Clarification from the agency

Open to applicants who have graduated, within the past two years, (with an associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, diploma, vocational, technical degree, or certificate, etc.) from a qualifying educational institution or career or technical education program (including registered Apprenticeship Programs, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, Climate Corps). Students who will meet the education requirements at the end of Spring semester 2026 may apply.

This job is also open in another announcement to:

Federal employees - Competitive service

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Land and base management

Veterans

Military spouses

Major duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Review and analyze voluntary compliance letters, transmittal memoranda, litigation referrals, and reports of investigation to ensure that the documents have legal and evidentiary sufficiency, and are written in conformity with national enforcement policy.
• Research and identify policy and program issues, relevant court cases, precedents and opinions and analyzes materials, discerns relationships and interrelationships, and reports findings logically and transparently.
• Conduct research, collect, and develop data reports for periodic and special reports required by management on the enforcement program and administrative operations and accomplishments of the regional offices.
• Conduct and/or participate in conducting novel, complex, multi-faceted, multiregional, and/or large investigations with assistance. This includes a thorough analysis of complex issues, effective and thorough gathering of evidence, identification of violations, the use of effective and innovative investigative techniques, and resolution of the issues identified.

Location Selection Limitation:Applicants may select up to two (2) duty locations when applying to this announcement. Please carefully consider and choose only the locations you can reliably and easily commute to or otherwise access, if selected.

Locality Salary Ranges: Advertised salary reflects the minimum and maximum pay for the listed locations. Upon selection, the salary will be set in accordance with the selectee's assigned duty location. Below are the specific minimum and maximum salary for each location.

Boston, Massachusetts- $69,905-$109,959; New York, New York- $72,737-$114,413; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania- $68,013-$106,982; Silver Spring, Maryland- $70,623-$111,087; Plantation, Florida- $65,735-$103,399; Dallas, Texas- $67,100-$105,547; Fort Wright, Kentucky- $64,290-$101,126; Kansas City, Missouri- $62,729-$98,671; Chicago, Illinois- $68,999-$108,533; Pasadena, California- $71,957-$113,185; San Francisco, California- $77,161-$121,371; Seattle, Washington- $69,373-$109,122

Conditions of employment

• Must be at least 16 years.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level.
• The entire duration of the Recent Graduate Appointment constitutes a trial period.
• Appointees must sign a DOL Pathways Recent Graduate Program Participant Agreement.

Qualifications

This appointment is under the DOL Recent Graduates program. The program duration is one year.The appointee must be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for conversion to a permanent position in the competitive service upon completion of the program. *For more information, clickPathways Programs.
Applicants must have graduated, within the past two years, (with an associate, bachelor, master, professional, doctorate, diploma, vocational, technical degree, or certificate, etc.) from a qualifying educational institution or career or technical educational program including registered Apprenticeship Programs, Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Job Corps, Climate Corps). Students who will meet the education requirements at the end of Spring semester 2026 may apply.

You must meet the requirements for the Recent Graduate - Employee Benefits Investigator, as described below.

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.

For GS-09 : Applicants must demonstrate 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-07 in the Federal Service OR meet the substitution of education OR combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described below. Applicants must demonstrate at least three (3) of the specialized experience statements listed here: (1) Participating in investigative projects and/or audits to gather and review information to help determine whether organizations are following applicable laws and requirements. (2) Utilizing investigative and/or auditing methods to carry out fact-finding steps, identify potential issues, and support actions that promote compliance. (3) Researching and reviewing reports, case documents, and other materials to identify important information and support the development of investigative findings. (4) Identifying and analyzing administrative or regulatory issues by reviewing the accuracy and relevance of information and suggesting practical solutions or next steps.

OR - Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of graduate level education, or LLB. or J.D.; if related.

OR - A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education that provided the specific knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position.

For GS-11 : Applicants must demonstrate 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level GS-09 in the Federal Service OR meet the substitution of education OR combination of specialized experience and graduate level education as described below. Applicants must demonstrate at least three (3) of the specialized experience statements listed here: (1) Applying investigative and auditing principles and techniques to programs and practices to determine compliance with administrative laws, policies, regulations, and established precedents, ensuring accurate evaluation and proper enforcement actions. (2) Planning and participating in investigative and enforcement projects involving potential fiduciary breaches, and/or prohibited transactions, and report and/or disclosure violations to gather evidence, document findings, and support corrective or legal action as appropriate. (3) Researching and reviewing plan reporting documents, disclosure filings, discovery materials, and other case evidence to identify key facts, develop investigative leads, and advance case strategy or resolution. (4) Identifying, analyzing, and resolving complex administrative and regulatory issues by assessing the accuracy and relevance of information, developing alternatives, and making evidence-based recommendations to support investigative or enforcement decisions.

OR - Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LL.M., if related.

OR - A combination of specialized experience and graduate level education that provided the specific knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of this position.

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.

Click Application of Veterans Preference for more information.

You may preview application questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12945267

If you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be evaluated against the evaluation factors below and will be placed into a category based on your vacancy question responses.

Category A - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and has successful experience in the same or similar job that has demonstrated superior proficiency in applying critical competencies required by this position to work of increased levels of difficulty and complexity.

Category B - Meets the basic qualification requirements for the vacancy and demonstrates satisfactory proficiency in the critical competencies required by this position.

Category C - Meets the specialized experience described in the minimum qualification requirements section of this announcement and demonstrates proficiency in the basic competencies.

Clickhere for Evaluation details.

USA Hire

You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):

• Attention to Detail
• Customer Service
• Flexibility
• Integrity/Honesty
• Interpersonal Skills
• Learning
• Reading Comprehension
• Reasoning
• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance
• Teamwork

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, and volunteer, 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.).

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.

The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.

The following documents are required from ALL applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY):

• Resumes are required: Provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or upload one from their 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.
• Proof of Eligibility: Academic transcript, a copy of a diploma, certificate, industry-recognized credential awarded from a qualifying career or technical educational program, or other official documentation from the qualifying educational institution showing that you meet the eligibility requirements for a Recent Graduate appointment, as described in the Qualifications and Education sections of this announcement. (The Department of Labor Career One Stop offers a certification finder to help identify a variety of industry-endorsed certifications.)
• If you are claiming extended eligibility due to military service performed during the two-year period following graduation, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing the dates of such service. (For active duty service members expecting to be honorably discharged or released within 120 days, click Active Duty).
• Proof of Qualifications: Academic transcripts are sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, as described in this announcement, where you are seeking to qualify, at least in part, on the basis of your education. See Qualifications and Evaluations.

The following documents are required if applicable:

• Veterans Documents (if applicable): To be considered as a 5-point (TP) preference eligible, you must submit a copy of your DD214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. Your DD 214 must show the type of discharge and dates of active duty. To claim 10-point (CP/CPS, XP) preference, you must submit a copy of your DD214 and the proof of entitlement of this preference, which is normally an official statement, dated 1991 or later, from the Department of Veterans Affairs certifying to the present existence of the service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of your disability. In addition, a Standard Form (SF-15) should be included, but is not required. (For active-duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty). For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference.
• Unofficial Transcript(s) (in English): If you are using education as a basis for qualifying for this position, you must submit all applicable academic transcripts demonstrating that you meet the qualifying educational requirements (ex. BA/BS, MA, JD, Ph.D., etc.). If specific coursework is required to qualify, you must supply an unofficial transcript from each academic institution in which the required courses were taken in order to receive credit. You may upload your unofficial transcript(s) as one document with a maximum size limit of 5 MB.

NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date.

Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.

Reference the Education Section for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education.

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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1 year trial 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 1 year trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Next steps

Additional locations