Programmer - Software Developer

Whether launching or continuing a career in public service, the U.S. District Court is a great place to work with competitive salaries and benefits, a work schedule that promotes a work-life balance, and the opportunity to work with colleagues committed to fulfilling the important mission of administering justice in an efficient and effective manner. This position offers an excellent opportunity to advance a career in federal court service.

The Software Developer is located in the Clerk’s Office of the U.S. District Court and supports court operations through database application development and maintenance, systems analysis and design, software development, testing, documentation, reporting, automation, and user support and training. At the CL-27 level, the incumbent independently performs assignments of moderate complexity under general supervision, referring to unusual or precedent-setting problems to a supervisor. At the CL-28 level, the incumbent performs more complex assignments involving project management, technology planning, consultation with court leadership, and the development and implementation of court-wide technology solutions. The position does not include supervisory authority at either classification level and does not direct or assign the work of other staff.

Representative Duties for the CL-27

• Develop and modify software applications using C#, .NET, T-SQL, JavaScript, and other technologies in use by the court, including writing code to specifications, building custom reports, testing and debugging, and documenting completed work.
• Confer with technical staff and end users to identify requirements and design software applications, accounting for system capabilities, limitations, performance, and interfaces, and assess the feasibility of proposed solutions within established time and resource constraints.
• Install and test new or revised releases of national and local systems, coordinating with judiciary program offices and court staff to minimize disruption to court operations.
• Prepare and maintain technical documentation for locally developed software applications and systems.
• Develop, maintain, and support database applications and related automated solutions, including database design, queries, stored procedures, and reporting using SQL Server and T-SQL.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts using PowerShell, Bash, or Python to support application deployment, data processing, and recurring court operations tasks.
• Use source control, integrated development environments, and established change management procedures to manage code and migrate releases between the development, test, and production tiers.
• Evaluate, develop, test, and support approved artificial-intelligence-enabled solutions and workflow automation under established court and judicial processes and including validation of accuracy and appropriate human review.
• Provide user support and training on locally developed and national applications, including user documentation, job aids, and training materials.

Representative Duties for the CL-28

In addition to performing the duties identified at the CL-27 level, the CL-28 incumbent performs the following higher-level duties:

• Advise judges, senior managers, and court staff throughout the district on current and emerging technologies and on the automation of manual court processes and recommend technology purchases.
• Provide systems and software development services using the court’s development technologies, including PowerShell, Python, and REST or web service integrations, and maintain existing VB, Perl, and PHP applications.
• Work with judges, court management, and the user community to define system requirements that support the mission of the court.
• Serve as the court’s technical authority for SQL Server database design, administration, and performance tuning, and for the development toolchain, including Visual Studio, source control, and deployment processes.
• Design and carry out short- and long-range automation improvement plans for the court, including converting manual processes to current technologies and providing training on system use and capabilities, while ensuring changes are introduced with minimal disruption to court operations.
• Represent the district as a technical subject-matter expert in judiciary-wide initiatives and working groups.
• Research current and emerging technologies and trends, including commercial off-the-shelf software, cloud services, and artificial-intelligence-enabled solutions. Analyze the alternatives and assess each against the court’s security, privacy, records management, and data governance requirements.
• Develop prototype applications and coordinate with judges, senior managers, and staff to ensure development efforts meet the needs of the court.
• Develop, implement, and manage projects from inception to delivery, including complex project plans, design plans, and timelines.
• Coordinate and facilitate project meetings, monitor project schedules and expenditures against approved plans and budgets, and escalate resource constraints or schedule variances to IT management.
• Perform cost-benefit analysis on development projects.
• Serve as a technical resource to other programmers and court staff on non-routine technical questions.
• Apply judiciary internal control and separation-of-duties requirements to development work and recommend improvements to testing and deployment controls.

Minimum Qualifications: The successful applicant must have a minimum of two years of specialized experience, including at least one year equivalent to work at the CL-26 level for placement at CL-27, or at least one year equivalent to work at the CL-27 level for placement at CL-28. 

Specialized Experience is progressively responsible experience related to the technical aspects of data processing, office automation, and data communications and their applications, terminology and methodology, including the accomplishment of computer project assignments that involved systems analysis, design, design, programming, implementation, integration, and management.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience developing applications using C# and .NET (ASP.NET or ASP.NET Core), T-SQL and SQL Server, and JavaScript, and maintaining existing VB, Perl, or PHP applications.
• Experience using Visual Studio, Windows-based development tools, Linux/UNIX environments, and scripting in PowerShell, Bash, or Python.
• Experience evaluating, developing, implementing, or supporting approved artificial-intelligence-enabled solutions, including generative AI, machine learning, natural-language processing, intelligent document processing, or AI-assisted workflow automation. Ability to assess AI solutions for security, privacy, accuracy, accessibility, data governance, records management, and appropriate human oversight.
• Professional certifications or equivalent demonstrated experience in Microsoft technologies, SQL Server, Linux, cloud services, cybersecurity, project management, or responsible AI implementation.
• Knowledge of systems analysis, database design, application development, implementation, and maintenance.
• Experience using integrated development environments for the development, testing, and debugging software applications.
• Ability to design, maintain, and support application programs across multiple platforms.
• Knowledge of programming techniques and practices used to develop and implement software solutions.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills are sufficient to evaluate complex technical issues and identify appropriate solutions.
• Experience working directly with executives, judges, or other senior-level stakeholders on technology initiatives (CL-28).
• Experience with source control and modern development practices, including Git or comparable version control, automated testing, and structured release and change management.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The U.S. District Court is part of the federal judicial branch of government and is independent of the Executive and Legislative branches. The court sets its own employment policies including remote work and performance management, while also valuing employees’ individualism and continuing to strive towards a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

Compensation will be set based on experience and qualifications pursuing the policies and guidelines set forth in the Court Personnel System (CPS).

We offer a competitive salary along with full federal benefits, including health, dental, vision, and life insurance, a federal retirement plan, the Thrift Savings Plan with employer contributions, paid holidays, and paid annual and sick leave.

Judicial Branch employees are “at will” employees and are not subject to the employment regulations of competitive service. However, judiciary employees are entitled to benefits.

For more information about federal court benefits, please visit: www.uscourts.gov/careers/benefits.

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

The Court reserves the right to modify the conditions of this job announcement, or to withdraw the announcement without prior written or other notice.

The successful candidate for this position is subject to an FBI fingerprint check and background investigation (employment will be provisional and contingent upon the satisfactory completion of the required background investigation), will be required to adhere to a code of conduct, and is subject to mandatory direct deposit of federal wages.  The court is not authorized to reimburse travel expenses for interviews or relocations.

Interviewing Non-Citizens and Making Offers of Future Employment: Non-citizens may be interviewed and considered for employment, but employment offers will only be made to individuals who qualify under one of the exceptions in 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)(B). In most cases, this means that an offer of employment cannot be made unless the candidate is a lawful permanent resident who is seeking U.S. citizenship as explained below.

Under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)(B), a lawful permanent resident seeking citizenship may not apply for citizenship until he or she has been a permanent resident for at least five years (three years if seeking naturalization as a spouse of a citizen), at which point he or she must apply for citizenship within six months of becoming eligible, and must complete the process within two years of applying (unless there is a delay caused by the processors of the application).

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

We value diversity and are committed to equity and inclusion in our workplace. The Court encourages applications from all qualified individuals and seeks a diverse pool of applicants in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, languages spoken, veteran status, disability, religion, and socioeconomic circumstance.

The court provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities.  If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please notify the Human Resources Unit of the Clerk’s Office at 415-522-2147.

Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applicants must submit the following:

1. Cover Letter

2. Resume

3. Three professional references.

4. GitHub (optional)

To be considered for this position, visit our agency website at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/uscourtscandto submit the online application, along with the above-listed documents. Please be sure to fully complete your application by providing all work history from the past ten years. Attachments should be submitted as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files. Other formats are not acceptable. 

Applications will be considered complete when the online application and all required attachments, in the appropriate format, are received by the Human Resources Unit.