Special Assistant United States Attorney

About the role

The United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) is seeking a highly qualified applicant to fill our Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) position detailed to the United States Attorney's Office, District of New Jersey (USAO DNJ, Newark, New Jersey). Bring your skills and voice to our team!

What you will do

• Previous criminal law experience and/or experience in litigation is required.
• Previous experience as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) or Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) is beneficial but not required.
• Experience with Postal Service matters, healthcare fraud, narcotics investigations and public corruption is desired, but not required.
• Additionally, the applicant must possess strong academic credentials from an ABA accredited law school, demonstrate excellent writing, research ability, advocacy, and investigative skills, work effectively in a team environment, and have a proven record of creative thinking.
• Applicant must be an active member in good standing to practice law in any state, U.S. Territory, or the District of Columbia and be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction).
• The successful candidate will report to the USPS OIG Office of General Counsel (OGC) and the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) in the District of New Jersey (DNJ), Newark, New Jersey.
• He or she will primarily prosecute Postal employees who have engaged in theft of mail, embezzlement of funds, narcotics violations, healthcare fraud, and public corruption.
• The selectee will prosecute other cases as needed, for training or otherwise, as directed by the USAO.
• The successful candidate will engage in grand jury investigations and appear on behalf of the United States in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey for hearings, including: arraignments, bail hearings, preliminary and pretrial hearings, plea hearings, and sentencing hearings.
• The successful candidate will handle trials in United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and appeals in the United States Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
• The successful candidate will be responsible for preparing and presenting investigative and charging documents to include warrants, complaints, informations, and indictments.
• NOTE: This is a TERM appointment, with an initial term of two years, with the possibility of three additional extensions of up to one-year each.
• The position may be extended further without competition.
• NOTE: While this position reports to USPS OIG Headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, the candidate will be detailed full-time to the USAO DNJ.
• The candidate is expected to comply with residency requirements for the DNJ at the time they begin employment.
• Candidates will be evaluated on the skills that they possess that are directly related to the duties of the position and the experience, education and training that indicate the applicant's ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position.
• Only those candidates who meet all qualification and eligibility requirements and who submit the required information by 11:59 PM EST on 11/09/2026 will be considered.
• The USPS OIG uses a Pay Banding system, which is equivalent to the Federal GS scale.
• Grade and salary determinations will be made based upon a candidate's education and professional experience.
• This position is being advertised at the Journey/Attorney Band level, equivalent to a GS-13 to GS-14.
• The salary range for this position is $125,431.00 - $192,694.00.
• The salary figures include locality pay.
• Promotion potential to a GS-14 at management's discretion.
• Please note that the duties and responsibilities associated with this position may vary based upon the agency's needs at the time of hire.
• The following description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations.
• Provide legal advice and guidance to federal agents in the development of cases for prosecution.
• Conduct legal research, prepare and present to the district court necessary investigative documents, including motions, search warrants, and subpoenas to support the investigations undertaken by USPS OIG investigators.
• Lead the investigative team through investigations, case development, and grand jury presentation.
• This will include preparation of prosecution memoranda in compliance with the requirements of the USAO DNJ.
• Represent the USPS OIG and the federal government as the prosecuting attorney on assigned cases before judges and hearing officers at all stages of criminal litigation and appeal.
• Work closely with other USPS OIG agents and attorneys, other USAOs, the Department of Justice, and other organizations to keep abreast of legal developments and best practices, and to effectively represent the USPS OIG's interests.

Education

Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation here: ***

Special Instructions for Candidates with Foreign Education: Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in U.S. education programs.

You must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. credential evaluation service to interpret equivalency of your education against courses given in U.S. accredited colleges and universities.

For further information visit: ***

How you will be evaluated

The Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications required for this position.

You will no longer be considered for this position if you: Receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor Fail to attach all required documentation Submit a resume that exceeds the two-page limit If your application materials indicate that you are not minimally-qualified for this position If you fail to qualify on the interview Only the top-rated candidates will be referred to a review official or the selecting official for further consideration.

Top-rated applicants may be required to participate in an interview. Your rating may be further adjusted or rated as ineligible by the review official or the selecting official based on your interview performance. Once all applicant scores are finalized, the selecting official will make a final decision.

NOTE: If you receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor or on the interview, you will be considered NOT MINIMALLY QUALIFIED for the position and rated ineligible. Applicants for this position may be interviewed one or more times as part of the hiring process.

During interviews, applicants may not use any AI tool or virtual assistant (such as ChatGPT) to help them answer questions, except for accessibility tools used as part of a reasonable accommodation. Applicants who fail to follow these rules will be disqualified from the hiring process.

Documents you must provide

• You must submit all required documents by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date of this announcement, Vacancy Announcement EX-27-10B-13100631-PC, by closing date 11/09/2026.
• RESUME - IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages.
• You will no longer be considered for this announcement if your resume exceeds the two-page limit.
• It is essential that your resume and supporting documentation provide sufficient information to substantiate your qualifications for the announced position (categorize as "Resume").
• Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
• Make sure your page margins are 0.5 inches.
• The recommended font styles are Sans-Serif, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noto Sans.
• Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume.
• Your resume must be 5MB or less.
• We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages.
• The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
• COMPLETE OCCUPATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE.
• Click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire.
• (Required: You must click on "Submit My Answers" button at the end of the Questionnaire to complete this process) 3.
• One writing sample between 5-10 pages.
• Upload and save as "Writing Sample" document.
• Upload and save as "Cover Letter "document.
• Active bar member in good standing in any U.S. jurisdiction.
• Upload and save as "Other" document.
• TRANSCRIPTS from an accredited college or university.
• The information presented in the transcript must be verifiable and should contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, list of completed courses, semester hours, GPA, date and type of Bachelor's Degree issued.
• Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment.
• Attach document verifying that it has been deemed equivalent.
• For further information visit: ***
• (Required: Upload and save as "Transcript" document.) 7.
• PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL dated within the last 15 months.
• This is required from all applicants including Federal, USPS, OIG, and private sector employees.
• If a PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL is not available, you must submit a separate statement with the reason a performance appraisal is not available.
• (Required: Upload and save as "Performance Appraisal" document.) NOTE: An SF-50 IS NOT acceptable as a performance appraisal.
• UPLOAD SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS which may include: Certificates or Licenses, if applicable.
• Upload and save as "Certificate" or "License" document.
• Veterans Preference Documentation.
• If you are claiming veterans' preference.
• You must submit the Member 4 copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and/or other proof of veterans' preference eligibility, including your VA letter, SF-15 (***), and all required documents related to your SF15 claim.
• Veterans can request the Member 4 copy of their DD-214 at archives.gov/veterans/military-service- records and can download a copy of their VA letter from Download VA Benefit Letters | Veterans Affairs.
• If applicable, you are required to submit each veterans' preference document in the application packages.
• Please name these files as "DD-214" or "SF-15" or "Other Veterans Document." SF-50 if you are or have been a Federal employee to demonstrate tenure and competitive/excepted service for eligibility purposes.
• (If applicable to you, you are Required to upload each applicable SF-50 and categorize as a "SF-50" document.)

What to expect next

Once the Occupational Questionnaire has been received you will receive an acknowledgement e-mail that your submission was successful. After a review of your application package has been completed, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the Selecting Official.

Additional information

Pay is only part of the compensation you will earn working for the USPS OIG.

We offer a broad array of benefits programs: As a result of the passage of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 (PSRA), USPS employees (including USPS OIG) and retirees will transition from the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program to the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program effective January 1, 2025.

Detailed information about eligibility and enrollment will be provided upon hiring. For more information, visit the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program website at *** We offer Health, Dental, Vision, Life and Long-Term Care Insurances with Flexible Spending options as well.

For more information about these programs visit: *** Retirement and Thrift Savings. For more information about these programs see *** and tsp.gov/. Flexible Work Schedules.

USPS OIG offers a range of family-friendly flexibilities including flexible work schedules, telework and employee assistance programs. Leave and Holidays. In addition to eleven (11) paid holidays each year, you will earn thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave and thirteen (13) to twenty-six (26) paid vacation days each year depending on your years of service.

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Status: Exempt (Nonexempt employees are entitled to overtime pay; Exempt employees are not). This agency provides Reasonable Accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require accommodations for any part of the application and/or hiring process, please send an email to ***.

The decision on granting an accommodation request will be made on a case-by-case basis. For further information, please refer to our website at: ***