Deputy Chief Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. 26-DPS-12845600 Department Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts
Salary $202,125.00 to $224,583.00 Grade 00 to 00
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 12/15/2025 Close Date 1/5/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The Deputy Chief position is in the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Department of Program Services, Court Services Office (CSO). CSO is responsible for managing court administration and case management resources, programs, and services.

The CSO Deputy Chief is an AO Executive Service position serving as primary advisor to the CSO Chief in the discharge of duties. The Deputy Chief supports the Chief in ensuring that the mission, objectives, and goals of CSO are fully met.

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to current employees of the Federal Judiciary and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO). This position allows for situational, and recurring telework, but does not qualify for full-time or remote telework.

Duties

The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO), Department of Program Services (DPS), Court Services Office (CSO) is seeking an experienced Deputy Chief to join its team.

The Deputy Chief assists CSO, division and branch chiefs, accomplish the CSO's vision and mission goals. The Deputy supervises a staff of Operation Division attorneys that provide legal advice and written guidance to the CSO Chief, and other AO offices, and courts. The Deputy represents CSO interest and the Chief, when requested, in meetings with other AO offices, agencies, or with court executives.

The duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

  1. Directing, tracking, and reporting on CSO's progress on meeting goals and objectives.
  2. Ensuring CSO initiatives are in alignment with the AO's strategic direction.
  3. Ensuring staff meet advisory process activity deadlines, advising body members receive the information they need, and the required feedback is gathered from advisory bodies.
  4. Representing CSO interest and needs in agency-wide initiatives.
  5. Developing materials in support of efforts such as emergency preparedness, appropriations lapse, and continuity of operations plans; construction, security, structure, or reorganization efforts, and other initiatives.
  6. Advising the Chief on strategic decision and oversight activities of the Court Administration and Case Management Committee staff.
  7. Advising the Chief on policy and legislative proposal development within CSO's purview.
  8. Building relationship and coordinating regularly with Deputies and with other administrative offices to remove obstacles for CSO staff in performing their duties.
  9. Serving as acting CSO division or branch chief at the CSO Chief's direction.
  10. Reviewing staff's work products, including policy, advisory, and other materials, talking points, and presentations, and advising managers to ensure materials are structured or revised to achieve intended outcomes.
  11. Developing agendas and helping conduct trainings and providing counseling and mentorship to CSO managers.
  12. Developing agendas and helping conduct offsites that focus managers on strategic direction and initiatives and include that create team building and collaborative environments.
  13. Providing legal and strategic advice on human resources matters to the CSO Chief, including making recommendations on hiring, performance, and recognition actions.
  14. Working closely with the Business Support Division Chief to ensure that CSO's budget, procurement, and human resources goals and needs are being met, including tracking staff vacancies, projected costs, and available funding for increases and awards.
  15. Representing the CSO Chief and CSO interest before the CSO's Council and advisory and working groups, in Risk Management Team Meetings, and as a member of the Federal Judicial Center Executive Education Committee.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  1. All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
  2. Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration of Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship for competitive status positions or conversion to a competitive status position with the AO. If non-citizens are considered for hire into a temporary or any other position with non-competitive status or when it is confirmed by the AO Human Resources Office there are no qualified U.S. citizens for a competitive status position (unless prohibited by a law or statue), non-citizens must provide proof of authorization to work in the U.S. and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at USAJOBS Help Center | Employment of non-citizens/. For a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
  3. All new AO employees will be required to complete an FBI fingerprint-based national criminal database and records check and pass a public trust suitability check.
  4. New employees to the AO will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights/responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
  5. All new AO employees are required to identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment.
  6. You will be required to serve a trial period if selected for a first-time appointment to the Federal government, transferring from another Federal agency, or serving as a first-time supervisor. Failure to successfully complete the trial period may result in termination of employment.
  7. If appointed to a temporary position, management may have the discretion of converting the position to permanent depending upon funding and staffing allocation.

Qualifications

Applicants must have demonstrated experience which shows competence in the qualifications as listed below. This requirement is according to the AO Classification, Compensation, and Recruitment Systems which includes interpretive guidance and reference to the OPM Operating Manual for Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.

Specialized Experience: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-15/JSP-15/CL 31 level which is in or directly related to the line of work of this position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as follows:

  • Working in public or private sector position that provided a thorough understanding of organizational, procedural, and human aspects in managing an organization.
  • Communicating departmental and agency priorities.
  • Advising senior management on legal and administrative matters.

Desired, but Not Required:
  • law degree/JD
  • court leadership experience

Additional Assessment: Applicants who meet the specialized experience requirements also will be assessed on the following Mandatory Technical Qualifications (MTQs) and Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs).

Mandatory Technical Qualifications: The MTQs listed below should be evident in your resume. A supplemental narrative must be uploaded and attached to your application addressing each MTQ listed below.
  • Demonstrated experience providing strategic, legal, or policy guidance to senior leadership on complex organizational matters.
  • Demonstrated experience leading, supervising, or mentoring a diverse team of professionals.
  • Demonstrated experience managing or coordinating strategic initiatives and communicating progress to ensure alignment with agency-wide priorities, including identifying and reporting departmental needs.
  • Demonstrated experience reviewing, editing, or advising on policy documents, briefing materials, talking points, or executive-level presentations developed by others.
  • Demonstrated experience coordinating, contributing, or developing plans and materials in support of agency or organizational-wide efforts, such as emergency preparedness, appropriations lapse, and continuity plans; construction, security, structure, or reorganization efforts, or other initiatives.
  • Demonstrated experience providing strategic or legal advice to leadership on human resources matters, including hiring, recognition, workforce issues, or disciplinary actions.
Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs): Applicants currently serving in an AOES position or under a career Senior Executive Service (SES) appointment, eligible for reinstatement into SES, or have successfully completed a SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) approved by OPM are not required to submit a narrative response for the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ). A narrative response as part of the application package for each of the following ECQs is MANDATORY for all other applicants.
  1. Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment. Leadership Competencies: Creativity & Innovation, External Awareness, Flexibility, Resilience, Strategic Thinking, Vision.
  2. Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts. Leadership Competencies: Conflict Management, Developing Others, Team Building.
  3. Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks. Leadership Competencies: Accountability, Customer Service, Decisiveness, Entrepreneurship, Problem Solving, Technical Credibility.
  4. Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically. Leadership Competencies: Financial Management, Human Capital Management, Technology Management.
  5. Building Coalitions / Communication: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals. Leadership Competencies: Partnering, Political Savvy, Influencing/Negotiating.

Education

This position does not require a positive education requirement.

Additional information

The AO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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.

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.

We will review your resume and supporting documentation and compare this information to your responses on the occupational questionnaire to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications for this job. If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, we will evaluate your application package, to assess the quality, depth, and complexity of your accomplishments, experience, and education as they relate to the requirements listed in this vacancy announcement.

You should be aware that your ratings are subject to evaluation and verification. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume and/or narrative responses, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience. Failure to submit the mandatory narrative responses will result in not receiving full consideration and/or rating credit. Deliberate attempts to falsify information may be grounds for not selecting you, withdrawing an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.

Required Documents

For this job announcement the following documents and/or information are required:

  • Resume - Any written format you choose to describe your job-related qualifications.
  • MTQ Narrative - Statement addressing the MTQs
  • Current or former career AOES/SES members - Provide a copy of your AOES/SES appointment SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action), and an SF-50 showing current career AOES/SES status or reinstatement eligibility.
  • Applicants who have successfully completed an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (CDP) - Submit a copy of your CDP certification.
  • ECQ Narrative - A narrative response as part of the application package for each of the following ECQs is mandatory for all applicants who are not current or former career AOES/SES members, and/or completed an OPM approved CDP.
  • Citizenship - Include country of citizenship on resume.
  • Current or former Federal Civilian employees - All applicants outside of the AO must submit a copy of your latest SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action)to verify current or former Federal employment status.
  • Veterans Preference documentation - Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214), if applicable Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference (SF-15) and an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying to the veteran's present receipt of compensation.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

The complete application package must be submitted by 01/05/2026 to receive consideration. To begin:

  • Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account.
  • You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
  • You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
  • To verify the status of your application, 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 Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • Click the following link to view and print the occupational questionnaire https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12845600.

Agency contact information

Monique Shelton
Phone
(202) 502-2546
Email
Monique_Shelton@ao.uscourts.gov
Address
Department of Program Services
One Columbus Circle, NE
Washington, DC 20544
US

Next steps

After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your rating and referral to the hiring official if determined qualified. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.