Criminal Investigator

Clarification from the agency

CTAP, ICTAP, all U.S. Citizens and Nationals

This Criminal Investigator conducts criminal investigations and assists with prosecutions as a Special Agent within the Criminal Investigations Unit of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. This is a primary law enforcement position and will exercise the full scope of federal law enforcement authority for matters investigated and prosecuted by the United States Attorney's Office (USAO) for the District of Columbia, pursuant to statutory authority under Public Law 91-358, as well as designation as a Special Deputy United States Marshal.

If selected for this position, you will join the Criminal Investigations Unit, a specialized team of special agents and investigative analysts, responsible for providing outstanding investigative and law enforcement support for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

Typical work assignments will include:

• Conducting criminal investigations related to suspected violations of federal and DC law.
• Reviewing and investigating allegations of criminal activity by individuals, businesses and corporations.
• Executing search warrants, arrest warrants, and collecting evidence.
• Securing information and testimony from witnesses and victims.
• Working with a variety of regional and federal law enforcement agencies to collaboratively further criminal investigations.

Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as your training and experience progress.

Law Enforcement Retirement: This is a primary investigator position covered as a rigorous/primary position under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) 5 U.S.C. 8366 or Federal Employee's Retirement System (FERS) special retirement provision (5 U.S.C. 8412(d)).

Conditions of employment

• You must be a United States Citizen or National to apply for this position.
• Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/).
• All Federal employees are required to have Federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. Continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation.
• A probationary period may be required.
• If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration for Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application.
• Must provide resume and supporting documents (See required documents).
• You must meet all qualifications requirements by the closing date of the announcement.
• As needed, additional selections may be made using this announcement.
• Motor Vehicle Operator's License: You must possess a valid automobile driver's license at the time of appointment.
• Security Clearance: The ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (Sensitive Compartmented Information) security clearance is required.
• Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP): LEAP is approved for those positions to compensate employees with 25% extra pay (base pay) for unscheduled duty in excess of the 40-hour week.
• Must be appointed before age 37; exceptions for veterans’ preference or prior Federal LEO service (5 U.S.C. §§ 3307, 8335). Must submit proof of qualifying service or veterans’ preference with your application for exception consideration.
• You must qualify with and carry a firearm.
• The incumbent must successfully complete or have previously completed, required firearms training.

Qualifications

Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the Minimum Qualification requirements as noted below.

Minimum Qualifications:

GS-11: Applicant must demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-09 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors) performing the following duties:

1. Developing investigative plans, determining investigative priorities, and conducting criminal investigations;
2. Interviewing witnesses, victims, and people suspected of violations of law; AND
3. Collecting, preserving, and organizing evidence for presentation to Assistant United States Attorneys, or state/local prosecutors, for grand jury, hearings, trials, and testifying in court, including under vigorous cross examination.

OR
A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or LL.M., if related, from an accredited college or university that provided the knowledge skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of this position.
OR
A combination of specialized experience (less than one year) and graduate education (beyond 2 years of graduate education), that when combined equals 100 percent of the qualification requirement.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). 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.

Motor Vehicle Operator's License: Incumbent must possess and maintain a valid motor vehicle operator's license while employed in the position and will be required to operate a motor vehicle in accordance with applicable OPM regulations and related requirements of the Department of Justice.

Physical Requirements: The duties of positions in this series require moderate to arduous physical exertion involving walking and standing, use of firearms, and exposure to inclement weather. Manual dexterity with comparatively free motion of finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, and knee joints is required. Arms, hands, legs, and feet must be sufficiently intact and functioning in order that applicants may perform the duties satisfactorily. Incumbent must possess sufficiently good vision in each eye, with or without glasses, in order to perform the duties satisfactorily. Near vision, glasses permitted, must be sufficient to read printed material the size of typewritten characters. The ability of the incumbent to hear the conversational voice and whispered speech is required. Any hearing impairment may be compensated for by use of a hearing aid. Since the duties of these positions are exacting and responsible, and involve activities under trying conditions, applicants must possess emotional and mental stability. Any physical condition that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to himself/herself, or others is disqualifying.

Firearms Qualification: Must qualify with and carry a firearm.

Lautenberg Amendment: This position authorizes the incumbent to carry a firearm. Any person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence cannot lawfully possess a firearm or ammunition (Title 18, U.S.C., Section 922(g)(9)). Candidates who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence are not qualified for this position. Candidates under consideration will be required to certify whether they have ever been convicted of such an offense. False or fraudulent information provided by candidates is criminally punishable by fine or imprisonment. (Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1001).

Maximum Entry Age: Applicants must be at least 21 years of age. The day immediately preceding an individual's 37th birthday will be the last day to be referred for selection consideration. However, the age restriction may not apply if you are a preference-eligible veteran or if you are currently serving or have previously served in a federal civilian law enforcement position.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). For more information on the qualifications for this position, click here.

How you will be evaluated

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

Promotion Potential (Career Ladder) Statement: This position is being filled at the GS-11 level with promotion potential to the GS-13. Promotion or assignment into this career ladder position does not guarantee future advancement. Advancement to the GS-13 is not automatic and depends on the individual's ability to perform the higher-grade duties, the availability of a sufficient quantity of higher-grade work that would constitute a major duty, and management's decision to assign these higher-grade duties to the employee.

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

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Decision Making
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• 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.

Structured Resume Review: Subject matter experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience.SMEs will not review additional information beyond your resume (e.g., Links embedded in your resume will not be opened.).

To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12977770

Your application will be evaluated and rated under DOJ's Category Rating and Selection Procedures and placed in one of three categories: Best Qualified, Highly Qualified, or Qualified.

Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;

Highly Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job;

Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Names of all candidates in the best qualified category will be sent to the hiring official for employment consideration (unless a sufficient number of qualified veterans are found - in which only those names will be initially certified). Candidates within the best qualified category who are eligible for veteran preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.

Note: Failure to submit a resume or supporting documentation may result in elimination for further consideration. To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume: Your resume showing relevant experience, job titles, duties, dates (must include MM/DD/YY for full consideration) of employment and work schedule for each (part-time XX hours per week or full-time). Limit your resume to 2 pages. Only resumes 2 pages in length will be accepted to determine eligibility and qualifications. For more information, view the following link: USAJOBS Help Center - Update your resume now so it meets new resume requirement
• A complete Assessment Questionnaire
• Other supporting documents:
  • College transcripts If you meet qualifications based on education:
    • An unofficial college transcript. (Note: If you are selected for this position, official transcript will be required prior to your first day.) and foreign education evaluation documentation, if applicable, as described under the "Education" section of this vacancy announcement.
• CTAP/ICTAP Documentation
  • A copy of your RIF separation notice, notice of proposed removal for failure to relocate, notice of disability annuity termination, or certification from the National Guard Bureau or Military Department that you are eligible for disability retirement;
  • A copy of your SF-50 "Notification of Personnel Action'', documenting your RIF separation, noting your positions, grade level, and duty location, and/or Agency certification of inability to place you through RPL, etc.;
  • A copy of your latest performance appraisal including your rating; and
  • Any documentation from your agency that shows your current promotion potential.
• Veterans Preference Documentation, if applicable:
  • In order to verify your Veterans' Preference entitlement, you must submit a copy of the Member Copy 4 of your DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty); or if you are a current Active Duty member you must submit a certification on appropriate military branch letterhead that indicates:1) your service dates, 2) expected discharge or release date from active duty with a release/discharge date no later than 120 days from the closing date of this announcement, and 3) the character of service (e.g., Honorable); or other official documentation (e.g., documentation of receipt of a campaign badge or expeditionary medal) that shows your military service was performed under honorable conditions.
  • In addition, if you are a disabled veteran, a Purple Heart recipient, or widow/widower if a veteran, the spouse of a disabled veteran or the parent of a disabled or deceased veteran, you must submit a Standard Form (SF) 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference" dated October 2013 and all the required documentation identified on the reverse side of the SF-15 to support your preference claim.
• Any other supporting documentation required for verification as described in the announcement.
• Are you a current or former political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee? 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. Submit a copy of your applicable SF-50, along with a statement that provides the following information regarding your most recent political appointment:
  • Position title;
  • Type of appointment (Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES, or Presidential Appointee);
  • Agency; and
  • Beginning and ending dates of appointment.

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