Duties
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Indiana is currently soliciting applications for positions as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) in its Criminal Division. Criminal AUSAs work closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to investigate federal crimes. They prosecute such crimes through every stage of litigation, from charging, discovery, and motions practice to trial, sentencing, and post-conviction challenges. And they develop broader initiatives to disrupt and deter criminal activity throughout the district.
The open positions are located in Hammond and South Bend, Indiana. However, if circumstances warrant, we are open to discussing the possibility of a position located in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Location Information:
Hammond, Indiana is located in Northwest Indiana. Minutes away from Chicago, Northwest Indiana offers low-cost, high-quality living and highly competitive salaries at the Chicago locality rate. The proximity of Chicago also offers a strong legal community, art and cultural institutions, world-class entertainment, and dining. The area boasts a variety of living options - from urban living and suburbs to small towns and rural communities. Northwest Indiana is also home to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Park and the Indiana Dunes State Park - both offering trails, camping and beaches along Lake Michigan.
For more information about the area, visit www.nwiforum.org
South Bend is located in the heart of the Great Lakes region between Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, and Indianapolis. The home of the University of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Law School, South Bend has a flourishing legal community and provides unique experiences through sports, arts and cultural heritage events, vibrant downtown riverfront communities, and extensive outdoor recreation and shopping venues, all just 90 miles east of Chicago.
For more information about the area, visit www.visitsouthbend.com.
Fort Wayne is the second-largest city in the state of Indiana, and the hub of Northeast Indiana. Northeast Indiana is in the middle of it all, located just three hours or less by car from Midwest cities including Chicago, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis - but with its own unique vibe and easygoing lifestyle. Fort Wayne consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in the U.S. and boasts some of the nation's lowest cost of living. The Northeast Indiana region fits all kinds of lifestyles for those who want to stay busy in Fort Wayne's vibrant downtown, relax in the laid-back small communities, or seek outdoor adventure in the northern lake counties.
For more information about the area, visit www.neindiana.com and www.visitfortwayne.com.
To learn more about the state of Indiana, visit www.visitindiana.com.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
To be eligible for this position, you must meet the following requirements:
- U.S. Citizenship: You must be a United States Citizen or National.
- 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 for additional information.
- 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.
- Licensure Requirement: You must possess a J.D. degree and be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction). You will be required to maintain an active bar membership in "good standing" in order to retain employment.
- 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 specific information.
All initial attorney positions to the Department of Justice are made on a 14-month (temporary) basis. (See
Qualifications Section of this announcement).
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT INFORMATION: This is an open continuous announcement that is intended to continually solicit applications in order to fill immediate and future vacancies. Applicants should timely submit their applications by the deadlines listed below for consideration. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications by the earliest feasible deadline. Applicant lists will be pulled on the dates below.
- September 11, 2025
- October 9, 2025
- November 6, 2025
Additional application reviews will be conducted every 30 days after November 6, 2025 until the vacancies are filled or closing of this announcement whichever comes first. Applicants will remain on file for 6 months.
You must apply
online and submit a
complete application by the closing date/or pull date of your application submission in order to be considered for this position (See
Required Documents Section of this announcement).
All applicants must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date/or pull date of the application submission to this announcement (See
Qualifications Section of this announcement).
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least (1) one year of post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.
United States citizenship is required.
Preferred Qualifications: Preferred qualifications include at least three or more years of post-J.D. legal experience or other significant relevant experience.
Applicants should possess a strong work ethic, litigation experience, good judgment, and excellent ability in legal research, analysis, writing, communication, and advocacy. Applicants should be able to work well both independently and on a team, including when under pressure, and they should be able to work effectively with staff, attorneys, law enforcement officers, and others. Applicants must be dedicated to justice, excellence, and public service.
Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.
Education
Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree from an accredited law school in the United States or U.S. Territories.
All academic degrees and coursework must be completed at a college or university that has obtained accreditation or pre-accreditation status from an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For a list of schools that meet this criterion, see www.ed.gov.
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. § 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.
Equal Employment Opportunity: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor.
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. 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.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees. For more information visit OPM's site for Federal Employee Compensation Package.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
Evaluation Method: Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. An attorney interview panel will then review all qualified applicants and make recommendations for invitation to interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview.
The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete.
Veterans' Preference: 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 indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume), and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. 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, http://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 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).
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.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section of this announcement.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 08/27/2026 or pull date of your submission 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.
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.
Next steps
Application Status Updates: Please visit www.usajobs.gov to view the status of your application. You will receive email updates as your application progresses through each step of the process. Please do NOT contact our office for the status of your application.
We will notify you of the outcome after each step of the recruitment process has been completed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct a suitability/security background investigation, to include a credit and tax checks, and a drug test by urinalysis. We expect to make final job offers within 30 days of the pull dates or 120 days after the closing date of the announcement.