Clarification from the agency

Current Department of the Interior (DOI) employees in the competitive service; Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (within DOI) eligibles; and Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) eligibles.

Major Duties of the Criminal Investigator position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide critical investigative and other law enforcement support to park and regional law enforcement programs.
• Serve as case agent or assists the case agent primarily in criminal investigations involving individuals, businesses, employers, and criminal organizations or conspiracies that represent a threat to NPS resources and facilities, employee and visitor safety, and national security.
• Uses traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques to obtain evidence, such as electronic surveillance and monitoring; interrogation; polygraph examinations; physical surveillance; controlled deliveries; documentary searches; and recruitment, development and directing of informants.
• Analyzes evidence and intelligence to determine relationships of individuals and organizations in criminal enterprises; producing progress reports on intelligence gathered during the course of investigations.
• Prepares investigative reports documenting all relevant facts of investigations to support prosecution.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

This position is covered by enhanced retirement provisions which stipulate mandatory retirement at age 57 after 20 years of service. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age & must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to this position. Exceptions allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in a primary covered position sufficient to complete 20 years of service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible.

Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than 1 year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments & must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship required.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
• Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
• You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use.
• Must work an average of 50-hour workweek which may include irregular hours, and be on call 24/7, including holidays and weekends.
• You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 4 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. Mobility Agreement Required.
• You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
• Law Enforcement Availability Pay Eligible.
• Subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement.

Probationary Period: As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you are required to serve a 1 year probationary period during which your fitness & whether your continued employment advances the public interest will be evaluated.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process & therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals & mission of the agency, &/or otherwise promote efficiency of service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider:

• your performance & conduct;
• the needs & interests of the agency;
• whether continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; &
• whether continued employment would advance efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue & that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary period, such appointments are terminated.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

*Additional Requirements located under qualifications*

Qualifications

Requirements Continued...

• Required medical standards per DO/RM57, for pre-employment, periodic physical exams, & must participate in Physical Efficiency Battery annually.
• Required to carry firearm, maintain proficiency & must be able to testify in court without restriction.
• Required to operate a motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required.

QUALIFICATIONS
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-01/22/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule & determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full &/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

MANDATORY QUALIFICATIONS FOR CRIMINAL INVESTIGATOR POSITION:

1. INDIVIDUAL OCCUPATIONAL REQUIREMENTS - Medical Requirements:

• The duties of this position requires moderate to arduous physical exertion involving walking & standing, use of firearms, & exposure to inclement weather. Manual dexterity with comparatively free motion of finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, & knee joints is required. Arms, hands, legs, & feet must be sufficiently intact & functioning in order that applicants may perform the duties satisfactorily. Sufficiently good vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required to perform the duties satisfactorily. Near vision, corrective lenses permitted, must be sufficient to read printed material the size of typewritten characters. Hearing loss, as measured by an audiometer, must not exceed 35 decibels at 1000, 2000, & 3000 Hz levels. Since the duties of this position is exacting & responsible, & involve activities under trying conditions, applicants must possess emotional & mental stability. Any physical condition that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to himself/herself, or others is disqualifying.

2. SELECTIVE FACTORS: Applicants must meet ALL of the following to qualify:

• Previous Law Enforcement Experience: Prior law enforcement experience, as gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement officer position or equivalent experience outside the Federal government is a MANDATORY PREREQUISITE for incumbents of these positions. (Experience must be documented in your Resume.)
• Type I Law Enforcement Commission: Must currently possess or previously held (within the past three years), a FLERT issued Land Management Police Training (LMPT), full Type I Law Enforcement Commission or equivalent; or be qualified to receive a Type I Commission upon appointment. This will be based upon having completed approved NPS training as outlined by policy including Natural Resource Police Training (NRPT), Land Management Police Training Program (LMPT), US Park Police Integrated (USPPI), Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP), BIA Basic Police Officer Training Program (BIA-BPOTP), or Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP). This is required by the closing date of the announcement. Candidates who do not meet requirements by close of announcement will receive no further consideration.

3. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

• GS-11 GRADE LEVEL: To qualify you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
  • EXPERIENCE: At least 1 full year of specialized experience comparable in scope & responsibility to the GS/GL-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) assisting in criminal investigations involving serious offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, cultural or natural resource damage, & other felony offenses; 2) participating in joint operations or task forces; 3) assisting in developing investigation plans, including timelines & resource needs; 4) conducting traditional & non-traditional investigative techniques such as surveillance, interviews, & the use of informants to gather evidence & intelligence; 5) prepare progress reports, summarizing findings & suggesting next steps in ongoing investigations. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated.
  • -OR- EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a Ph.D., or equivalent degree or three full years of progressive higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. if directly related. You must include transcripts.
  • -OR- COMBINATION: Successful completion of a combination of education & experience as described above. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education & experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified & may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; & then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 & GS-11. You must include transcripts.

• GS-12 GRADE LEVEL: To qualify you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:
  • EXPERIENCE: At least 1 full year of specialized experience comparable in scope & responsibility to the GS-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either public/private sectors). Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) serve as a lead investigator or case agent in criminal investigations involving serious offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, or cultural or natural resource damage, & other felony offenses; 2) conducted investigations involving multiple jurisdictions, coordinating with federal, state, & local law enforcement agencies; 3) develop & implement investigation plans that include timelines, resource needs & risk assessments; 4) proficiency in using traditional & non-traditional investigative techniques, such as electronic surveillance, undercover operations, & informant management, to gather evidence & intelligence; 5) prepare & executed affidavits for search & seizure warrants, ensuring compliance with legal standards & procedures. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated.

You must include months, years & hours per week worked to receive credit for your work &/or volunteer experience. 1 year of specialized experience is equivalent to 12 months at 40 hours per week. Part-time hours are prorated. You will not receive any credit for experience that does not indicate exact hours per week or is listed as "varies". Experience listed as full-time will be credited at 40 hours per week.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

• Criminal Investigation
• Interpersonal Skills
• Oral Communication
• Planning and Evaluating
• Writing

In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a panel resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 01/22/2026.

1. Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed, with dates specified in month and year format, and indicate hours worked per week. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. Your resume must clearly show how long your have held each grade in a federal position. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications
2. Complete All Required Assessments.
3. Merit Promotion Eligibility Documentation such as:
   • Federal employees or former federal employees must submit a copy of their latest or last SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action" reflecting career or career-conditional status in the competitive service, shows position title, series, grade and an additional SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held, if not reflected on your latest SF-50. Examples of acceptable SF-50s include: Promotion, Within Rate Increases (WRI/WGI), or Appointment SF-50s. Do not submit an Award SF-50. Time in grade will be determined by reviewing your resume and required SF-50s. Your last Federal performance appraisal plan for your last position must reflect a rating of Fully Successful or equivalent. If the SF-50 showing highest permanent grade ever held has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess the one-year time-in-grade, as required by this announcement. In this instance, your resume must clearly show that you held that grade for one-year.
   • Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act eligibility, which includes ALL Appointment AND Termination SF-50s for EACH appointment as well as ALL performance evaluations, for each qualifying period of temporary employment claimed.
   • Veterans Preference Documentation (e.g. DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter as appropriate)
4. Performance Appraisals and Awards:
   • All applicants must submit their most recent performance appraisal showing the official rating of record and signed by a supervisor. If submitting a performance appraisal not dated within the last 18 months, a statement as to why it is the most recent must be submitted. If no performance appraisal is available, applicants must submit a statement as to why it is not available (including if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level).
5. Documentation that you meet Selective Factors.
6. Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 85 on the rating criteria for this position.
7. Failure to submit any of the above-mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.

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