The U.S. Dept. of Justice (DOJ) has prioritized immigration enforcement and other border-related issues through an initiative known as the Border District Surge. In support of this mission, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of NY, a border district, is seeking an Assistant U.S. Attorney to work in the Civil Division in Albany or Syracuse, NY for a term, not-to-exceed 03/31/2028. For more information on the DOJ and U.S. Attorneys' Offices, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/.
Duties
The United States Department of Justice has prioritized immigration enforcement and other border-related issues through an initiative known as the Border District Surge (BDS). In support of this mission, the United States Attorney's Office for the NDNY, a border district, is seeking an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) to work in the Civil Division in its Albany, New York or Syracuse, New York office for a term, not-to-exceed March 31, 2028. AUSAs in NDNY's Civil Division defend the United States in civil litigation, including immigration, torts, employment discrimination, and attacks on the legality of government decisions. Civil Division AUSAs also investigate and prosecute civil enforcement actions, including False Claims Act qui tam litigation and matters under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The selected AUSA will handle defensive and affirmative civil litigation in areas that are a priority under the BDS initiative, such as, for example, civil immigration litigation (to include mandamus and habeas petitions and actions under the Administrative Procedure Act), civil CSA enforcement, and other civil cases to the extent that they relate to the BDS priorities. The selected AUSA will handle all aspects of the cases to which they are assigned, including investigating allegations, conducting discovery, leading settlement negotiations, participating in mediation, writing motions and briefs, collaborating with federal agency counsel, and representing the United States in court at conferences, hearings, and trials. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as training and experience progress. Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment 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. Selective Service Requirement: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov. Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys 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. Travel Requirement: Employment will require occasional travel to court at one of the designated District sites, namely Albany, Auburn, Binghamton, Malone, Plattsburgh, Syracuse, Utica, and Watertown. Other occasional travel within and/or outside the District may be required.
Salary
Qualifications
Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1-year post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience. Applicants must hold United States citizenship. Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidate will: Have at least 3 years of post-J.D. experience that provided significant opportunity to develop strong legal writing, oral advocacy, and courtroom litigation skills; Demonstrate facility with federal civil practice; Be comfortable with all aspects of electronic discovery and litigation; Collaborate effectively with others, including AUSAs, law enforcement, support staff, and court personnel; Possess impeccable integrity; and Be self-motivated, justice-oriented, organized, and courteous. Applicants must meet all qualification requirements upon closing date of this announcement. All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation. 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. This is a TERM position, not-to-exceed March 31, 2028. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition. The staffing, continuation, or extension of this position is subject to the availability of funds. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree.
Required Documents
You must provide a complete Application Package, which includes the following information/documents in the format specified: Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process). Required: A cover letter not-to-exceed one page addressed to the United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, C/O Brianna Strauss, Executive Assistant describing your qualifications, interest in NDNY, and desired office location(s) to include Albany and/or Syracuse. Required: Your resume not-to-exceed one page including relevant experience and dates of employment (include month/year) for each period (paid or volunteer), date J.D. was awarded (include month/year), and date of Bar Admission (include month/year). Required: A writing sample representing written legal advocacy. Please include a cover page to the writing sample with a short description of the source of the sample, the level of editing it received, and the degree of original work. Required, if applicable: A recent copy of an 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 get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume. Department of Justice Policies 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. ยง 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. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment: Position title; Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee); Agency; and Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 04/30/2025 to receive consideration. 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 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 Maria Farrell at 315-488-0963 or via email at maria.farrell@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.
