Assistant United States Attorney - Criminal Division

USAO Southern District of Iowa
Southern District of Iowa
Attorney
110 East Court Ave
Des Moines, IA 50309
United States
4-SDIA-AUSA-23
About the Office: 

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa employs 28 Assistant United States Attorneys.  The District’s headquarters office is located in Des Moines.  The District has staffed branch offices in Davenport and Council Bluffs, which serve the District’s eastern and western divisions.

As the federal agency whose mission is to ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans, the Department of Justice is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment. To build and retain a workforce that reflects the diverse experiences and perspectives of the American people, we welcome applicants from the many communities, identities, races, ethnicities, backgrounds, abilities, religions, and cultures of the United States who share our commitment to public service.

Job Description: 

This vacancy is for three positions in the Des Moines, Iowa office: One position in Civil Rights, One position in Domestic Terrorism and Violent Crime, and one position in eLitigation.  Please specify the job for which you are applying, as you may also be considered for the other positions. 

Civil Rights: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa is seeking to hire an Assistant United States Attorney to work on the office’s civil and criminal Civil Rights cases. Affirmative civil enforcement practice areas including housing and fair lending, voting rights, language access, educational rights, servicemembers’ rights, the rights of institutionalized (including incarcerated) persons, pattern and practice of police misconduct, employment discrimination, Americans with Disabilities Act enforcement, and environmental justice. The criminal duties will enhance work in the areas of hate crimes, color of law prosecutions, and human trafficking.

Domestic Terrorism and Violent Crime: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa is seeking to hire an Assistant United States Attorney to represent the United States in the investigation and prosecution of Domestic Terrorism and/or Violent Crimes cases. This position will focus on confronting and curtailing violent crime in Iowa and may involve prosecution of a wide range of cases from firearms and drug trafficking offenses; Hobbs Act robberies; arsons; domestic terrorism and other violent crimes.

eLitigation: The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa is seeking to hire an Assistant United States Attorney to lead the District to establish and implement standardized discovery and case-management practices; serve as one of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s eLitigation Coordinators; improve the use of existing tools (e.g. Eclipse, Everlaw, eZmanage, Evidence.com); provide litigation support and consultation at every stage of litigation from investigation through trial; work across divisions to establish best practices and train attorneys; and provide support as co-counsel on a select number of cases.

Qualifications: 

Conditions of Employment:

  • You must be a United States Citizen.
  • Background Investigation, credit and tax checks, and drug test required.
  • You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.
  • J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.
  • Residency Requirements: 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.
  • Selective Service: 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.

Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction) and have at least one-year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.  At least three years of post-J.D. litigation experience is preferred, with extensive research and writing experience.

Preferred qualifications:  Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and the ability to accurately and precisely articulate the critical issues in a case.  Applicants must demonstrate superior oral and writing skills as well as strong research and interpersonal skills, and good judgment.  Applicants must possess excellent communication and courtroom skills and exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff, law enforcement, and client agencies.  Applicants must have a demonstrated capacity to function, with minimal guidance, in a highly demanding environment.

Salary: 
Assistant United States Attorneys' pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay for this position is $69,480 to $163,025, which includes locality pay.
Travel: 
Occasional travel, both within and outside the District, may be required, including for training at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center.
Application Process: 

Applicants should send a resume and specify which position is being applied for and if you would like to be considered for multiple positions. 

Also fill out and send the Attorney Questionnaire  to: USAIAS.Applications@usdoj.gov.  

Please add Job number 4-SDIA-AUSA-23 to the subject line of emailed application. 

Please send entire application package in one pdf file. 

If you are currently an attorney with a federal agency, please include a copy of your most recent SF 50-B, Notification of Personnel Action.  No telephone calls please. Resume and completed questionnaire must be received by the closing date of May 30, 2023.

Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication.  This includes fingerprint and credit checks, and drug testing.  In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.  All initial attorney appointments to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis pending favorable adjudication of a background investigation.    

Internet Sites: More information about the Southern District of Iowa may be found at:  https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdia.  This and other attorney vacancy announcements can be found at:  http://www.justice.gov/careers/legal/attvacancies.html.

Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Application Deadline: 
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Relocation Expenses: 
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
Number of Positions: 
This vacancy is for three positions in the Des Moines, Iowa, headquarters office, within the Criminal Division
Updated May 16, 2023

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Department Policies

Equal Employment Opportunity:  The U.S. Department of Justice is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer.  Except where otherwise provided by law, there will be no discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex - including gender identity, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status - or because of age (over 40), physical or mental disability, protected genetic information, parental status, marital status, political affiliation, or any other non-merit based factor.  The Department of Justice welcomes and encourages applications from persons with physical and mental disabilities. The Department is firmly committed to satisfying its affirmative obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to ensure that persons with disabilities have every opportunity to be hired and advanced on the basis of merit within the Department of Justice. For more information, please review our full EEO Statement.

Reasonable Accommodations:  This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency.  Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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. § 213.3102(u)) hiring authority.  Individuals with 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 must have lived in the United States for at least three of the past five years. The three-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. This is a Department security requirement which is waived only for extreme circumstances and handled on a case-by-case basis.

Veterans:  There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must include that information in their cover letter or resume and attach supporting documentation (e.g., the DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) to their submissions. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service- connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that their retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more).

USAO Residency Requirement:  Assistant United States Attorneys must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof.  See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

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This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.