Investigator Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. AC-25-12641833-CB Department AmeriCorps
Salary $84,607.00 to $159,884.00 Grade 3 to 3
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 1/16/2025 Close Date 1/30/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

This position is located in the Office of Inspector General with the Office of Investigations (OI). AmeriCorps OIG is an independent office within AmeriCorps that provides oversight of the agency's programs and operations to protect the integrity of national service.

Duties

The Investigator will perform investigative activities relating to AmeriCorps programs and operations throughout the United States and assist the OIG in maintaining the highest standards of honesty and integrity in AmeriCorps programs and operations.

  • Managing the Office of Inspector General (OIG) hotline by triaging information received from the hotline.
  • Participating/assisting in the analysis of complaints or allegations to identify the issues involved and the evidence needed.
  • Assisting with conducting investigations related to suspected violations of laws of the United States and AmeriCorps rules and regulations.
  • Coordinating with internal and external parties to obtain information.
  • Developing written reports and/or investigative work products that comply with applicable policy.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a United States Citizen
  • A 2-year probationary period is required for new Federal employees and supervisors.
  • Merit Promotion and internal applicants must submit a SF-50 to verify Status and grade
  • Satisfactory completion of a background investigation.
  • A financial disclosure may be required for this position.
  • Dates of employment, including beginning and end dates in the following format: month/day/year, must be included on resume.

Qualifications

AmeriCorps uses an experience-based process to set pay for employees. Experience is evaluated and credited using the employee's résumé. To ensure that all of your prior work experience (e.g., internships, volunteer work, details, part-time, self-employment, secondary jobs, etc.) is considered and accounted for, please ensure that your résumé covers the following:
Resume: You must submit a resume that clearly demonstrates you have experience that meets the requirements of this position.

Specialized experience:
To qualify at the NY3 /GS-11 level or equivalent, applicants must possess one year of specialized experience at the next to lower pay band/ grade level GS-09/10 or equivalent under other pay systems. Applicants must meet eligibility requirements and minimum qualifications, and any other regulatory requirements by the cut-off/closing date of the announcement. Applicants must have one year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to successfully perform the duties of the position, in either federal or non-federal service performing two (2) out of three (3) of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Identify and collect facts and evidence from a wide variety of sources; or
2. Conducts research, data analysis, and analyzing legal records to prepare reports of findings; or
3. Conducts investigations related to suspected administrative, civil or criminal violations of laws.

OR

Education: Ph.D or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Criminal Justice, Criminology, Law Enforcement or Forensic Science.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps VISTA) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement; education may be substituted for Specialized Experience at this grade level.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Additional Selections: Additional selections may be made from this announcement or for similar positions across AmeriCorps. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at AmeriCorps.

Military Selective Service Act: If you are a male applicant who was born after 12/31/59 and are required to register under the Military Selective Service Act, the Defense Authorization Act of 1986 requires that you be registered or you are not eligible for appointment in this agency.

Veteran's Preference: If you are claiming 5-point or 10-point veteran's preference, you must submit documentation described below in "Required Documents."

Special Employment Consideration: Persons with disabilities, disabled veterans who have a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more, certain other veterans, spouses of certain members of the Armed Forces, VISTA volunteers, some Peace Corps employees and returning Peace Corps volunteers are examples of individuals who are potentially eligible for noncompetitive appointment. If you are eligible and would like to be considered for one of these noncompetitive appointments, applicable documentation that supports your eligibility must be submitted with your application package.

Ethics Requirement: Our Agency is committed to the highest ethical standards and, as an employee you will be covered by the criminal conflict of interest statutes (18 U.S.C. 201-209) and the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch (5 C.F.R. part 2635). Additionally, you may be required to complete a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) or Public Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 278e) within 30 days of your appointment date and on an annual basis thereafter.

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.

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

  • Investigative Analysis
  • Oral Communication
  • Partnering
  • Written Communication


Important Note: Your resume must support your answers to the job specific questions. High self-assessment on the Occupational Questionnaire that is not supported by the information in your resume or supporting documents can/will result in elimination from further consideration. If you do not answer all of the job specific questions you will not be considered. Incomplete applications (resume and required supporting documents) will be considered ineligible.

Qualified applicants will be placed in one of the following three categories:

1 - Qualified Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements as described in the Qualifications section of this announcement.
2 - Well Qualified Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates proficiency based on the answers to the job specific questions.
3 - Best Qualified Category - Meets the minimum qualification requirements and demonstrates high level proficiency based on the answers to the job specific questions.

NOTE: Status candidates will be considered under the provisions of the agency's Human Resources system which allows for:
1) Non-competitive referral of lateral candidates; and
2) The separation of status and non-status applicants for referral purposes.

Status candidates will be referred on one selection list only, i.e., either merit promotion or non-competitive. Non-status candidates who are eligible for Noncompetitive referral, e.g. Peace Corps, VRA, etc., will be referred under Noncompetitive procedures only. For Noncompetitive categories, See "Special Employment Consideration" below under "Other Information."

Required Documents

  • Resume showing relevant experience (cover letter optional);
  • Unofficial transcript (if qualifying based on education):
  • Veterans' Preference Documentation (DD-214, VA Letter, and SF-15 if claiming 10-point preference; DD-214 if claiming 5-point preference), if applicable;
  • For Merit Promotion Eligibility: SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (must indicate tenure and position occupied), if applicable;
  • Documentation supporting eligibility for Non-Competitive appointment, e.g., Schedule A (severely disabled), eligible veterans (VRA or 30-percent or more disabled), VISTA, Peace Corps, etc., if applicable

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 occupational questionnaire, which is available to preview here https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12641833, along with submitting the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 01/30/2025.

  • To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
  • Click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application package.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
  • To verify your application is complete, 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 Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the Agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.

Agency contact information

AmeriCorps Hiring
Address
AmeriCorps
250 E Street SW
Office of Inspector General
Washington, DC 20525
US
Learn more about this agency

Next steps

Once the occupational questionnaire is received, you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful, however, you must also include a resume and any other documents that are applicable to you under the "Required Documents" section of this vacancy announcement. After a review of your complete application is made, you will be notified of your status via email. Please be aware that emails could reside in your "junk," "bulk," or "spam" mail folder, depending on your filters. You will be notified of the final outcome.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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