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.

This full-time Software Engineer role supports the court’s technology infrastructure and case management systems in a hybrid work arrangement, with primary duties in the San Francisco Bay Area. Day-to-day responsibilities include designing, developing, and maintaining back-end web applications and internal tools that enhance court operations and data workflows. The role involves implementing secure and reliable software solutions, troubleshooting and debugging issues, and optimizing performance for mission-critical systems used by judges, clerks, and other court personnel. The Software Engineer collaborates with IT staff and stakeholders to gather requirements, document technical designs, and ensure compliance with federal security and accessibility standards. The position may also contribute to system integrations, automation projects, and ongoing modernization initiatives across the court’s technology stack.

Representative Duties:

• Develop and modify software applications using C#, .NET, T-SQL, and JavaScript
• Design, maintain, and support database applications, including queries, stored procedures, and reporting in SQL Server
• Work with end users to identify requirements and assess the feasibility of proposed solutions
• Write automation scripts in PowerShell, Bash, or Python for deployments, data processing, and recurring court tasks
• Install and test new releases of national and local court systems
• Manage code through source control and migrate releases across development, test, and production
• Evaluate, build, and support approved AI-enabled solutions and workflow automation
• Provide user support, training, and documentation
• Advise judges, senior managers, and court staff on current and emerging technologies
• Serve as the court's technical authority for SQL Server design and performance
• Design and carry out short- and long-range automation plans
• Research emerging technologies, including cloud services and AI, and assess them against the court's security, privacy, records management, and data governance requirements
• Manage projects from inception to delivery
• Represent the district in judiciary-wide initiatives and working groups

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 desirable.
• 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.

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.