Fully Certified Spanish Language Interpreter

Office of the Federal Public Defender District of Arizona, Phoenix

THE FEDERAL PUBLIC DEFENDER for the District of Arizona is accepting applications for the position of a full-time Spanish interpreter, to be stationed in Phoenix. More than one position may be filled from this announcement. The Federal Public Defender operates under authority of the Criminal Justice Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3006A, to provide federal criminal defense by court appointment to individuals unable to afford counsel. The District of Arizona has offices in Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, and Flagstaff.

Requirements. To qualify for the interpreter position, a person must be a high school graduate or equivalent, be federally certified by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts for SpanishEnglish, and have at least five years of federal interpreting experience, or comparable experience. The applicant must have the ability to exercise good judgment, possess general knowledge of office practices and legal processes, and the ability to type and use a personal computer. The applicant must be a U.S. citizen. Employment is subject to a satisfactory background investigation.

Duties. The interpreter supports the assistant federal public defenders in various aspects of trial preparation by interpreting/translating legal documents, correspondence, transcripts, treaties, foreign documents, legal provisions, and other case-related documents. This position will assist with litigation support and help prepare clients for trial. This position will require heavy document translation, transcription of audio and videotape recordings and interpreting for attorney-client meetings, witness interviews, telephone conversations, jail visits, office court proceedings, pre-sentence interviews and interviews with other government officials as permitted by the court, and other duties as assigned. The position requires confidentiality of all interpreted communications be maintained at all times. Extensive travel may be required to meet with clients at detention centers. Candidates who are selected preliminarily will be invited to the Phoenix office for a two-or three-day paid work trial.

Salary and Benefits. The starting salary for the interpreter will be fixed commensurate with experience and qualifications of the applicant within a range of JSP-9, Step 1, to JSP-14, Step 1, currently yielding $64,564 to $131,568 per annum. The position is in the excepted service and does not carry the tenure rights of the competitive Civil Service. The position does include regular Government employment benefits including health and life insurance, Federal Employees’ Retirement System, telework opportunities and the Thrift Savings Plan. Salary is payable only by Electronic Funds Transfer (direct deposit). All positions are at will and subject to the availability of funds.

Qualified persons, please submit a letter of interest, résumé, and copy of your federal court interpreter certification.  The Federal Public Defender is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or age, are encouraged to apply.