Summary
This position is located in the Department of Labor (DOL), Wage and Hour Division (WHD). The position is responsible for conducting investigations of employers across all industries within the geographical boundaries of the assigned District Office's jurisdiction to ensure compliance with all of the laws that WHD is responsible for enforcing.
Duties
This is a developmental position with a full promotion level of GS-12. As a Wage and Hour Investigator at the grades GS-7 through the GS-11, you will receive on-the-job and other formal training related to the provisions of the laws enforced by the agency. You will develop human relations skills, investigation, and negotiation techniques. Under close observation/direction and with specific instructions, you will perform the following duties (which is not an all-inclusive list) and as you progress, the assignments will become more difficult and complex in preparation for the next grade level until you reach the GS-12 grade level. As a Wage and Hour Investigator, duties will consist of, but not limited to the following:
- Gathers and analyzes facts obtained to determine status of compliance.
- Prepares case investigation files for submission to higher level staff.
- Conducts complete investigations involving familiar issues and situations to resolve a wide variety of minimum wage, overtime, child labor, coverage, exemption, employment eligibility and other compliance issues in agriculture, commercial, industrial, and other business establishments, public institutions, and domestic service in households.
- Provides routine information about services to customers.
- Resolves simple problems, questions or complaints.
- Conducts interviews.
- Effectively handles situations involving tension or discomfort with people who are demonstrating hostility or distress.
- Obtains compliance and correction of minor violations and negotiate for payment of back wages within prescribed monetary limitations.
- Produces spreadsheets, graphs, memorandum, and other documents for the purpose of communicating information.
- Prepares forms and narrative reports for submission to higher level staff.
- Composes clear and concise documents involving simple or routine investigations and complaints.
NOTE: This is not a Law Enforcement position.
Requirements
Conditions of Employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen.
- Must be at least 16 years old.
- Candidate required to obtain and maintain the necessary security/investigation level.
- Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met.
Qualifications
To qualify for GS-07, applicants must possess the experience and/or education 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.
Applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-05 grade level, in the Federal Service, which includes meeting at least TWO (2) of the following THREE (3) specialized criteria requirements:
- General knowledge of Federal wage and hour labor laws, industrial occupations, wage scales, employment practices, or salary and wage administration practices.
- Skill in analyzing written/verbal information and numerical data and making decisions on issues based on interviews, records review, reconstruction of missing or fraudulent records and applying legal or regulatory provisions, precedents, and principles to specific investigative matters.
- Skill in personal contacts requiring the ability to explain requirements or rights and obtain information and cooperation from people with diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding, reconcile conflicting interests, and persuade others to comply voluntarily with requirements.
-OR-
Graduate Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: industrial relations, personnel administration, business administration, labor economics, law, or other fields related to the position.
-OR-
Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Successful completion of all the requirements for a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as: industrial relations, personnel administration, business administration, labor economics, law, or other fields related to the position. SAA is based on:
- Class Standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR,
- Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (''B" or better) as recorded on your official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 (''B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.; OR,
- Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://honorsocietyfoundation.org/achs/).
-OR-
A combination of graduate 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) by 18. Add the two percentages.
To qualify for GS-09, applicants must possess the specialized experience and/or education 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.
Applicants must meet at least two of the following three specialized criteria requirements:
- General knowledge of Federal wage and hour labor laws, industrial occupations, wage scales, employment practices, or salary and wage administration practices.
- Skill in analyzing written/verbal information and numerical data and making decisions on issues based on interviews, records review, reconstruction of missing or fraudulent records and applying legal or regulatory provisions, precedents, and principles to specific investigative matters.
- Skill in personal contacts requiring the ability to explain requirements or rights and obtain information and cooperation from people with diverse backgrounds and levels of understanding, reconcile conflicting interests, and persuade others to comply voluntarily with requirements.
In addition to the criteria specified above, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 grade level, in Federal service, which includes the knowledge of and ability to apply the provisions of Federal wage and hour labor laws pertaining to wages, hours of work, or related conditions of employment. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include:
- Developing, interpreting, or applying policies, procedures, and operating standards in determining compliance for an organization or government-based program.
- Conducting interviews and providing information about laws and/or regulations.
- Industrial personnel or salary and wage administration or responsible work in a certified public accounting firm.
- Analyzing or applying labor legislation.
- Reviewing and evaluating operations and procedures through analysis, audits, or surveillance inspections.
- Federal, State, or self-regulatory agency work involving obtaining compliance with appropriate program requirements.
- Applying fact-finding techniques to gather clear-cut factual evidence of administrative related to labor statutes and Regulations, industrial pay practices, and regulations governing the issuance of FLSA certificates in order to apply guidelines to general types of certifications.
- Applying investigative and compliance review methods and using information sources and protocols to plan and assist with conducting program reviews and analyses to resolve complex problems, conflicts, and inadequacies.
- Gathering information and responding appropriately to general and specific program inquiries.
-OR-
Graduate Education: A Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree OR LLB. or J.D., if related. Education must be in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: industrial relations, personnel administration, business administration, labor economics, law, or other fields related to the position.
-OR-
A combination of graduate 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 first year (total graduate semester hours minus 18) by 18. Add the two percentages.
Education
If you wish to use your education as a basis for meeting the minimum qualification requirements, you must submit academic transcripts from an accredited institution demonstrating that you meet the qualifying education. If you do not submit sufficient academic documentation necessary to demonstrate that you meet the minimum qualification requirements based on education as described in this announcement, your application will be deemed incomplete, and you will receive no further consideration for this vacancy.
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.
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.
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.
Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies: - Customer Service
- Influencing/Negotiating
- Self Management
- Technical Competence
- Writing
Click here for Evaluation details.
You may preview questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12453464
The information you provide may be verified by a review of your paid, unpaid, volunteer, and other lived 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.). The examining Office of Human Resources (OHR) makes the final determination concerning applicant ratings. Your resume MUST provide sufficient information to substantiate your vacancy question responses. If not, the OHR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the level of competency indicated by the content of your resume.
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) who are placed into Category B or higher will be considered well-qualified. Be sure to review the eligibility questions to reflect that you are applying as an ICTAP or CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation.
Click Application of Veterans Preference for Category Rating Jobs for more information.
Required Documents
The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.
- Resumes: Required and applicants must provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your 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.
- 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; an Application for 10-point Veteran's Preference, SF15; 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. (For active-duty service members expecting honorable or general discharge or release within 120 days, click Active Duty). Without this documentation, you will not receive the veteran's preference. For more information, go to Feds Hire Vets - Veterans Preference
- Displaced Employee Placement Documents: Only required if requesting priority consideration under CTAP or ICTAP eligibility.
- 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, PhD, 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: If you are selected a copy of you OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED prior to receiving a firm offer with a start date.
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.
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
Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services.
To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration.
Paper applications and supplemental documents submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the vacancy contact will not be considered. Click here for information on Reasonable Accommodations.
Important - Save your information before the 30 minute system timeout! For help, go to USAJOBS Help Center.
STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. Your resume must provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the self-assessment vacancy questions. If not, HR may amend your responses to more accurately reflect the competency indicated by resume content. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.
STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS) Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement. Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page. You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button.
STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL). On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions. The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy.
STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed. If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button.
STEP 5 - Edit Application as needed by 11:59 pm Eastern Time of Closing Date by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy, thenUpdate Application.
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.
Next steps
Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and refer candidates for selection consideration. Candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews. You will be notified of the outcome. A selection is expected to be made within 30 calendar days of the issuance date of the certificate.
For instructions on how to check the status of your application, go to USAJOBS Help Guide.
USAJOBS will no longer send status alert email notifications. You can check your application status in the TAS by logging into USAJOBS and in the Applicant Dashboard, click the hiring agency Talent Acquisition System (TAS). If the TAS does not provide application tracking information, contact the agency's point of contact on the job announcement.
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 Application 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.
Additional Locations
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Louisville, KY
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Baton Rouge, LA
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New Orleans, LA
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Shreveport, LA
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Portland, ME
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Grand Rapids, MI
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Manchester, NH
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Mountainside, NJ
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Las Vegas, NV
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Westbury, NY
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Oklahoma City, OK
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Tulsa, OK
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Portland, OR
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Columbia, SC
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Austin, TX
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Newport News, VA
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Richmond, VA
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