#27-01: Software Engineer and Data Automation Specialist

About this role

Software Engineer and Data Automation Specialist

Judicial Branch

U. S. Sentencing Commission

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• Summary
• This job is open to
• Duties
• Requirements
• How you will be evaluated
• Required documents
• How to apply

Summary

The Commission is seeking a Software Engineering and Data Automation Specialist who will work within the Information Systems team of the Office of Administration and Technology. The incumbent will design, develop, integrate, and maintain applications, data-processing workflows, data warehouse solutions, and analytics systems, with an emphasis on document and data extraction, processing, transformation, validation, integration, and automation.

This job is open to

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The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Duties

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The Software Engineering and Data Automation Specialist will work within the Information Systems team of the Office of Administration and Technology to support the research and operational work of the United States Sentencing Commission. The incumbent will design, develop, integrate, and maintain applications, data-processing workflows, data warehouse solutions, and analytics systems, with an emphasis on document and data extraction, processing, transformation, validation, integration, and automation.

The position encompasses both modernization projects and ongoing support of existing systems. Assignments may include leading or supporting document extraction, data transformation, database integration, reporting, and application maintenance, with responsibilities varying according to project priorities, operational needs, and team expertise. The incumbent will collaborate with technical staff and subject-matter experts to develop shared knowledge of the Commission's data, business rules, and systems. The ideal candidate will be passionate about data and technology, possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and enjoy developing practical solutions to complex data and automation challenges.

The incumbent will:

• Analyze business and user requirements and design, develop, implement, and maintain software solutions supporting data collection, document processing, data integration, business intelligence, and analytics.
• Design and develop Python applications and automated pipelines to ingest and process PDFs, scanned documents, databases, and other structured and unstructured data sources.
• Develop and enhance OCR, text parsing, regular-expression, and document-layout techniques. Segment documents into meaningful sections or chunks while preserving context, document identifiers, and source locations needed for subsequent processing and review.
• Collaborate with subject-matter experts to define, document, implement, and test coding rules that transform extracted information into standardized data elements. Address exceptions, conflicting information, and ambiguous results through documented validation and review procedures.
• Develop and maintain SQL and Oracle PL/SQL solutions for data transformation, validation, reconciliation, loading, and integration with operational databases and data warehouses.
• Design and support end-to-end workflows for ingestion, extraction, transformation, validation, and database loading, including scheduling, monitoring, error handling, restart, and recovery.
• Evaluate and apply machine learning, natural-language processing, and locally hosted AI models where they improve document extraction, classification, search, or analysis. Compare results with established methods and approved reference data before production use.
• Develop and integrate secure applications for air-gapped and restricted-network environments, using approved tools, APIs, and locally hosted services as appropriate.
• Design, maintain, and enhance data models, ETL/ELT processes, and system interfaces as data sources, technologies, and business requirements evolve.
• Develop, enhance, maintain, and validate reports, dashboards, and data visualizations, ensuring the accuracy and usability of information provided to staff and other authorized users.
• Maintain and enhance existing applications, data warehouse processes, and analytics platforms, including configurations, integrations, upgrades, and performance tuning.
• Contribute to application and data architecture by designing secure, maintainable interfaces and processing components that integrate with enterprise systems and support future modernization.
• Implement automated testing, regression testing, data-quality checks, logging, and monitoring. Maintain traceability from source documents through extraction and transformation to database values, including applicable rule and model versions.
• Implement and maintain application security, authentication, authorization, and related controls; comply with applicable federal information security, privacy, data governance, and records-management requirements.
• Monitor production systems, investigate data discrepancies and processing failures, and resolve technical issues to maintain reliable operations.
• Maintain technical documentation, coding-rule specifications, test cases, and operating procedures. Participate in cross-training and knowledge transfer to support shared responsibility for Commission systems.
• Provide technical support, consultation, and training to technical staff and end users, and manage assigned projects and operational tasks to meet established requirements, quality standards, and deadlines.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

MANDATORY QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must have:

• An undergraduate degree from an accredited university or college in information technology or a related field of study.
• A minimum of three (3) years of application development experience to qualify for JS-12.
• At least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower level of the grade for which they are applying. For example, to qualify for the JS-13, one (1) year of specialized experience must have been at the GS-12 level or equivalent.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience:

• Software Development: Experience developing and maintaining production Python applications using modular design, source control, testing, documentation, and secure development practices.
• Data Processing and Transformation: Experience using relational databases to transform, validate, reconcile, and load data, and translating business requirements and documented coding rules into maintainable software.
• Document Processing: Experience extracting and processing information from PDFs, text documents, or scanned images using text parsing, regular expressions, OCR, or comparable techniques, with attention to document structure, context, and accuracy.
• Automation and Integration: Experience developing and supporting ETL/ELT or automated data-processing workflows and integrating applications, databases, APIs, or other enterprise systems.
• Production Reliability: Experience implementing logging, exception handling, automated testing, monitoring, and recovery procedures, and troubleshooting application, database, or data-quality issues.
• Collaboration and System Design: Experience analyzing user needs, designing maintainable technical solutions, documenting business logic and system behavior, and working with technical staff and subject-matter experts.

Competencies:

• Attention to Detail - Performs work thoroughly and accurately, with careful attention to detail.
• Customer Service - Assesses customer needs, provides effective assistance, resolves issues, and delivers quality service.
• Decision Making - Makes sound, objective decisions and takes appropriate action to achieve organizational goals.
• Information Management - Identifies, gathers, organizes, and maintains information and information systems effectively.
• Interpersonal Skills - Builds effective working relationships and communicates with courtesy, tact, empathy, and professionalism.
• Oral Communication - Clearly communicates information, findings, recommendations, and viewpoints and effectively persuades others when appropriate.
• Problem Solving - Identifies problems, evaluates constraints, and develops practical solutions using available technology and resources.
• Teamwork - Promotes cooperation, trust, and team commitment while working effectively with others to achieve shared goals.
• Technical Competence - Applies job-related technical knowledge and experience to perform duties, evaluate technical information, and provide technical guidance.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Preference will be given to applicants with the following areas of experience:

• Oracle databases, SQL and PL/SQL development, data modeling, query optimization, and enterprise data integration.
• Advanced document processing, including OCR, layout analysis, context-preserving segmentation, and extraction from varied or complex document formats.
• Applied machine learning, natural-language processing, or LLM-based information extraction, including evaluation of accuracy, error analysis, and workflows for human review.
• Locally hosted AI models or application deployment in air-gapped, restricted-network, or other controlled environments.
• Data warehouses, business intelligence, analytics, and application support, including tools such as ODI, OAS/OBIEE, Oracle APEX, or comparable platforms.
• AI-enabled database and application capabilities, including vector search or integration of models through APIs, where relevant to document processing and data analysis.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• The selected applicant must reside in or relocate to the Washington DC Metropolitan area.
• This position is in the excepted service and does not carry the tenure rights of positions in the competitive Civil Service.
• All information is subject to verification. Applicants are advised that false answers or omissions of information on application materials or inability to meet the following conditions may be grounds for non-selection, withdrawal of an offer of employment, or dismissal after being employed.
• Selection for this position is contingent upon completion of OF-306, Declaration for Federal Employment during the pre-employment process and proof of U.S. citizenship or, for noncitizens, proof of authorization to work in the United States and proof of entitlement to receive compensation. Additional information on the employment of non-citizens can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/non-citizensFor a list of documents that may be used to provide proof of citizenship or authorization to work in the United States, please refer to http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf.
• The Commission participates in E-Verify and will confirm your authorization to work in the United States.
• A background security investigation is required for all selectees. Appointment will be subject to a selectee's successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements may be grounds for appropriate personnel action. A background security reinvestigation or supplemental investigation may be required at a later time.
• All new Commission employees must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of pay before appointment, mandated by the Federal Compensation Act.

All new Commission employees, those converted from a temporary appointment to a permanent appointment, and all rehired former Commission employees are required to serve a one-year probationary period. The probationary period begins on the effective date of the employee's appointment, conversion, or rehire.

Education

Applicants must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university in information technology or a related field of study.

Additional information

BENEFITS The Commission participates in the following federal benefits: The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program; the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program, federal retirement, the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), and the federal leave program. In addition, the Commission participates in the Judiciary's Flexible Spending Program for dependent care, health care, and commuter reimbursement, the government-wide Long Term Care Insurance Program, unemployment, and workers' compensation benefits.

The Commission offers a monthly transit subsidy to employees who use mass transit to commute to and from work, subject to the availability of funds. The Commission offers alternative work schedules (AWS), which are fixed work schedules that enable full-time employees to complete the basic 80-hour biweekly work requirement in less than 10 workdays.

The position is eligible for regular telework (not full-time) at home or at an approved telework site for employees who meet the requirements of an approved telework arrangement.

The Commission also offers training opportunities to employees through LinkedIn Learning, and the Judiciary's Online University, which offers academic credit and professional credit programs through web-based learning. These training tools assist Commission employees with taking online courses in a flexible way, by offering training courses in the areas of: staff training and development; credit toward undergraduate degree programs; continuing education and non-credit certificate programs; executive education; contract training; credit credentials courses for continuing professional education and credit for individuals who hold credentials and achieve certifications associated with several globally-recognized sponsored organizations.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED

The Commission evaluates applicants through a structured interview, and practical assessments. Applicants may also be screened for some jobs through a narrative/application review, and/or a preliminary telephone interview. Applicants who do not address the qualification requirements (mandatory and preferred) in his or her application materials as stated in the vacancy announcement are automatically disqualified from consideration and must re-apply before the closing date to be considered for employment.

The Office of Human Resources:

• Reviews the applicant's application to ensure the proper materials are submitted.
• Ensures that the application addresses all the qualification requirements as stated in the vacancy announcement (mandatory and preferred).
• Determines whether the applicant meets the mandatory qualification requirements for the position and notifies the applicant about the status of their application.

Applicants who meet the mandatory qualification requirements will be considered, and their application materials will be forwarded to the screening panel for review.

Required Documents

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• Resume (limited to 2 pages)
• Cover Letter
• Recent job performance evaluation (if available)

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

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In order to be considered, all applicants must submit an electronic resume (limited to 2 pages) and cover letter that together address all the mandatory and preferred qualification requirements listed in this announcement, and if available, provide a recent job performance evaluation. All mandatory qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants will also need to complete the online occupational questionnaire. All applications must be submitted at www.usajobs.gov.

Agency contact information

Corinne Smith

Phone : [phone removed]

Email : [email removed]

Address : United States Sentencing Commission One Columbus Circle NE Suite 2-500 Washington, DC 20002 US

Next steps

Applicants who meet the mandatory qualification requirements will be considered and their application materials will be forwarded to the screening panel for review. Applicants who do not meet the mandatory qualification requirements for the position are automatically disqualified from consideration. In addition, some applicants may be tested using various assessment tools not listed on the vacancy announcement to verify an applicant's experience, knowledge, and training directly related to the job to identify the best qualified applicants for consideration and selection.

Fair and transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Criminal history inquiries

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy

Financial suitability

New employee probationary period

Privacy Act

Reasonable accommodation policy

Selective Service

Signature and false statements

Social security number request

Overview

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Accepting applications

Open 10/13/2026 to 11/13/2026

Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

Washington, DC

Work site options

Telework eligible : Yes—as determined by the agency policy.

Remote job : No

Relocation expenses reimbursed : No

Salary : $102,415 - $187,093 per year

Pay scale & grade : JS 12 - 14

Promotion potential : 14

Learn more about pay scale and grade

Pay scale and grade determines the salary of the job.

Work schedule : Full-time

Travel Required : Not required

Appointment type : Permanent

Occupations and job series

• 2210 Information Technology Management

Supervisory status : No

Federal service type : This job is in the Excepted Service

Represented by a union : No

Drug test : No

Security clearance : Other

Position sensitivity and risk : Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Jobs require a background check and some require a security clearance. The type depends on the job.

Background check type

• Suitability/Fitness

Financial disclosure required : No : Some jobs require financial disclosure to identify conflicts of interests.

Announcement number : 27-01

Control number : 888547100