Skip to main content
U.S. flag
Back to results

Criminal Investigator

Department of Health and Human Services
Food and Drug Administration
Office of Regulatory Affairs, Office of Criminal Investigations
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The positions are located in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA), Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI). Serves as a lead criminal investigator, who plans and conducts a wide range of criminal investigations in suspected violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
06/24/2020 to 06/29/2020
Salary
$78,681 - $102,288 per year

The salary listed in the vacancy announcement is at the base level. The geographical locality pay will be determined at the time of selection.

Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Locations
Many vacancies in the following locations:
Birmingham, AL
Los Angeles County, CA
Oakland, CA
Riverside, CA
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
75% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-Time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Top Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Critical-Sensitive (CS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
FDA-ORA-20-MP-10846876-JS
Control number
571635000

Duties

Help
  • Plan, coordinate, conduct, and lead criminal investigations of violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and any other criminal activity that is related to an FDA-regulated product and/or impacts FDA's regulatory authority.
  • Coordinate and conduct joint criminal investigative activity with other Federal law enforcement agencies, international law enforcement organizations, foreign countries criminal investigative/police forces and U.S. state and local police agencies.
  • Initiate and participate in arrest, search and seizure warrants, and undercover and surveillance operations.
  • Collect evidence necessary to establish criminal intent, apply for and execute arrest, search and seizure warrants, court orders, subpoenas, or other legal process and coordinate with the US Attorney's Office and other Justice Department components.
  • Conduct comprehensive research, study and analysis of cases to determine the applicable laws and the implementing regulations which were violated as well as the proof required in support of cases and methods for obtaining.
  • Prepare interim and comprehensive final investigative reports for prosecutors and management officials.
  • Confer with and advise responsible management officials on investigative activities and reports.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Citizenship Requirement: You must be a U.S. Citizen to be considered for this advertisement unless explicitly stated otherwise.
  • Selective Service Registration: All applicants born male, on (or after) 12/31/1959, must be registered with the Selective Service System OR have an approved exemption. Visit www.SSS.gov for more info.
  • FDA participates in e-Verify: All new hires must complete the I-9 form; this information will be processed through e-Verify to determine your employment eligibility. If a discrepancy arises, you must take affirmative steps to resolve the matter.
  • Background Investigation Requirement: All employees must pass a security investigation. Failing to pass the background check may be grounds for removal or legal action. If hired, you may be subject to additional investigations at a later time.
  • Time-in-Grade Requirement: If you are applying as a current Federal employee, you must meet the time-in-grade requirements described in the Qualifications section, generally, 52-weeks of comparable experience at the next lowest grade.
  • You must meet ALL requirements by the closing date of this announcement to be considered. Only education, experience, and qualifications attained by this date will be considered. You must continue to meet all requirements through the hiring process.
  • Certification of Accuracy: All information concerning eligibility and qualification is subject to investigation and verification. False representation may be grounds for non-consideration, non-selection, or appropriate legal action.
  • Direct Deposit: You will be required to have all federal salary payments electronically deposited into a bank account with a financial institution of your choice.
  • Additional selections may be made from this vacancy, within the same geographical area, by other organizational elements from within FDA, through shared corporate recruiting activities.

Qualifications

The position of Criminal Investigator falls under the 1811 occupational series. To qualify for this position at grade GS-13, you must meet all requirements by 11:59 pm EST on 06/29/2020.

TIME-IN-GRADE:
Applicants must have 52 weeks at the GS-12 grade level or higher in the Federal service.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Experience directly related to the position to be filled which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position.

GS-13: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal service which includes experience using complex investigative techniques; applying federal laws, regulations, and procedures where applicable to criminal investigations; analyzing complex and/or fragmented information and preparing written reports of investigation; and leading a Federal criminal investigation.

In accordance with Office of Personnel Management policy, federal employees are assumed to have gained experience by performing duties and responsibilities appropriate for their official series and grade level as described in their position description. Experience that would not normally be part of the employee's position is creditable, however, when documented by satisfactory evidence, such as a signed memorandum from the employee's supervisor or an SF-50 or SF-52 documenting an official detail or other official assignment. The documentation must indicate whether the duties were performed full time or, if part time, the percentage of times the other duties were performed. It is expected that this documentation is included in the employee's official personnel record. In order to receive credit for experience in your resume that is not within the official series and grade level of your official position, you must provide a copy of the appropriate documentation of such experience as indicated above.

If you are applying based on some other qualifying eligibility (i.e. you are not applying as a current Federal employee), you must meet the specific requirements of the eligibility you are claiming, and must have sufficient past experience to demonstrate that you are minimally qualified for this position. See Unique Hiring Paths on USAJOBS for more information about various ways you may be eligible to apply!

Other Requirements
1. Qualification Inquiry: Applicants for the Criminal Investigator position who have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence are not eligible for employment. You will be required to sign a Qualification Inquiry prior to confirmation of appointment.

2. Drug Test and Medical Examination: You will be subject to a pre-employment drug test and medical examination and must successfully pass. If selected for the position, you will be subjected to periodic drug tests and medical examinations that must be passed successfully to retain the position. 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 conditions that would cause the applicant to be a hazard to himself/herself or others are disqualifying.

3. Basic Criminal Investigation Training: You must have successfully completed a recognized federal law enforcement training program such as: (1) the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) conducted by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC); or (2) the Special Agent Basic Training conducted by Drug Enforcement Agency or Federal Bureau of Investigations; or (3) the Basic Inspector Training conducted by the US Postal Service. (You must include a copy of the Training Certificate of Completion in your application package).

4. Firearms: Incumbent may be required to carry a firearm during the performance of duties. Firearms qualification with a standard issue firearm is required.

5. Federal Law Enforcement Officer (FLEO): This position is covered by the special retirement provisions for Federal Law Enforcement Officer (FLEO). Candidates without previous FLEO service must be under age 37. Employees subject to special retirement coverage for law enforcement officers must retire at age 57 upon completing 20 years of law enforcement service under the special retirement provisions for law enforcement officers. If these 20 years of service are not attained at age 57, mandatory retirement is required upon completion of 20 years of service.

6. Mobility Agreement: To promote the efficiency of OCI, the incumbent of this position may be reassigned to another position and/or location within OCI in the United States or Puerto Rico. You will be required to sign a mobility agreement to accept relocation to other geographic location, if required by the agency. Failure to relocate when directed may result in separation from employment in the FDA in accordance with appropriate Government regulations.

7. Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP): You will be subject to work unscheduled duty hours and must be available for unscheduled duty based upon the needs of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; therefore, you are eligible for Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) of an additional 25%, and are subject to the provisions of the LEAP Act of 1994.

PHS Commissioned Corps Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps may apply online to this announcement. Candidates will be referred to (CC) personnel and not as candidates for conversion to a permanent career or career-conditional appointment.

NOTE: 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.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Qualifications are based on breadth/level of experience. In addition to describing duties performed, applicants must provide the exact dates of each period of employment (from MM/YY to MM/YY) and the number of hours worked per week if part time. As qualification determinations cannot be made when resumes do not include the required information, failure to provide this information may result in disqualification. Applicants are encouraged to use the USAJOBS Resume Builder to develop their federal resume.

You must submit supporting documentation to verify your eligibility to apply for this vacancy. For most applicants, an SF-50 will be required. However, if you are applying as a Veteran, individual with a qualifying disability, or a displaced employee, you will be required to provide other supporting documents as applicable. See the Required Documents section for details.
Be sure that any files you upload as supporting documentation are free of security or compression features which render such documents unreadable to our system.

Education

There is no education substitution for this series/grade.

Additional information

For some advertisements, the Food & Drug Administration receives hundreds, even thousands, of applications from job-seekers. Because of this high level of interest, FDA reserves the option of setting an application number limit.
When an application limit is set, USAJOBS will close the vacancy at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on either:
(A) the day the limit is reached, -OR-
(B) the pre-defined closing date of 06/29/2020, whichever comes first.
If the limit is reached before 11:59 pm ET, all applications in excess of the limit will continue to be accepted until 11:59 pm ET.
The application limit for this advertisement, if applicable, is: No Limit
For more information about announcement closing, see: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/faq/job-announcement/expiration/

ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • Pre-employment physical required: Yes
  • Drug testing required: Yes
  • License required: Yes, driver's license
  • Mobility agreement required: Yes
  • Immunization required: No
  • Bargaining Unit Position: No
  • Incentives may be authorized; however, this is contingent upon funds availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require you to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a period of up to 3 years. Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid. Incentives include the following: moving expenses, recruitment or relocation incentive; student loan repayment, superior qualifications appointment, creditable service for annual leave for prior non-federal work experience or prior uniformed military service, etc.
  • If you are serving, or have served in the last 5 years (from 06/29/2020) as an Executive Branch political, Schedule C, or Non-career SES appointee, HHS/FDA may be required to obtain approval by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) prior to beginning employment. You can find out if you have held one of these appointment types by looking at your Standard Form 50s in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), in Section 5 where the legal authorities are listed. If you have served or are currently serving, you must provide a copy of your SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, documenting this appointment. In addition, you will be required to respond to the question in the assessment and certify your responses to the questionnaire. Political Appointees FAQ - OPM
  • Special Appointing Authorities: If you are applying to this announcement based a special eligibility, such as those for people with disabilities, veterans (or military spouses), or displaced employees under a career transition program, please pay careful attention to the Required Documents section for details on application requirements for each eligibility path, to include supporting document requirements.
  • Financial disclosure statement, OGE-450, required: This position will be subject to FDA's prohibited financial interest regulation. If you are hired, you may be required to divest of certain financial interests. You are advised to seek additional information on this requirement from the hiring official before accepting any job offers.?
All requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement (06/29/2020); only education and experience gained by this date will be considered. You must continue to meet all requirements throughout the entire hiring process.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Additional selections may be made for similar positions across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the local commuting area(s) of the location identified in this announcement. By applying, you agree to have your application shared with interested selecting official(s) at HHS. Clearance of CTAP/ICTAP will be applied for similar positions across HHS.

Once the job opportunity announcement closes (at 11:59 pm ET on 06/29/2020), a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted, the information will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your eligibility for Federal employment, and then whether you are qualified for this particular position.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your responses when compared to your background information, you may be deemed ineligible, or your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your skills and abilities. Additionally, we will review your supporting documents and resume to determine if you are in the "Area of Consideration" for this vacancy. Government-Wide Merit Promotion vacancies may only accept applications from a limited audience, pay careful attention to the "Who May Apply" and the "Hiring Paths" information. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

Basis of Rating: Merit Promotion Procedures for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be used to rate and rank candidates. The category assignment is a measure of the degree in which your background matches the competencies required for this position. Qualified candidates will be ranked into one of two categories: Best Qualified or Qualified.

Your qualifications will be evaluated on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics). You need not respond to the KSA's separately, but your resume should contain sufficient information to demonstrate possession of these competencies.

  1. Criminal Investigation
  2. Criminal Law
  3. Reasoning
To preview the application questionnaire, click the link below.
https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/10846876

Food and Drug Administration

Become a part of the Department that touches the lives of every American.
At the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) you can give back to your community, state, and country, by making a difference in the lives of Americans everywhere! HHS is the principal agency for protecting the health of citizens. Join HHS and help to make our world healthier, safer, and better for all Americans.


Join FDA and serve on the frontlines protecting our nation's public health safety within the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA). At ORA, we work in a range of program areas and locations, with 227 offices and 13 laboratories throughout the nation or around the world. Our employees inspect product facilities; investigate criminal violations; analyze lab samples; provide administrative services, and much more. Be a part of ensuring that the thousands of products we use every day are safe and effective.

To view our ORA Vision, Mission, and Values please visit: https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/office-regulatory-affairs/ora-vision-mission-and-values

Agency contact information

FDA Applicant Help Desk
Phone
888-478-4340
Email
quickquestions@fda.gov
Address
FDA Office of Regulatory Affairs
10903 New Hampshire Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20993
US

Visit our careers page

Learn more about what it's like to work at Food and Drug Administration, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

https://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/default.htm

Your session is about to expire!

Your USAJOBS session will expire due to inactivity in 8 minutes. Any unsaved data will be lost if you allow the session to expire. Click the button below to continue your session.