Criminal Investigator

Legislative Branch

Government Accountability Office

Forensic Audits and Investigative Service

Summary

The Assistant Director (Investigations) is responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating work performed by others, as appropriate. The incumbent leads and conducts assignments that focus on investigating issues involving GAO employees, programs, operations, and policies to provide reports to the agency for administrative action and to work with prosecutors on civil and criminal cases.

This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

Internal to permanent GAO employees

Duties

Manages GAO's investigative activities, which are performed by Criminal Investigators,
Investigative Research Analysts, and support staff to ensure activities are cost effective,
exemplify GAO's core values, align with GAO's strategic goals, and are conducted in accordance
with GAO's policies and quality assurance standards.
Supervises and reviews the planning, organization, and execution of all aspects of investigative
activities to identify potential violations of criminal law, as well as systemic and programmatic
vulnerabilities within a variety of government programs. Provides leadership and oversight of
staff conducting investigative activities, including their use of various investigative techniques
and tools and their undercover activities, to ensure quality, adherence to standards, and timely
client service.
Oversees the development of high-quality investigative plans, reports, and other written and
oral products to ensure accuracy and compliance with applicable standards.
Assists the Investigative Director in overseeing and managing GAO's FraudNet operations.
FraudNet is a government hotline that receives complaints of fraud, waste, and abuse of
government resources.
Serves as an advisor on administrative, civil, and/or criminal investigative matters to the FAIS
Investigative Director, FAIS Managing Director, and GAO's other top management officials,
participating with them in the formulation of policies and procedures related to GAO's
investigative authority and responsibility.
Coordinates investigative activities with GAO analysts, lawyers, methodologists, and others to maximize resources and leverage available expertise within GAO. As appropriate, coordinates investigative activities with entities outside GAO such as Inspector General offices and law enforcement agencies.
Sets and adjusts short-term investigative priorities, and prepares schedules for completion of
work, assigning work based on priorities and difficulty of assignments and adjusting to
accommodate resource allocation decisions made at higher echelons.
Contributes to the professional development of staff and ensures that they are receiving the
appropriate training, opportunities, coaching, and performance feedback. This includes
evaluating and documenting the performance of team members; hearing and resolving team
members' complaints; effecting disciplinary measures, such as warnings and reprimands,
documenting observations and recommending other action in more serious cases; and referring
unresolved grievances or more serious complaints to higher-level management. It also involves
identifying training and developmental needs of team members and providing or making
provisions for training as required by performance expectations; coaching staff in skills
development; overseeing individual development activities; and providing opportunities to
develop increased capabilities through a variety of projects and assignments.

Perform other duties as assigned

Requirements

Conditions of employment

You must meet all qualification requirements before the announcement closes.

Qualifications

You may qualify at the Criminal Investigator BAND III level, if you fulfill the following qualification requirement:

Applicants must have at least one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the next lower band level, equivalent to the Band (Criminal Investigator Band II, PE-IIB, PA-II, PT-III, or MS-I) level in the federal service, which has equipped the applicant with the skills and knowledge to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as experience as follows:

Specialized experience is defined as experience planning and conducting complex criminal investigations relating to alleged or suspected violations of potential fraud, waste and abuse and government corruption; deciphering evidence and information that reconstructs events, sequences and time elements; and advising, assisting and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders within Federal, State and/or local law enforcement.

Other Requirements:
1. Basic Criminal Investigation Training: Selectee must have already successfully completed a recognized federal law enforcement training program such as: (1) the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) conducted by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC); or (2) the Special Agent Basic Training conducted by Drug Enforcement Agency or Federal Bureau of Investigations; or (3) the Basic Inspector Training conducted by the US Postal Service.
2. Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP): The incumbent is subject to work unscheduled duty hours and must be available for unscheduled duty based upon the needs of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Therefore, the incumbent is eligible for Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) of an additional 25%, and is subject to the provisions of the LEAP Act of 1994.
3. Federal Law Enforcement Officer (FLEO): This position is covered by the special retirement provisions for Federal Law Enforcement Officer (FLEO). Candidates without previous FLEO service must be under age 37. Employees subject to special retirement coverage for law enforcement officers must retire at age 57 upon completing 20 years of law enforcement service under the special retirement provisions for law enforcement officers. If these 20 years of service are not attained by age 57, mandatory retirement is required upon completion 20 years of service. This age restriction does not apply to those who have previously served in a Federal civilian (not military) law enforcement position covered by Title 5 U.S.C. Section 8336 (c) provisions and preference eligible veterans.

You must have experience in a law enforcement position where you primary duties involved investigating, apprehending, or detaining individuals suspected or convicted of offenses against the criminal laws of the United States or protecting the personal safety of United States officials.
You must have successfully completed FLETC's Criminal Investigator Training Program or a program that is equivalent to FLETC's Criminal Investigator Training Program.

3. Working in an organization with a criminal investigation mission. For example, an Office of Inspector General or Criminal Investigative Division;
4. Applying investigative techniques to expose possible violations of administrative policy or statutes to investigate and refer for prosecution violations of administrative law or agency policy; and
5. Gathering and examining information from data analysis, confidential or anonymous sources, cooperating defendants, or investigative reports from other federal, state, and local investigations to incorporate the information into an affidavit or a presentation to an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) for acceptance for prosecution.

Education

There are no education requirement for this position.

Additional information

Update your resume so it meets new resume requirements
Starting on September 27, 2025, federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying to a job.
What is required in the resume?
Resumes submitted for federal jobs are required to have:

Contact Information-your name and the best way to contact you.
Relevant work experience-Job experience should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how your previous work experience relates to and helps you meet the required qualifications in the GAO job announcement to which you are applying.
Education, certifications or licensures-If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure you include the required information on the resume.

For more information on the how to check the resume for the new 2-page requirement, please go to the Help Center or click the link : USAJOBS Help Center - Update your resume now so it meets new resume requirements

This is not a bargaining unit position.

Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid for by the GAO.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request accommodation, please email ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov. The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

This is an administrative secondary law enforcement office position for Civil Service Retirement Systems (CSRS) and Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) purposes.

This position is eligible for law enforcement officer (LEO) special retirement provisions under the CSRS and FERS if you meet certain criteria.

This position has a mandatory separation age of 57. You will be required to separate:

On the last day of the month you reach the standard mandatory separation age and have completed 20 years of service under the special retirement provisions for law enforcement officers.
If you reach the mandatory separation age and have not yet completed the required 20 years of service under the special retirement provisions, you must be separated on the last day of the month you complete the 20 years of service.

This position may be eligible for law enforcement availability pay (LEAP).

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

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

If you meet the qualification requirements stated above, you will be further rated based on your responses to the vacancy questions. Please make sure that your responses to the vacancy questions are supported in your resume. Please follow all instructions carefully. If you provide incomplete answers, fail to provide a narrative response to any vacancy question(s) that requires further explanation, or if your response to a vacancy question is "see resume", your rating may be affected or you may be determined ineligible.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics):

Attention to Detail, Decision Making, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, and Leadership

Required Documents

You must provide a complete application package which includes:

Resume
SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

- Resume: must be created using the USAJOBS resume builder and show relevant work experience.
- Current GAO employees must submit their most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent) showing tenure, type of service (competitive/excepted), as well as the highest grade/band held.
The SF-50 must show that you are currently a GAO employee.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

- Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

If you are unable to apply online, please contact William Washington at washingtonw@gao.gov or 4046791881 by 4 p.m. on the closing date of the announcement.

For technical issue with USAJOBS: Please refer to the USAJOBS help page.

Agency contact information

William Washington

Email: washingtonw@gao.gov

Address: Government Accountability Office
Human Capital Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548
US

Next steps

After the closing date of this announcement, GAO's Human Capital Office will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications by reviewing your assessment questionnaire and resume to complete an analysis. Please be as complete and thorough as possible. If your application is rated "best-qualified," your name will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. At this point you may be contacted for an interview.

If you do not meet the key requirements and/or basic qualifications or you fail to submit all required application materials, your application will not be considered.

Criminal Investigator Job in Washington, DC