Working Here

Welcome to the Human Resource section of our website. Here you will find resources that our employees can use.

EMPLOYMENT DISPUTE RESOLUTION PLAN
Click Here to access the FPDO’s Employment Dispute Resolution Plan of the District of Wyoming.

Career Vacancies

Employees of the Federal Public Defender’s Office are members of the judicial branch of government. Positions in our office are considered at will and covered by excepted service provisions; they do not include the tenure rights covered by the competitive Civil Service Reform Act.

Recruitment Process

When career vacancies are posted on our website, please submit applications based on the requirements listed in the job announcement. All applicants will receive an autogenerated confirmation email; however, only applicants who meet the minimum requirements will be contacted for an interview. Applicants who are not selected for an interview should receive correspondence from us at the end of the recruitment process.

We encourage all people who meet the minimum qualifications to apply—we look forward to reviewing your applications.

Compensation

When determining the starting salaries of available positions in our office, we consider internal equity, professional experience (both general and specialized), education, and training of selected applicants. Newly hired people are provided with the salary calculations we use to establish their incoming salaries. Candidates who transfer into our office from a judiciary position outside of our office should request salary information during the recruitment process. Salary is paid biweekly and only by Electronic Funds Transfer (direct deposit).   

Pay Periods

There are 26, biweekly pay periods per year. Employees receive their biweekly salary the Friday following a pay period.

Benefits

Full-time, part-time, and temporary, one-year-one-day employees receive several federal benefits that include the following:

The Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) – FERS is a retirement plan that provides benefits from three different sources (a Basic Benefit Plan, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan). The Basic Benefit and Social Security require employees to pay their share each pay period. Employee contributions are based on date of hire:

As of October 1, 2020, our agency is responsible for contributing 17.3% to the Basic Benefit plans of employees who were hired on or before January 1, 2013, and they are responsible for contributing 15.5% to the plans of employees hired on or after January 1, 2013. Then, after retirement, employees receive annuity payments each month for the rest of their life.

Two of the three benefits of FERS (Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan) may accompany employees to their next job if they leave the Federal Government before retirement. When employees leave federal employment prior to retirement, they may request a refund of their Basic Benefit contributions.

Please note that employees must have five years of actual federal service to be vested in the Basic Benefit plan.

The TSP portion of FERS is an account that our agency automatically creates for employees. Each pay period, our agency deposits into employees’ accounts the amount equal to 1% of their basic pay earned for the pay period.

Please note that for most employees, the TSP vesting requirement is three years.

Thrift Savings Plan (401k) – In conjunction with the automatic 1% contribution made by our agency into each employees TSP account per pay period, employees may make their own contributions to their TSP accounts, and our agency will also make a matching contribution of up to 5%. All contributions are tax-deferred.

Please note that for most employees, the TSP vesting requirement is three years.

Paid Vacation and Sick Time – Employees will accrue (13) days of paid sick leave and 13 days of paid vacation leave annually—the rate of vacation accrual increases with years of service.

Eleven Paid Federal Holidays

The following is the list of official “federal public holidays” honored by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.

  • New Year’s Day, January 1
  • Martin Luther King’s Birthday, 3rd Monday in January
  • Washington’s Birthday, 3rd Monday in February
  • Memorial Day, last Monday in May
  • Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19
  • Independence Day, July 4
  • Labor Day, 1st Monday in September
  • Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October
  • Veterans Day, November 11
  • Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November
  • Christmas Day, December 25

Please note that when a holiday falls on a Saturday, the federal government observes it on a Friday, and, when a holiday falls on a Sunday, the federal government observes it on a Monday.

  • Health Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • Long-Term Care Insurance
  • Dental and Vision Insurance

Reasonable Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations will be made to support individuals with disabilities so they may perform the essential functions of their positions.

Telework Policy

Telework and flex scheduling, consistent with office obligations and the duties of each position, are available to all employees after an initial training period.  

Special Working Conditions

Though not the norm, employees are occasionally expected to work outside of normal business hours and on weekends. Travel for important trainings or conferences may be required.

Our Commitment to Excellence

We are a diverse group of dedicated, talented professionals. We work as a team. We welcome and value talented applicants of any race, color, religion, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability, age, veteran status, and other statuses protected by law.