Summary
We are seeking highly motivated professionals to join our team. If you want challenging work and a chance to make a big impact, come join us at the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Commerce! We improve the effectiveness of the Department's programs and operations. We also investigate waste, fraud, and abuse in the Department and those who do business with it.
This job is open to
Internal to an agency
Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.
Clarification from the agency
All candidates who are current Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General (DOC OIG) employees and who qualify as Status Eligibles.
Duties
This position is located at the Department of Commerce OIG, Office of Investigations. As a Supervisory Criminal Investigator, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), you will perform the following duties:
- Manages an investigative team by developing policies, procedures, and strategies to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities of ongoing operations.
- Develops innovative approaches to cases that involve multiple entities, judicial districts, obstructive activities, and linked transactions. Provides expert technical advice, guidance, and/or recommendations to senior management officials on critical operations
- Plans the requirements for large-scale investigations where decisions may be impacted by changing legal conditions. Determines which investigations or complex projects should be initiated, curtailed, or closed
- Controls the investigative process with full authority to refer findings to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and adjudicates findings with senior management officials. Balances workload and tasks amongst division teams and monitors status and progress of work completed.
- Makes recommendations to the Assistant Inspector General for Investigations (AIGI) about investigative program goals and objectives, and/or changes in functions
- Advises senior management of program policy and decision-making actions which are of major importance in gaining cooperation on sensitive investigations. Attends meetings with internal and external stakeholders to inform, influence, motivate, persuade, or advise persons to accept and implement case findings and recommendations.
- Demonstrates integrity and professionalism in executing responsibilities.
- Prepares and conveys performance standards to subordinate staff and evaluates performance of subordinates based on established performance measures.
- Develops and recommends changes in functions and organization as required, participates in various management surveys, and assures full application of management improvement programs, such as position management effectiveness.
- Balances workload and tasks amongst division teams and monitors status and progress of work completed.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be U.S. Citizen or U.S. National
- A one-year probationary period may be required.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- Top Secret - Background Investigation will be required.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so.
- Go through a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the Form I-9. Federal law requires verification of the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires in the U.S.
- Employees assigned to remote locations may be required to travel outside of the commuting area to activate or update their PIV Card.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.
- Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
- Complete a pre-employment physical examination
- Sign a Geographic Mobility Agreement
Qualifications
You must meet the following requirements by the closing date of this announcement.
The experience may have been gained in either the public, private sector or volunteer service. One year of experience refers to full-time work; part-time work is considered on a prorated basis. To ensure full credit for your work experience, please indicate dates of employment by month/day/year, and indicate number of hours worked per week on your résumé.
Age Requirement: Incumbents selected for Criminal Investigator positions are covered under special law enforcement provisions. This requires that applicants not exceed the maximum age for entry. The date immediately preceding an applicants 37th birthday is the final date for selection. The age restriction does not apply to preference eligible veterans or if you served in a federal civilian (not military) law enforcement officer (FLEO) position covered by special civil service retirement provisions, including early or mandatory retirement.
AND
Medical Requirements: The duties of positions in this series require moderate to arduous physical exertion involving walking and standing, use of firearms, and exposure to inclement weather. Manual dexterity with comparatively free motion of finger, wrist, elbow, shoulder, hip, and knee joints is required. Arms, hands, legs, and feet must be sufficiently intact and functioning in order that applicants may perform the duties satisfactorily. Sufficiently good vision in each eye, with or without correction, is required to perform the duties satisfactorily. Near vision, corrective lenses permitted, must be sufficient to read printed material the size of typewritten characters. Hearing loss, as measured by an audiometer, must not exceed 35 decibels at 1000, 2000, and 3000 Hz levels. Since the duties of these positions are exacting and responsible, and involve activities under trying conditions, applicants must possess emotional and mental stability. Any physical condition that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to him/her, or others is disqualifying.
AND
Specialized experience is one full year of experience at the
GS-14 level, or equivalent that has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position as a Supervisory Criminal Investigator, including:
- Directing a comprehensive multi-geographic criminal investigative program that has handled all aspects of the criminal investigative process.
- Leading meetings and advising high-level agency officials related to investigative activities, criminal enforcement procedures, and/or issues.
- Exercising administrative and personnel management authorities or responsibilities for subordinate staff.
In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following
time-in-grade requirement: For the
GS-15, you must have been at the
GS-14 level for 52 weeks.
Time After Competitive Appointment: Candidates who are current Federal employees serving on a non-temporary competitive appointment must have served at least three months in that appointment.
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
OTHER INFORMATION:
(Mandatory) Resume in the preferred format (Limit 2 Pages Total). PLEASE DO NOT USE USAJOBS RESUME BUILDER.
DOCOIG offers a comprehensive benefits package. Explore the benefits offered to most Federal employees at https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/benefits/.
- Challenging work, opportunities for advancement, competitive salaries, bonuses and incentive awards.
- Twelve paid holidays, 13 days of sick leave, and 13 to 26 days of vacation time each year.
- Access to insurance programs that may be continued after you retire.
- A wide choice of health insurance plans, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and no waiting periods. We pay a substantial amount (up to 75%) of the health insurance premiums.
- A retirement program which includes employer-matching contributions.
- Learn more about Federal benefits programs at: https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits
Additional benefits available include flexible work schedule, transportation subsidy, access to Metrorail and Metrobus transit services in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia communities, carpools/van pools and more.
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 application includes your résumé, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your résumé includes detailed information to support your qualifications for this position; failure to provide sufficient evidence in your resume may result in a "not qualified" determination.
In addition to the qualifications above, you will be required to complete a writing assessment for this position. Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (résumé, supporting documents, and responses to the writing assessment) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement.
If your application is incomplete, we may rate you as ineligible.
Note: As part of your writing assessment, you must not exceed the 1250-character limit for each question.
Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Technical, Leadership, Communication.
Your application will be rated and ranked among others, based on your responses to the online questions, regarding your experience, education, training, performance appraisals and awards relevant to the duties of this position. Your rating may be lowered if your responses to the online questions are not supported by the education and/or experience described in your application.
Referral: If you are among the top qualified candidates, your application may be referred to a selecting official for consideration. As part of the assessment and selection process, the selecting official may invite you to participate in a structured interview and provide a writing sample or written assessment/exercise to further evaluate your qualifications for this position. References may also be checked after all assessment materials are reviewed.
We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site.
Required Documents
A complete application includes 1. A résumé, 2. Vacancy question responses, and 3. Submission of any required documents.
Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible). Please ensure all required documents, including any required work samples, narratives, or other materials as stated in this announcement, are attached to your application package.
Your resume must be 2 pages max and should contain information sufficient to make a valid determination that you fully meet the specialized experience requirements as stated in this vacancy announcement. It is recommended that you include the following information:
- Full name, mailing address, and day and evening telephone numbers
- Educational information
- Relevant experience
You must submit a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, which shows your current (or most recent) grade and competitive service status. (The "position occupied" block on the SF-50 should show a "1" and your "tenure" block should show a "1" or "2".)
Performance Appraisal - Provide a copy of your most recent rating of record (i.e., final annual performance appraisal issued and signed by appropriate management official). If the rating of record you submit is not dated within the last 18 months, you must provide an explanation in your application as to why one has not been issued within the past 18 months.
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
Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin. Failure to submit the required documentation by 11:59 pm EST of 12/05/2025will result in loss of consideration.
The following instructions outline our application process.
You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on 12/05/2025 of this announcement.
We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday - Friday). Applying online is highly encouraged. If applying online poses a hardship, please contact our office during business hours well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages with supporting documents must be submitted no later than noon on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing. This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact us if you are requesting this.
Step 1: To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.
Step 2: Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
Step 3: After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.
Step 4: You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.
To verify the status of your application:
-Log into your USAJOBS account (USAJOBS Login). A list of announcements in which you have applied is at the Welcome screen.
-Under "application status," click "Track this application" and you will be taken to the agency website where you can check your application status.
For more information regarding the job and applicant status, please refer to https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/
If you wish to make changes/updates to your application and the vacancy is still open, you can click on the job announcement and "Update Application" to be taken back to your application. No updates can be made once the announcement has closed.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after the closing date of the announcement. Also, note that if you provide an email address that is inaccurate or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.
For additional information on how to apply, please visit the Partnership for Public Service's Go Government website.
To preview the assessment questionnaire: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12837358
Next steps
Once you submit the online questionnaire, you will receive a confirmation email. We will review your résumé and questionnaire to ensure you meet the qualifications. Qualified applicants will be evaluated, and the best-qualified candidate may be interviewed. After making a tentative job offer, we will conduct any required suitability checks and/or security background investigation.