submitted as Microsoft Word (DOC) or Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. Other formats are not acceptable. Applications will only be considered complete when the required attachments, with the required information in the appropriate format, are received by Human Resources. Incomplete applications and/or attachments received after the closing date may not be considered in the recruitment process. Application materials can be submitted via e-mail to:

seattle_personnel@wawd.uscourts.gov

Only qualified applicants will be considered for this position. Applicants must be United States citizens or eligible to work in the United States. Applicants selected for interviews must travel (for in person interviews) or connect via Zoom (for remote interviews) at their own expense. Qualified applicants selected for interviews will be tested.

U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services for the Western District of Washington is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals and seek a diverse pool of applicants in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, disability, religion, and socio-economic circumstance.

The United States District Court requires employees to follow a code of conduct which is available upon request. Reference checks with current and former employers will be conducted on top candidates. A background investigation with law enforcement agencies, including fingerprint and criminal record checks, will be conducted as a condition of employment. Any applicant selected for a position will be hired provisionally pending successful completion of the investigation. Unsatisfactory results may result in termination of employment.  Employees of the United States District Court are considered “at will” employees. 

The Federal Financial Management Reform Act requires direct deposit of federal wages.

The Court provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please notify human resources. The decision on granting reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, to withdraw the announcement, or to fill the position sooner than the closing date, any of which may occur without prior written or other notice. If a position becomes vacant in a similar classification, within a reasonable time from the original announcement, management may elect to select a candidate from the applicants who responded to the original announcement without posting the position. More than one position may be filled from this announcement.

The United States District Court is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the workplace.