Hiring Organization
USAO Southern District of California
Hiring Office
Southern District of California- San Diego
Attorney Appointment Type
Attorney Term
Job ID
25-SDCA-12830384-AUSA15
Location:
880 Front Street, Room 6293
San Diego, CA 92101-8893 - United States
Application Deadline:
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
About the Office
If you are looking for an exciting and challenging career, this is the position for you! With a talented workforce of over 100,000 people, the mission of the Department of Justice is to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights. You will be part of a dedicated team helping to enforce Federal criminal and civil laws that protect life, liberty and the property of citizens.
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.
This is a temporary appointment not-to-exceed 03/31/2028.This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition.
This is an open continuous announcement to fill current and future vacancies.
Applicant lists will be pulled on 11/19/2025 and every two weeks thereafter until the closing date.
Positions are open until filled, but no later than September 30, 2026.
Candidates must apply to each vacancy for which they want to be considered.
As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.
Job Description
Overview of the United States Attorney's Office - Southern District of California 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.
Duties of Criminal Assistant United States Attorneys 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.
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
Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree, be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1 year post-J.D.(or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience. Proof of an active bar membership is required.
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.
Application Process
To apply for this position, you must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified below to the USAJobs Website link below: .
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/849604100
You must provide a complete Application Package which includes all the following 6 documents:
1) Required: Your responses to the Online Occupational Questionnaire (This is completed automatically during the apply online process).
2) Required: Criminal AUSA Application Form- Application Form
3) Required: A Cover Letter.
4) Required: 1 Legal Writing Sample ((such as an appellate brief, substantive brief, or memorandum) that reflects your own work and does not exceed a total of 15 pages).
5) Required: Your resume cannot exceed two pages - you will be deemed ineligible and receive no further consideration if your resume exceeds two pages - USAJOBS for formatting requirements . Include relevant employment history as outlined below for each job:
Official position title (if Federal, include series/grade),
Employer name and contact information,
Start and end dates (for full consideration you must include month, day, and year),
Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time, and
A list of duties performed and accomplishments.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
6) 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.
Application Packages missing any of the required 6 documents will not be considered until all required documents are submitted.
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 as set forth in the annual Appropriations Act (see, https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/non-citizens/). 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.
Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office by providing a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
Position title;
Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
Agency; and
Beginning and ending dates of appointment.
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 $84,461 to $195,100 per annum which includes a 33.72% 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.
This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information.
Travel: Occasional Travel both within and outside the District as necessary.
Type of Position: This is a term appointment not-to-exceed 3/31/28. This position may be extended or made permanent without further competition.
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 conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances.
Political Appointees (Current and Former): Political Appointees (Current or Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service.
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.
EEO Statement: 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.
