Summary
The USPS OIG is seeking a highly qualified applicants to fill our Entry Level Criminal Investigator vacancy within the Office of Investigation, Northeast Area Field Office (NEAFO), Brooklyn, NY location. The successful candidates must demonstrate the potential to conduct federal criminal, civil and administrative investigations. Bring your skills and voice to our team!
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Clarification from the agency
All U.S. Citizens. Current Career United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Service and United States Postal Inspection Service, and Postal Regulatory Commission Employees will not be considered or selected from this vacancy announcement.
Duties
Candidates will be evaluated on the skills that they possess that are directly related to the duties of the position and 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 the required information by 11:59 PM EST on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, 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 GS 7 equivalent grade level. The salary range for this position is $67,394 - $85,235 and includes locality pay. Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) is authorized. LEAP will not be part of compensation until successful, completion of the 12-week training course at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), or equivalent federal law enforcement academy.
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
Relocation Authorized: No
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.
Applicants must be highly motivated and demonstrate the potential to conduct federal criminal, civil and administrative investigations.
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 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
- Selectee is subject to random drug testing
- May be required to successfully complete a 12-month probationary period
Qualifications
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
You must meet ALL of the minimum qualifications listed below.
- Eligible applicants must possess a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
- Have 2 years of experience with a law enforcement agency
- Demonstrated potential to conduct federal criminal, civil, and administrative investigations
- Must have received a satisfactory performance rating on your most recent performance appraisal (Fiscal year 2025). 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 or written statement)
In accordance with applicable laws, the applicant selected for this position must:
- Must successfully complete the 12-week Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP).
- 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.
- As a law enforcement officer, you will be required to work on an unscheduled basis in excess of the 40-hour work week. These positions require substantial overtime to include holidays, weekends, and nights. You must be readily accessible to perform this unscheduled work. To ensure your availability, you will receive extra compensation in the form of Law Enforcement Availability Pay, which is calculated at a flat rate of 25 percent of base salary.
- Must be willing to relocate at the direction of management.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
- Advanced academic degree
- Knowledge of Postal Service Operations
- Prior or current law enforcement or military experience
- Prior USPS OIG Student Cooperative
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.
Your resume
MUST reflect that you have experience, knowledge and/or skills in each of the following Evaluation Factors listed below in a narrative response on the assessment questionnaire:
- Demonstrated knowledge of various law enforcement/investigative techniques and procedures
- Ability to effectively present information, both orally and in writing, to convey ideas and concepts regarding complex and/or sensitive issues.
- Demonstrated ability to work with a team and develop and maintain effective working relationships with others from within and outside an organization.
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.
Additional information
Pay is only part of the compensation you will earn working for the USPS OIG. We offer a broad array of benefits programs:
As a result of the passage of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022 (PSRA), USPS employees (including USPS OIG) and retirees will transition from the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program to the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program effective January 1, 2025. Detailed information about eligibility and enrollment will be provided upon hiring. For more information, visit the Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program website at https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/pshb/.
We offer Health, Dental, Vision, Life and Long-Term Care Insurances with Flexible Spending options as well.For more information about these programs visit: https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/Guide-Me/Federal-Employees/
Retirement and Thrift Savings. For more information about these programs see https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/ and tsp.gov/.
Flexible Work Schedules. USPS OIG offers a range of family-friendly flexibilities including flexible work schedules, telework and employee assistance programs.
Leave and Holidays. In addition to eleven (11) paid holidays each year, you will earn thirteen (13) days of paid sick leave and thirteen (13) to twenty-six (26) paid vacation days each year depending on your years of service.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Status: Exempt (Nonexempt employees are entitled to overtime pay; Exempt employees are not).
This agency provides Reasonable Accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require accommodations for any part of the application and/or hiring process, please send an email to jobs@uspsoig.gov. The decision on granting an accommodation request will be made on a case-by-case basis.
For further information, please refer to our website at: https://www.uspsoig.gov/frequently-asked-questions
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.
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 the 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 tools used as part of a 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 26-45B-12913670-DR, by closing date Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
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 2025) - Required, dated within the last 15 months with Coaching and Review Phase comments and must have received at least a met expectations rating. This is required from all applicants including private sector employees. If a PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL is not available, you must submit a separate statement with the reason a performance 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 "Certificate" or "License" 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 Download VA Benefit Letters | Veterans Affairs. 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."
- TRANSCRIPTS - from an accredited college or university. The information presented in the transcript must be verifiable and should contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, list of completed courses, semester hours, GPA, date and type of Bachelor's Degree issued. Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Attach document verifying that it has been deemed equivalent. For further information visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs. (If applicable - Upload and save as "Transcript" document.)
- Reasonable Accommodation Documentation. If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found at http://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire . USA_Hire_Reasonable_Accommodation_Form_508_12-5-23.pdf
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, 04/01/2026, 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.