Assistant United States Attorney

Hiring Organization
USAO Southern District of California
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Term
Job ID
26-SDCA-12865158-AUSA01

Location:
516 Industry Way
Imperial , CA 92251 - United States

Application Deadline:
Thursday, April 30, 2026
About the Office

The Southern District of California (SDCA) is one of the largest U.S. Attorney's offices in the country with one of the largest caseloads. This office prosecutes federal crimes and defends the interests of the United States government in civil cases. SDCA encompasses San Diego and Imperial Counties and includes a branch office in Imperial, California.

Job Description

The Criminal Division is organized into three sections: General Crimes, Organized Crimes and Special Prosecution. (See the San Diego U.S. Attorney's office website https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/criminal-division for a detailed description of each section). The General Crimes Section is comprised of four units: Intake, Fast Track, three Trial Teams, and the Sentencing Unit. Most Criminal AUSAs begin their careers in General Crimes. General Crimes handles a large volume of reactive cases that arise from policing the 141-mile-long border between California and Mexico, six Ports of Entry, and the roughly 70 miles of coastline stretching from the U.S./Mexico border to the northernmost tip of San Diego County. Such cases commonly include illegal entry and reentry, drug importation and smuggling, and alien smuggling. Aside from their reactive cases, prosecutors in the section also handle firearms-related matters, drug distribution, child exploitation, fraud, and other prosecutions. General Crimes prosecutors try a large number of cases and conduct proactive investigations using a wide range of investigative tools and pursue matters involving undercover operations and confidential sources. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

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.

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.

Qualifications

You must be a United States Citizen or National.

Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.

You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.

J.D. degree and active member of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction) required.

This is a temporary position not-to-exceed 03/31/28. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition.

Must reside in the district to which appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district specific information.

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 year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience.

United States citizenship is required.

Preferred Qualifications: Applicants must demonstrate a quick analytical ability and an aptitude for accurately articulating 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, and client agencies. Applicants must also have demonstrated excellent computer literacy skills, to include experience with automated research on the Internet, electronic court filing, and electronic e-mail and word processing systems. AUSAs receive training by the U.S. Department of Justice and by the U.S. Attorney's Office. Appointment is subject to an FBI background investigation, including credit, arrest, and drug use inquiries.

You must meet all qualification requirements upon the closing date of this announcement.

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, must currently be an active bar member of a state bar in good standing (any U.S. jurisdiction) and have a least 1 year post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience in order to be considered.

Application Process

To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above.

The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 04/30/2026 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.

Application Packages missing any of the required 6 documents will not be considered until all required documents are submitted.

You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. However, should you not be able to apply online, please contact Southern District of California at (619) 546-9474 or email at marina.felix@usdoj.gov, prior to the closing date of this announcement to request an alternate method of applying.

The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is Southern District of California who can be reached at (619) 546-9474 or marina.felix@usdoj.gov

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 conflicts of interest or disqualification issues that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.

Salary

Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $89,474 to $197,100 per annum which includes a 36.47% locality pay.

Other Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees.

Benefits: This is a temporary position which offers limited benefits such as paid vacation, sick leave, telework, and holidays.