Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen.
- Must be at least 21 years old.
- Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
- Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met. See Probationary Period in the Required Documents section for more details.
- Requires medical exam and must maintain physical requirements.
- Subject to pre-employment and random drug tests.
- Subject to financial disclosure requirements.
- Requires a valid driver's license.
- Subject to frequent travel.
- See Additional Requirements associated with the position in the Qualifications section for more information.
Qualifications
You must meet the Specialized Experience to qualify for Criminal Investigator (Operations Officer), as described below.
Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal Service.
Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
Qualifying specialized experience includes at least four (4) of the following:
- Identifies and initiates criminal investigations with regional and/or national significance in financial crimes and fraud, federal programs, contracts or grant fraud and/or employee integrity offenses;
- Reviews the work of investigators for technical accuracy and adherence to policies, ensuring sound judgment in their actions and recommendations;
- Recommends or develops investigative policies, directives, standards and/or procedures;
- Drafts detailed responses and/or reports on investigative findings; and/or
- Conducts joint investigations with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, establishing and maintaining effective communication channels.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE POSITION:
Maximum AGE Requirements: An applicant must enter a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) law enforcement covered position or a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) law enforcement covered position not one day later than his/her 37th birthday.
Please note: Applicants appointed to Criminal Investigator positions in the Federal service must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to the position unless they previously served in a Federal civilian law enforcement position covered by special civil service retirement provisions, including early or mandatory retirement. This requirement may be waived only for veterans. However, the primary duties of these positions are classified as rigorous, and a waiver may be authorized by the head of the agency only in unusual situations. An age requirement waiver is not automatic. An individual who has passed the maximum entry age limit but previously served in a covered position, may be eligible for consideration and reinstatement of coverage if he/she will be able to complete a total of 20 years of covered law enforcement service by the time he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 57. See OPM Retirement Handbook for further details.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS FOR OIG {SUPERVISORY} CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS
Incumbents are required to be able to perform the following duties:
A. Firearm Use. All OIG criminal investigators must qualify to use a DOL-owned firearms and accept assignments where firearms are necessary. The use of firearms may sometimes be justified and required.
B. Arrests. OIG criminal investigators make arrests, with or without a warrant, according to the circumstances.
C. Search and Seizure. OIG criminal investigators execute search warrants to examine premises or seize evidence.
D. Surveillances. During investigations, criminal investigators may conduct surveillance of suspected criminal activities.
E. Undercover Assignments. From time to time, criminal investigators assume undercover roles.
F. Review of Records and Other Evidence. Investigative cases often involve reviewing and managing large volumes of records, which investigators handle and transport for copying.
G. Travel. Many criminal investigators engage in frequent travel, sometimes up to 50 percent of their time. This travel often requires long hours of driving (8 to 14 hours) in potentially severe weather and hazardous road conditions.
H. Maintain Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance.
I. Basic Law Enforcement Training: As a condition of employment, newly-hired OIG criminal investigators must have successfully completed the basic criminal investigator training course at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC ), unless waived by OIG because of proof of comparable special agent or law enforcement officer training.
Education
There is no substitution of education for the required specialized experience at the GS-14 level.
Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service.
If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position.
Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.
Additional information
Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.
The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers.
Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES
Non-Supervisory Financial Disclosure: This position is subject to the confidential financial disclosure requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-521). Therefore, if selected, you will be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) to determine if a conflict or an appearance of a conflict exists between your financial interest(s) and your prospective position with DOL. This information will be required annually.
Telework (if applicable): This position is physically located in Washington, DC. Incumbents are eligible to telework, subject to supervisor approval, but must also report to the physical office a prescribed number of days each pay period. Click here for Telework Position Information
As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION
The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process
Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.
Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions.
All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to screening for illegal drug use prior to the appointment.
All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.
Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.
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.
Your evaluation will be based on how well you meet the qualifications outlined in this vacancy announcement, as demonstrated through your resume and supporting documentation.
You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13080366
USA Hire
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
- Reasoning
- Self-Management
- Stress Tolerance
- Teamwork
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the
Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments.
The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, and volunteer experience, as it demonstrates the competencies or skills required for the position to be filled. Your evaluation may include an interview, reference checks, or other assessment conducted by HR specialists, subject matter experts, or panel members and may include other assessment tools (ex. interview, structured interview, written test, work sample, etc.).
INFORMATION FOR ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under ICTAP/CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. ICTAP/CTAP eligible(s) will be considered well-qualified if they attain at least a rating score of 85 in a numerical rating scheme. Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.
Required Documents
The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of time-in-grade (52 weeks at the next lower grade), time-after-competitive-appointment (90 days), and minimum qualifications (52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade in federal service). These requirements must be met within 30 days of 10/07/2026, the announcement closing date.
The following documents are required from all applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):
- STATUS FEDERAL EMPLOYEES: When applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service, please provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows your appointment eligibility for the position for which you are applying. Your SF-50 must identify the highest grade you held on a permanent basis, Pay Plan/Pay Schedule, Series, Grade/Pay Band, and career status. Multiple SF-50 may be submitted to demonstrate your highest previous rate and eligibility.
*WARNING: An award SF-50 (ex. cash or time off award) may not indicate grade, step, and competitive status. For current DOL employees, an award SF-50 DOES NOT indicate grade and step.
- Resumes are required - provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your computer and USAJOBS profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
- Most recent performance appraisal/evaluation signed and dated within 18 months, or a statement why the performance appraisal is unavailable. *In most cases, ICTAP/CTAP applicants must submit this document - please see ICTAP/CTAP links below for more details.
The following documents are required (if applicable):
- Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) Eligibility. Click/Review these ICTAP/CTAP links to confirm what must be submitted as proof that the requirement has been met.
- DD-214 - verifying military service, eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), and showing the character of discharge (ex. Member Copy 4 and 2 are acceptable vs. Copy 1 which is not acceptable to adjudicate veteran's preference)
Special/Non-Competitive Appointing Authority Documents
- Land Management Eligible(s): a copy of your most recent Notification of Personnel Action (SF-50 or equivalent) proving your eligibility for appointment under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act. This service must have been performed in competitive service, under a time-limited appointment in a Land Management Agency, as defined by P.L. 114-328. For more information, click here.
Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.
Do not upload password-protected documents.
Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires.
Probationary Period
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
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.