Criminal Investigator - Contract Fraud Investigations Division

Clarification from the agency

Status Candidates (Merit Promotion and VEOA Eligibles) - Current career United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Service, United States Postal Inspection Service and Postal Regulatory Commission Employees will not be considered or selected from this vacancy announcement.

The successful candidate must be highly motivated and exhibit a high degree of character and demonstrate experience planning, conducting and/or leading complex Federal criminal, civil and administrative investigations.

Additional Duties & Responsibilities:

• Plans, conducts and/or coordinates criminal, civil and administrative investigations relating to alleged or suspected violations of Federal laws committed by or against Postal Service personnel or Postal Service contractors.
• Obtains and evaluates information to support all criminal and civil investigations.
• Applies for and serves warrants for arrests, searches and seizures as appropriate and provided by law.
• Prepares requests and/or reviews/approves requests for subpoenas, consensual monitoring, and other requests requiring higher authority.
• Assists Government attorneys in the preparation of grand jury presentations and court cases; serves as a witness in grand juries, criminal and civil courts and administrative forums.
• Maintains liaison with other offices, agencies, and appropriate organizations as needed.
• Conducts investigations using various techniques such as surveillance, interviewing and interrogating, examining files and records, obtaining physical and documentary evidence and undercover assignments.
• Collects, evaluates and preserves physical and documentary evidence. Utilizing cameras and other electronic surveillance equipment to gather evidence.

The duties and responsibilities associated with this position may vary based upon the agency's needs at the time of hire. The preceding description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations.


Compensation: The USPS OIG is an Excepted Service agency and uses a Pay Banding system, which is equivalent to the Federal GS scale.

This position is being advertised at the Journey Band level, equivalent to a GS-11 to GS-13. The salary range for this position is $74,678.00 - $172,980.00. The salary figures include locality pay. For locality table specifics, visit: OPM's General Schedule (GS).

The posted salary range does not include the authorized Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) under the 1811 Series.

The job also provides coverage as a primary position under law enforcement retirement.

Conditions of employment

• Must currently be a Federal Law Enforcement Officer classified as an 1811 series Criminal Investigator.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (Tier-5) clearance.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a government-issued credit card.
• Selectee subject to random drug screenings.
• Required to successfully complete a twelve (12) month probationary period.
• Must be able to pass a drug screening and physical examination.

Qualifications

Position Minimum Qualification Requirements
You must meet all the minimum qualifications listed below.

You must currently be an 1811 criminal investigator or military equivalent and have at least one or more years of experience as a criminal investigator at a GS-11 or above equivalent grade level in the 1811 occupation series. NON-QUALIFYING experience includes security details, intelligence analysis, corrections or guard duty, physical security, and military/security police officer.

Eligibility & Experience Requirements

• Completed Basic Criminal Investigative Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) or its equivalent.
• Currently serve as a federal law enforcement officer classified as an 1811 series Criminal Investigator or Military equivalent.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
• At least one (1) or more years of experience equivalent at the GS-11 level or higher grade.
• Demonstrated experience assisting, planning, conducting and/or leading contract fraud and/or complex fraud investigations.
• Received at least a "met expectation" rating on your two most recent performance appraisals (FY 2024 and FY 2025).

In accordance with applicable laws, the applicant selected for this position must:

• Maintain eligibility to operate motor vehicles
• Must be at least 21 years of age and not have reached 37th birthday at the time of initial appointment to law enforcement position
• Qualify and maintain authorization to carry firearms, including no current or previous domestic violence convictions
• Maintain physical, mental and emotional standards and requirements necessary to perform law enforcement assignments
• Work unscheduled irregular hours with the possibility of personal risk
• Must be willing to relocate at the direction of management

Desirable Qualifications

• Knowledge of Postal Service structure, processes, operations, etc.
• Advanced academic degree or 8 years of related professional experience

Evaluation Factors | How You Will Be Evaluated:

You must have the experience, knowledge, and skills as listed in each of the evaluation factors listed below. Include your major accomplishments relevant to the position requirements and factors in your resume. Failure to demonstrate that you meet all the evaluation factor requirements as listed below will result in a score of zero (0), an ineligible status, and you will not be referred for further consideration.

• Demonstrated experience assisting, planning, conducting and/or leading contract fraud and/or complex fraud investigations.
• Demonstrative ability to define problems, analyze alternatives and recommend solutions to difficult problems or issues.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing facts and circumstances of investigations and analysis which are understandable to management officials.

How you will be evaluated

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

How You Will Be Evaluated
You will be assessed on:

• Minimum qualifications
• Evaluation factors
• Quality of resume and supporting documents
• Interview performance (if recommended/selected)

Important Application Rules (Disqualification Triggers)
You will not be considered if you:

• Fail to attach all required documents
• Submit a resume exceeding two pages
• Submit materials showing you do not meet minimum qualifications
• Receive a zero rating on any evaluation factor
• Use AI tools during the interview (except approved accessibility tools)
• Fail to qualify during the interview

Top-rated applicants will be referred to an interview panel or selecting official for the required interview. Ratings may be further adjusted or determined as ineligible by the interview panel or the selecting official based on interview performance. Applicants may be interviewed one or more times as part of the hiring process. Once all applicant scores are finalized, the selecting official will make a final decision.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications or virtual assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) is prohibited during interviews. An exception for accessibility tools must be submitted through reasonable accommodation. Applicants who fail to follow these rules will be disqualified from the hiring process.

NOTE: This announcement may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates for future hiring needs. Applicants may be considered for positions in other directorates within the Office of Investigations.

You must submit all required documents by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date of this announcement, Vacancy Announcement 13018030, by closing date 08/10/2026.

Important Note: Make sure you submit all required documents with your application. Failure to do so will result in your disqualification.

1. Resume (Mandatory)

• Must not exceed two (2) pages
• 0.5" margins; recommended fonts: Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Roboto, Noto Sans
• Upload as PDF (<=5MB)
• Additional guidance can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?

2. Occupational Assessment Questionnaire (Mandatory)

• Self-assessment questionnaire addressing the requirements, experience, and evaluation factors of the position

3. Performance Evaluations (Mandatory)

• Two (2) most recent performance appraisals (FY 2024 and FY 2025)
• Including rating, coaching, and review phase comments sections
• If unavailable, a substitute document must be submitted explaining why a performance appraisal is not available
• Form SF-50 is not acceptable as a performance appraisal
• Applications submitted without either a performance appraisal or qualifying substitute will be considered incomplete

4. Standard Form 50 Form (Mandatory)

• SF-50 (current or federal employees)

5. Transcripts (Mandatory)

• Must include institution name, your name, course list, hours, GPA, degree awarded
• Foreign education requires U.S. equivalency review documentation
• For further information visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/

6. Supporting Documents (If Applicable)

• Certificates/Licenses - FLETC certification will be requested during the hiring process for verification purposes
• Veteran's Preference Documents (DD-214 Member 4, SF-15, VA Letter)
• Preference documentation guidance can be found at:
  • https://www.opm.gov/forms/standard-forms/
  • https://archives.gov/veterans/ military-service-records
  • https://ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage

Next steps

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