Summary

The Supervisory Administrative Assistant supervises at least three members of the administrative staff and provides support and advice to the Defender and/or Administrative Officer in a variety of administrative and management matters. The position reports directly to the Administrative Officer and interfaces regularly with leadership and staff at all levels, requiring the ability to manage competing demands effectively and communicate clearly in both written and verbal form.

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

Beyond administrative support, the Supervisory Administrative Assistant will play an active role in process improvement initiatives, contributing to the evaluation and refinement of office policies and procedures, and ensuring compliance with federal regulations and Defender Services guidelines. The position requires a high degree of professionalism, discretion, and the ability to exercise sound judgment with minimal supervision

Requirements

Conditions of employment

Appointment to this position is contingent upon the successful completion of an FBI name and fingerprint check.
You must be a U.S. citizen or person authorized to work in the United States.
Advanced proficiency in Excel and Microsoft Office is required.
Hands-on experience reviewing financial statements and other documents is expected.

Qualifications

General administration and management: responding to administrative inquiries from staff, ensuring adherence to personnel and procurement procedures and regulations, and assisting in the maintenance and monitoring of internal controls.
Financial management: assisting with financial operation and budget projections, reviewing and analyzing relevant data for staffing needs and resource allocation purposes, monitoring and controlling expenses and day-to-day accounting functions alongside the financial administrator, maintaining accounting records, and preparing and reviewing vouchers for payment.
Personnel administration and management: providing the Defender and Administrative Officer with technical advice in the areas of staffing, recruitment, compensation, and evaluation of employees, assisting in the creation of personnel policies, and maintaining personnel records.
Space, telecommunications, and office automation management: coordinating construction projects and office relocations, renovations and repairs, assisting with the procurement, installation and oversight of telecommunications equipment, and contracting for office equipment and furniture.
Purchasing, procurement, and property management: acts as advisor to staff in purchasing and procurement matters, monitors funds, assists with maintenance of data and administrative files.
Office operations: relieves the Administrative Officer of routine operation concerns, supervises office staff as assigned, may participate in training programs and other educational events for staff members.
Other duties: as designated by the Defender, may supervise the work of the Financial Administrator, Property and Procurement Administrator, and Personnel Administrator.

Preferred qualifications include:

An advanced degree in business administration, finance, public administration, organizational leadership, business analytics, or a related field.
Prior experience in a state or federal public defender officer or comparable state or federal government agency.
Spanish fluency is highly preferred.

Education

Applicants must be a high school graduate and have at least five years of progressively responsible experience in public administration, financial management, office operations, or a related field.

Additional information

This position will remain open until filled and is subject to the availability of funding.

Federal Public Defender employees are members of the judicial branch of the government and are considered "at will." This position is in the excepted service and does not carry the tenure rights of the competitive Civil Service.

The Federal Public Defender for the District of Puerto Rico 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.

Comprehensive benefits package that includes:

Health and life insurance
Vision and dental benefits
Flexible spending accounts
Paid time off
Sick leave and paid leave for all federal holidays
Participation in the Federal Retirement System and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP with up to 5% government matching contributions).

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Accurate compliance with these application instructions is a factor expressly considered in the evaluation of the applicant.

Required Documents

In one PDF document, please submit:

A letter of interest
Résumé
Three references

How to Apply

To apply, send a single .pdf document via email to Andrew_Mccutcheon@fd.org with the subject line, "2026-05 Sup.Admin.Assistant."

All qualified candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible (first preferential review is June 22, 2026, open until filled).

Agency contact information

Elizabeth Molina

Email: Elizabeth_Molina@fd.org

Address: Federal Public Defender, District of Puerto Rico
241 F.D. Roosevelt Ave.
San Juan, PR 00918
US

Next steps

Due to the volume of responses expected, only those invited to interview will be contacted. Local candidates will be interviewed in-person in San Juan, PR. Non-local candidates will have the option of being interviewed via Video Conference.

Supervisory Administrative Assistant Job in San Juan, PR