Assistant United States Attorney (Criminal)

Hiring Organization
USAO Southern District of Iowa
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Permanent
Job ID
26-IAS 12842307- AUSA

Location:
210 Walnut St, Suite 455
Des Moines, IA 50309 - United States

Application Deadline:
Sunday, December 7, 2025
About the Office

The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa employs approximately 30 Assistant United States Attorneys. The District's headquarters office is located in Des Moines. The District has staffed branch offices in Davenport and Council Bluffs, which serve the District's eastern and western divisions.

Job Description

Assistant United States Attorneys in the Southern District of Iowa handle a wide variety of complex cases, including drug trafficking and money laundering crimes, terrorism-related offenses, firearms and other violent crime offenses (including under the Department's Project Safe Neighborhoods and Project Safe Childhood initiatives), cyber-crimes, environmental crimes, immigration crimes and a variety of financial fraud and white-collar offenses. This vacancy is for a trial attorney in the district's Criminal Division in Des Moines. 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.

All initial attorney positions to the Department of Justice are subject to favorable adjudication of background check parameters and certified completion of a probationary/trial period. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition.

Qualifications

Required qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. degree, be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction), and have at least one-year post-J.D. legal or other relevant experience. At least three years of post-J.D. litigation experience is preferred, with extensive research and writing experience.

Preferred qualifications: Possess superior oral and written communication skills as well as strong interpersonal skills, exhibit good judgment, function with minimal guidance in a highly demanding environment, and a demonstrated record of integrity. Interested AUSAs or government attorneys must have at least a successful evaluation for the past year. All applicants must be an active member of the bar (any jurisdiction) and not have received any disciplinary action within the past three years from the date of the application. In addition, applicants must exhibit the ability to work in a supportive and professional manner with other attorneys, support staff, and client agencies, and the ability to lead, motivate, mentor, and evaluate other highly qualified attorneys.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate by experience, knowledge, or training, that they have an understanding of basic leadership and managerial skills. Ideal qualifications include at least three years of litigation experience in the role of lead counsel, with experience arguing motions and conducting federal jury trials, as well as prior experience supervising other litigation attorneys.

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

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree

Application Process

Please apply to the USAJobs advertisement here: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/851084500

You must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Required - Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
Required - Your resume showing relevant experience and dates of employment (include day/month/year).
Required, if applicable - To get Veterans' Preference, you must indicate your preference in response to the appropriate question in your assessment questionnaire and you must submit the appropriate supporting documentation. See the "How you will be Evaluated" section for details regarding what is appropriate Veterans' Preference documentation. It is also recommended that you include veterans' preference information in your cover letter or resume.
Required - A writing sample (5-10 pages).
Required - Cover Letter.

The Point of Contact for this vacancy announcement is Southern District of Iowa who can be reached at (515) 473-9300 or david.harris2@usdoj.gov@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

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

Salary Information: 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 $74,539 to $194,963 includes locality pay.