A Federal Agency

A career with PSA offers a unique federal government experience. As one of only a handful of U.S. government agencies that serve a distinctly local mission, PSA employees enjoy both the personal satisfaction of directly affecting the lives of the residents of the District of Columbia and the benefits and opportunities of federal government employment.

A Variety of Opportunities

Pretrial Services Officers form PSA’s largest occupational group. These individuals provide supervision services to individuals on pretrial release in the District of Columbia. However, to support the Agency’s supervision function, PSA also employees a full range of other positions ranging from treatment professionals, social services resource specialists, counselors and drug testing technicians to statisticians, information technology specialists, and facilities managers, to name just a few. More information on some of our key positions is provided below:

Work Life at PSA

In recognizing its role as a leader, PSA is committed to being a learning organization. PSA focuses on both individual and organizational learning. PSA has created a supportive work environment that enables employees to be empowered professionally and effectively able to balance work and personal responsibilities.

In the most recent survey of federal employees , PSA/CSOSA ranked among the top 10 agencies in the categories of leadership and knowledge management, results-oriented performance culture, talent management and job satisfaction. PSA results also were listed separately and PSA ranked significantly higher than the overall federal workforce in many areas. Read more…

PSA empowers its workforce by promoting learning and developing leadership skills at every level. Pretrial Services Officers are required to complete 40 hours of training annually. These hours may be earned in a variety of ways, including attending formal training and professional conferences, shadowing other officers to learn other Agency processes, on-the-job training, and/or short details to other Agency units. Supervisors are rated on how well they develop their employees. Employees are rated on how proactively they have pursued fulfilling their professional development requirement.

PSA’s Training and Career Development Center enables employees to succeed by actively assessing their learning needs and bringing competitive, state-of-the art training into the Agency on an on-going basis. Learning opportunities include job-specific classes such as officer safety, self-defense, policies associated with warrant and record checks, and use of WALES/NCIC management information systems; as well as classes that provide general learning such as time management, project management, how to make effective presentations, and conflict resolution, among others.

PSA also has a Mentoring Program which is an excellent career development tool for the younger employees in the workforce. Agency leaders serve as seasoned mentors; and many protégés return to the program as mentors. To date, one third of the workforce has participated either as a mentor or protégé.

Through PSA’s Tuition Reimbursement Program, employees have the opportunity to fine tune and further their academic background. In addition, the Substance Abuse Treatment Training Program ensures that employees involved in providing treatment and referral services to defendants stay on the cutting edge of substance abuse treatment theory and practice. The program also fulfills classroom hours certification requirements that treatment specialists are required to acquire and maintain.

Our Leadership Potential Program is designed to develop leaders in place at the staff level. This highly competitive one-year program includes formal training, readings in the field of leadership and management, an individual development plan focused on leadership in place, and regular meetings with senior leaders of the Agency. In addition, each participant must complete an action-learning project that contributes directly to the accomplishment of the mission and strategic plan.

In addition to training sessions held throughout the year, PSA holds its Annual Training and Professional Development Conference, which offers two days of training to all agency staff through dozens of workshops in a wide range of topics for professional and personal development.

A Great Location

PSA headquarters is located in the heart of the nation's capital. In addition to being the political capital of the world, the District of Columbia boasts an ethnically diverse population, a vibrant arts community, several major universities, distinct neighborhoods, hundreds of entertainment venues as well as close proximity to national parks and other natural attractions. Whether you desire a small town feel, or big city excitement, Washington, DC, is an ideal place to build a career and make home.

We encourage you to consider a career with PSA. The links below provide information on our current vacancies, how to apply, and employee benefits.

Employee Benefits

Federal employment offers an attractive benefits package that includes paid holidays, annual and sick leave, comprehensive health coverage, life insurance, retirement programs, and a Thrift Savings Plan.

These benefits are described briefly below:

Family-Friendly Programs

PSA has a variety of programs and policies in place to help employees balance their work and family responsibilities. Our family-friendly initiatives include:

The Alternative Work Schedule Program (AWS) is designed to allow employees flexibility in scheduling their tour of duty beyond the standard 5-day/8-hour workweek. With supervisory approval, eligible employees may choose various flexibilities including a compressed work schedule (which allows a day off each pay period) and flexitime (fixed core hours with flexible beginning and ending times).

Under the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP) the accrued annual leave of one Federal employee is available for transfer to the annual leave account of another Federal employee faced with a qualifying medical emergency. The medical emergency can be the employee's or that of a family member. Leave can be transferred to or from an employee in most other Federal agencies.

PSA's Telecommuting Program provides eligible employees, with supervisory approval, an opportunity to work a segment of his/her official duty hours away from the official/traditional worksite, typically at their own residence. Telecommuting opportunities can increase employee productivity, allowing for fewer interruptions and more focused time.

The Employee Assistance Program provides employees and their immediate family members with professional counseling and referral services, free of charge, to help them manage life events. EAP counselors provide short-term counseling and, if needed, will also refer employees to services and resources in the community. EAP services are strictly confidential.

PSA employees are offered a non-taxable transit subsidy up to the employee’s actual eligible transit costs, not to exceed the maximum amount allowable by law. PSA provides the transit subsidy to encourage agency employees to use mass transit to commute to and from work.

Drug-Free Workplace program

As the largest employer in the nation, the federal government has a compelling interest in establishing reasonable conditions of employment; prohibiting employee drug use is one such condition. The use of illegal drugs on or off duty by federal employees is inconsistent not only with the law abiding behavior expected of all citizens, but also with the special trust placed in such employees as servants of the government.

As a law enforcement organization, the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia has the responsibility of eliminating illegal drug use from its workplace. PSA also has a legal duty to ensure a drug-free and safe work environment that protects the public and our employees from the dangers of drug use.

PSA has developed a Drug Free Workplace Program that complies with Executive Order (EO) 12564, Drug-Free Federal Workplace, and which has been approved by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The program is fair, reasonable and considers the rights of all PSA employees. It consists of four major elements: supervisory training, employee education, drug screening, and rehabilitation.

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Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program

PSA’s Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program provides a non-adversarial approach to resolving workplace disputes. The ADR Program provides a quick, confidential method for resolving conflict at the lowest possible level, avoiding protracted legal processes, and allowing the agency and employees to identify and address the underlying causes of conflict. ADR interventions allow employees to retain greater control over the outcome of the dispute, preserve working relationships, lay a foundation for future problem solving and result in happier, more satisfied employees.

PSA makes skilled professionals available to employees to help them work through issues between individuals or within work units and makes extensive use of mediation as a conflict resolution tool.

Mediation is an informal process in which a neutral third party, the mediator, assists the opposing parties in reaching a voluntary, negotiated resolution of the complaint. Mediation is different from other forms of dispute resolution in that the parties participate voluntarily, and the mediator has no authority to make a decision. The decision-making power rests in the hands of the parties. Other ADR conflict resolution strategies include consultation, conflict management team building, and facilitation. The ADR Program can also customize interventions to address situations that cannot be resolved using the traditional tools.

Referrals for ADR come from various sources including employees, management officials, co-workers, the Equal Employment Opportunity Program Office, and the Employee and Labor Relations Office. Employees can contact the ADR Program Manager directly to request assistance with a workplace issue.

The Federal EEO program began under the EEO ACT of 1972 (Public Law 92-261) and is designed to ensure fair treatment to all segments of society without regard to race, religion, color, national origin or sex. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act added nondiscriminatory employment coverage based on age and physical or mental disability, respectively. EEO programs include affirmative action for employment as well as discrimination complaint processes and remedies.

Equal Opportunity Program

What Is Equal Employment Opportunity?

Equal employment opportunity is fair treatment in employment, promotion, training, and other personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, and physical and/or mental disability. One of the main misconceptions of EEO is that EEO is only for selected groups. EEO is for everyone; it's the law!

Who Is Covered By The EEO Program?

All employees, including supervisors and managers, former employees, and applicants for employment of the Pretrial Services Agency for the District of Columbia are covered by the EEO Program, regardless of grade level or position.