Clarification from the agency

Open to All U.S. Citizens and U.S. Nationals

This Criminal Investigator position is located at a TSA Field Office determined by the Agency need, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Candidates may be considered for one (1) regional field office of their choosing as listed below. If hired, however, employees must report to a TSA facility within the region for which they were selected. The actual location will be negotiated after selection.

• Central Region / Detroit Field Office -IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MT, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI and WY
• Gulf Region / Dallas Field Office - AR, CO, KS, LA, MO, MS, NM, OK and TX
• Northeast Region / Philadelphia Field Office - CT, DC, DE, KY, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT and WV
• Pacific Region / Las Vegas Field Office - AK, AS, AZ, CA, GU, HI, ID, MP, NV, OR, UT and WA
• Southeast Region / Atlanta Field Office - AL, FL, GA, NC, PR, SC, TN and VI.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Conducts, monitors, and coordinates criminal and administrative investigations and inspections under established procedures and supervisory guidance.
• Investigates cases involving theft of government property, theft of personal property, fraud in worker's compensation claims, and mismanagement of government property.
• Handles cases that may include conflicting reports, discussions, or testimonies, and documents findings for review and further action.
• Performs investigative functions on assigned cases or portions of cases, following established protocols from planning and fact-finding through to reporting investigative results.
• Responds to investigative matters by participating in searches, seizures, and arrests; engages in undercover activities involving contact with criminal elements or suspects to support the apprehension of individuals suspected of posing a threat to passenger security or violating Federal criminal statutes.
• Conducts interviews and interrogations of witnesses and suspects, and provides Miranda warnings as required.

The major duties described reflect the entry performance level of this position. Typically, the higher pay bands perform similar duties but will require less guidance and training; and/or projects/work assignments may be more complex.

Once onboarded, you may be assigned for up to one year to support the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. The law enforcement component of the D.C. Task Force is a partnership of over 20 federal and local agencies working together to make D.C. the safest city in America. Once the assignment ends, you'll transition back to support TSA Law Enforcement - Investigations. Visit the D.C. Task Force page for more information.

Conditions of employment

1. You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National.
2. You must have reached the minimum age (21) at the time of application.
3. You must complete a favorable Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI).
4. Selective Service registration is required.
5. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI Clearance.
6. Must pass pre-employment drug screening AND random drug/alcohol testing.
7. This is an Emergency Essential Position.
8. See additional "Conditions of Employment" and "Other Information" section
9. Applicants cannot have reached age 37 by the time of their appointment unless they provide proof of current or previous service in a Federal civilian law enforcement position covered by Federal civilian law enforcement retirement provisions, or they will be disqualified. (NOTE: Preference eligible veterans are permitted a waiver allowing for entry on duty prior to their 40th birthday).

This position is covered under the special retirement provisions for law enforcement officers. Applicants that have no prior series federal law enforcement experience must meet the maximum age for entry into a "covered position" which is the date immediately preceding the applicant's 37th birthday and must be able to retire at the mandatory age of 57 years with 20 years of service as a federal law enforcement officer.

If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment.

Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Qualifications

To qualify for the SV-G Pay Band (equivalent to GS-5/7/9), you must meet one of the qualification requirements outlined below:

A. Experience: To qualify using experience, your application must clearly outline three years of progressively responsible general experience, one year of which was equivalent to at least the SV-F Pay Band or GS-4 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Such experience will demonstrate the ability to: analyze problems, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; plan and organize work; and communicate effectively orally and in writing;

OR

B. Education: Bachelor's or higher-level degree in any field from an accredited college or university;

OR

C. Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements, and may be computed by first determining the total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the position; then determining the education as a percentage of the education required for the position; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the position.

Note: If you are attempting to qualify based on education, in whole or in part, you MUST submit a copy of your transcript(s) from all accredited college or universities attended to establish qualifications based upon education. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application. Official transcripts may be required at a later date.

To qualify for the SV-H Pay Band (equivalent to GS-11), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-G pay band or GS-11 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as:

• Experience conducting, coordinating, and monitoring routine criminal and administrative investigations; AND
• Experience performing investigative functions to include fact finding, and reporting the results of the investigations.

OR

Have at least a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., or one year of specialized experience at the SV-G or GS-09 level.

OR

A combination of specialized experience, as described above, and related graduate level education, beyond the first full year of doctoral level study.

To qualify for the SV-I Pay Band (equivalent to GS-13), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-H pay band or GS-12 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as:

• Experience planning, conducting, coordinating, and monitoring criminal and administrative investigations; AND
• Experience performing investigative functions to include fact finding, interrogations of witnesses and making arrests and reporting the results of the investigation.

Condition of Employment:

• Law Enforcement Polygraph Examination Testing is required. See Next Steps for more information.
• Incumbent is required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, (5CFR Part 2634, Subpart I USOGE, 6/08). Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Financial Disclosure Report upon entering the position and annually, in accordance with TSA Directive 1100.73-5 Employee Responsibilities and Code of Conduct.
• Appointment to this position is contingent upon successful completion of a full field background investigation and issuance of a top-secret (SCI) clearance. Prior to appointment, the applicant may be asked to complete a "Declaration for Federal Employment" (OF-306). The information collected on this form is used to determine applicant's suitability for federal employment. The applicant may also be asked to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in the application/resume. The applicant must answer all questions truthfully and completely. A false statement on any part of the declaration or attached forms may be grounds for not hiring the applicant, or for termination after being hired.
• Applicants must agree to work an average of two hours extra per day to meet the requirements of law enforcement availability pay (LEAP) as described in Title 5 U.S.C. §5545a (d) (1).
• Applicants for this position are required to qualify with and use firearms and other weapons as part of assigned duties and to maintain such qualifications. Because of an amendment to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), which became effective September 30, 1996, and is referred to as the Lautenberg Amendment, applicants are ineligible for this position if at ANY time they have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence, unless such conviction was expunged, set aside or the applicant received a pardon.
• Applicants must successfully complete or have completed the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) or other equivalent training (e.g., FBI, DEA, US Postal Inspection Service, Air Force OSI, Army CID, NCIS and DCIS).
• Required to maintain the ability to be called as a law enforcement witness in administrative and judicial proceedings without the existence of any impeachable evidence that "casts a substantial doubt upon the accuracy" of the testimony.
• This position is covered under the special retirement provisions for law enforcement officers. Applicants that have no prior series 1811 criminal investigator experience must meet the maximum age for entry into a "covered position" which is the date immediately preceding the applicant's 37th birthday and must be able to retire at the mandatory age of 57 years with 20 years of service as an 1811 criminal investigator.
• In order to receive consideration, you must include your date of birth in your application package.
• Position is subject to drug testing.
• May be required to sign a mobility agreement.
• Position requires domestic and overseas travel as necessary.
• This is an emergency essential position. The position may require the employee to be subject to 24-hour on call duty as well as irregular working hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the position description. The selectee must be able to relocate to emergency sites with little advance notice and function under intense physical and mental stress.
• Must meet and maintain medical requirements as stated in the TSA Medical Guidelines for Criminal Investigators.
• Physical Demands: Must be able to perform the essential job functions described in the TSA Medical Guidelines for Criminal Investigators.

Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime.

National Service Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs and other organizations. Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

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), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.

Candidates will be rated and ranked using Category Grouping procedures. Under Category Grouping, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:

• Best-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate high proficiency in all of the critical competencies as determined by the job analysis.
• Well-Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrates acceptable proficiency in all of the critical competencies as determined by the job analysis.
• Qualified: Applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position and demonstrate basic proficiency in most of the critical competencies as determined by the job analysis. If you are best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview.

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Influencing/Negotiating
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

You may preview the questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12944557

The following documents are required and must be provided with your application. Applicants who do not submit required documentation to determine eligibility and qualifications will be eliminated from consideration. Documentation is needed to verify the eligibilities you are claiming.

NOTE: Your resume must clearly demonstrate how you meet this requirement or you will be deemed ineligible. Additionally, copying and pasting information from the announcement into your resume will not adequately convey your qualifications.

Resume Requirements (See "How to Apply" section)

Utilizing the USAJOBS Resume Builder and completing all available fields is strongly encouraged.

Detail Documentation: Eligible applicants who wish to qualify for this position based upon experience obtained while serving on a detail with TSA must submit signed copies of the corresponding TSA form 1160, Terms And Conditions For Temporary Internal Assignment -Detail, or an SF-52, Request for Personnel Action, as supporting documentation along with their application otherwise the experience cannot be credited.

Transcripts: If you are qualifying based on education OR if there are mandatory education requirements listed under the Qualifications and Evaluations section, you MUST submit a copy of your college transcript(s) with your application. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment.

Veterans: If claiming VEOA or Veterans Preference- submit a copy of the official DD-214, which must include the character of service (i.e., with an Honorable or General discharge). If no DD-214 is available, please submit a memo/certification of military service as outlined in the VOW Act. This will be annotated in block 24 on member copy 2,4, or 7 of the DD-214. If claiming veterans' consideration which involves considering your disability rating, you must submit a VA Letter or a disability determination from a branch of the Armed Forces. Note: All veterans claiming 10-point preference must also submit a SF-15.

TSA Employees: Current TSA employees are strongly encouraged to submit the most recent non-Award SF-50, at the time of application, to support eligibility for Status consideration. TSA employees who do not submit the SF-50 with the application must document their current TSA position in their resume and may be required to provide the SF-50 document during the selection process. TSA employees may obtain a copy of their most recent non-Award SF-50 at https://eopf.opm.gov/dhs/.

Current or Former Federal Civilian employees (Non-TSA): You must submit a legible copy of a SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action. The SF-50 block 24 must contain a "1" or "2" AND block 34 must contain a "1" or "2."

Military Spouse Preference:If you are eligible based on one of the below, please submit the following:
(1) spouse of an active-duty member of the armed forces: DD214 of spouse, marriage license, and PCS orders showing dependency (if applicable)
(2) a spouse of a service member who is 100% disabled due to a service-connected injury: DD214 of spouse, marriage license, and VA Letter or disability determination showing 100%
(3) spouse of a service member killed while on active duty: DD214 of spouse, marriage license, documentation from the Armed Forces casualty office

Law Enforcement SF-50 - Applicants age 37 or over, or those who will reach age 37 at any time during the process up to entry on duty must submit proof of a Federal civilian law enforcement position covered by Federal civilian law enforcement retirement provisions. Documentation must include two SF-50s with the earliest and most recent dates serving in a covered Law Enforcement Officer position or as defined in 5 USC 8336(c) so that the number of months can be determined. Examples of applicable retirement codes in Box 30 include but are not limited to: 6, E, M, MF, MR, O, OF and OR. Candidates who have a break in their time serving as a Federal Law Enforcement Officer must provide ALL applicable non-award SF-50s. (NOTE: Preference eligible veterans are permitted a waiver allowing for entry on duty prior to their 40th birthday).

Next steps