Duties
The successful candidate must have experience in planning, conducting and/or leading complex federal criminal, civil and administrative investigations.
Candidates will be evaluated on the skills that they possess that are directly related to the duties of the position and/or the experience, education and training that indicate the applicant's ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position. Only those candidates who meet all qualification and eligibility requirements and who submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM EST on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, will be considered.
The USPS OIG uses a Pay Banding system, which is equivalent to the Federal GS scale. Grade and salary determinations will be made based upon a candidate's education and professional experience.
This position is being advertised at the Journey Band level, equivalent to a GS 9 -13 grade level. The salary range for this position is $71,520 - $155,164 includes locality pay. Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) is authorized. Compensation includes 1811 LEAP coverage in primary position under law enforcement retirement.
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a government-issued credit card.
Please note that the duties and responsibilities associated with this position may vary based upon the agency's needs at the time of hire. The following description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations.
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.
- 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.
Travel Required
- 50% or less
- You may be expected to travel for this position.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Must currently be a Federal Law Enforcement Officer classified as an 1811 series Criminal Investigator
- Must be able to pass a drug screening. Note: a physical is required for 1811 criminal investigator positions.
- Must be able to pass a background investigation
- Must be able to obtain and maintain Top Secret security clearance
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a government-issued credit card
- May be required to successfully complete a 12-month probationary period
- Selectee subject to random drug screenings
Qualifications
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-9 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.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
You must meet ALL of the minimum qualifications listed below.
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
- Completed Basic Criminal Investigative Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) or its equivalent (Must submit a copy of the certification)
- Currently serve as a federal law enforcement officer classified as an 1811 series Criminal Investigator or Military equivalent
- Have at least one or more years of experience in position at the GS-9 or above equivalent grade level as a Federal Law Enforcement Officer. (You must submit a current SF-50 or equivalent that demonstrates your federal law enforcement status)
- Demonstrated experience planning, conducting and/or leading complex criminal investigations
- Must have received a satisfactory performance rating on your most recent performance appraisal (Fiscal year 2023 and 2024). If a performance appraisal is not available, you must submit a written statement stating the reason it is not available (You must submit a copy of your latest performance appraisal)
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
- Do you have knowledge of Postal Service structure, processes operations, etc.
Applicants that do not meet the minimum qualification requirements will not be considered.
EVALUATION FACTORS
You must have the experience, knowledge and skills as listed in EACH of the evaluation factors. Failure to demonstrate that you meet all of 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. Include your major accomplishments relevant to the position requirements in your resume.
- Demonstrated experience planning, conducting and/or leading complex criminal 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 to individuals and groups
Failure to demonstrate that you meet all evaluation factor requirements will result in a score of zero (0). Upon receipt of a zero score, you will be deemed "not minimally qualified," and you will not be referred for further consideration.
Benefits
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.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications required for this position.
You will no longer be considered for this position if you:
- Receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor
- Fail to attach all required documentation
- Submit a resume that exceeds the two-page limit
- If your application materials indicate that you are not minimally qualified for this position
- If you fail to qualify on the interview
Only the top-rated candidates will be referred to a review official or selecting official for further consideration. Top-rated applicants may be required to participate in an interview. Your rating may be further adjusted or rated as ineligible by the review official or the selecting official based on your interview performance. Once all applicant scores are finalized, the selecting official will make a final decision. NOTE: If you receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor or on the interview, you will be considered NOT MINIMALLY QUALIFIED for the position and rated ineligible.
Applicants for this position may be interviewed one or more times as part of the hiring process. During the interview, an in-person writing sample may be requested. A laptop will be provided to complete this task and if the interviewee needs an accommodation (e.g., equipment aid), the request must be made in advance for arrangements. Also, during interviews, applicants may not use any AI tool or virtual assistant (such as ChatGPT) to help them answer questions, except for accessibility tool used as part of reasonable accommodation. Applicants who fail to follow these rules will be disqualified from the hiring process.
Required Documents
You must submit all required documents by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date of this announcement, Vacancy Announcement EX 25-83B-12804617-DR, by closing date Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
1. RESUME - Required, IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. You will no longer be considered for this announcement if your resume exceeds the two-page limit. It is essential that your resume and supporting documentation provide sufficient information to substantiate your qualifications for the announced position (categorize as "Resume"). Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
Make sure your page margins are 0.5 inches. The recommended font styles are Sans-Serif, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noto Sans. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started
2. COMPLETE OCCUPATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE. Click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire. (Required: You must click on "Submit My Answers" button at the end of the Questionnaire to complete this process)
3. PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS (FY 2023 and 2024) - Required, dated within the last 15 months. This is required from all applicants including federal, private sector employees or others. If a PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL is not available, you must submit a separate written statement explaining why appraisal is not available. (Upload as "Performance Appraisal") NOTE: An SF50 IS NOT acceptable as a performance appraisal.
4. SF-50 - Required, if you are or have been a federal employee to demonstrate tenure and competitive/excepted service for eligibility purposes. (If applicable to you, you are required to upload each applicable SF-50 and categorize as a "SF-50 or Form 50" document.)
5. UPLOAD SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS which may include:
- Certificates or Licenses, if applicable. Upload and save as "Certificates or Licenses" document.
- Veterans Preference Documentation. If you are claiming veterans' preference. You must submit the Member 4 copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and/or other proof of veterans' preference eligibility, including your VA letter, SF-15 (https://www.opm.gov/forms/standard-forms/), and all required documents related to your SF15 claim. Veterans can request the Member 4 copy of their DD-214 at archives.gov/veterans/military-service- records and can download a copy of their VA letter from ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage. If applicable, you are required to submit each veterans' preference document in the application packages. Please name these files as "DD-214" or "SF-15" or "Other Veterans Document."
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. You will no longer be considered for this announcement if your resume exceeds the two-page limit.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date, Tuesday, October 14, 2025, to receive consideration.
- To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents.
- You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account. You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
- You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
- To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
- You are strongly urged to read and print the entire vacancy announcement.
Next steps
Once the Occupational Questionnaire has been received you will receive an acknowledgement e-mail that your submission was successful. After a review of your application package has been completed, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the Selecting Official.