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Investigative Specialist

Department of the Treasury
Treasury, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The position is an Investigative Specialist (Global) in the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s Global Investigations Division (GID). Incumbents investigate foreign illicit finance threats to the U.S. financial system, propose use of FinCEN’s special information collection authorities under the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) to obtain supporting data, and draft evidentiaries and decision memoranda that compel action by senior government officials to disrupt those threats.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
04/08/2020 to 10/21/2020
Salary
$59,534 to - $93,638 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 09 - 11
Location
6 vacancies in the following location:
Washington, DC
6 vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - 1-5 nights per month
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent - Full-time
Work schedule
Full-time - Career/Career Conditional
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Announcement number
20-FinCEN-47
Control number
565058100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Current or former federal employees qualifying as Status Candidates, VEOA eligibles, CTAP/ICTAP eligibles, special hiring authorities (Sched A or Interchange Agreement), or Land Management employees under P.L. 114-47. PLEASE NOTE: This is an open continuous announcement. The initial cut date will be 04/21/2020. Subsequent cuts will be held as additional vacancies arise. Applicants need only apply one time, and if found eligible and qualified, may be considered for all future cuts.

Duties

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4- Security Clearance: This position has been designated National Security Level IV, Special Sensitive and requires the incumbent to obtain and maintain eligibility for a Top Secret (TS) clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access. Applicant must meet and continue to adhere to the requirements of a Tier 5 level background investigation. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination. Continued employment with FinCEN is contingent upon satisfactory completion of the Tier 5 level background investigation, the results of which fully meet the FinCEN's special employment criteria. All employees are subject to satisfactory completion of periodic reinvestigation and a continuing life style in conformity with applicable national and FinCEN directives. Any unfavorable information developed during an investigation or other official inquiry may result in termination of employment in accordance with established security policies and procedures. 

The following are the duties of this position at the GS-14 level. If you are selected at a lower grade level, you will have the opportunity to learn to perform all these duties, and will receive training to help you grow in this position.

  • Conducts investigations and tactical actions against facilitators of illicit financial activity; drafts evidentiary records and decisional memoranda that confirm a target to be of primary money laundering concern; and compels U.S. Government action by proposing special measures that address threats to the U.S. financial system.   
  • Constructs and presents case strategies and supportive analyses and interprets and enforces compliance with applicable laws and regulations.  Assesses foreign financial institutions and jurisdictions, classes of transactions, and types of accounts for their vulnerability to illicit finance threats, and for deficiencies in anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism programs.
  • Evaluates the need to impose additional reporting requirements on members of the public including financial institutions, non-financial trades, and businesses. Determines the need for and impact of the proposed collection on a vulnerability in the U.S. financial system or tactically on a specific law enforcement investigation of illicit activity.
  • Provides subject matter expertise on illicit finance to inform administrative priorities.  This subject-matter expertise may include 1) financial institution operations; 2) financial institution products and services; 3) illicit finance typologies and methods; and 4) illicit finance risk.
  • Negotiates with representatives of other U.S. Government agencies and departments; liaises with national security community; meets with domestic and foreign financial industry representatives, and foreign government partners, to discuss the impact of illicit financial activities and strategies for addressing them.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Please refer to "Conditions of Employment." Click "Print Preview" to review
  • Must be U.S. Citizens or U.S. Nationals

If you do not meet any of the categories listed above, you may wish to apply under announcement 20-FinCEN-48-P, which is open for any U.S. citizen to apply. Please refer to that announcement for details on open period, eligibility, and how to apply. This position is also posted at the GS-12, GS-13, and GS-14 under 20-FinCEN-42 and 20-FinCEN-45-P.

The experience may have been gained in either the public or private sector. 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 resume.

Qualifications

You must meet the following requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Specialized experience for the GS-11 is defined as one year of experience at the GS-09 level, or equivalent that is directly related to the position and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

  • Assisting with subject interviews and obtaining and evaluating evidence regarding actions which relate to financial crimes (i.e. money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, evasion of financial sanctions, etc.); AND
  • Assisting in the collection and analysis of operational and strategic information used to assess illicit finance threats; AND
  • Assisting in drafting, reviewing, and editing evidentiary records and decisional memoranda for multiple stakeholders and decision makers regarding financial crimes.

OR you may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: 

  • 3 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; OR
  • LL.M., if related; OR
  • You may qualify on a combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 36 semester hours (54 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education.

Specialized experience for the GS-09 is defined as one year of experience at the GS-07 level, or equivalent that is directly related to the position and which has equipped the candidate with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience for this position is defined as:

  • The administration or interpretation of laws or enforcement guidelines related to financial crimes.

Examples of such experience might include:

  • Assisting with subject interviews and obtaining and evaluating evidence regarding actions which relate to financial crimes (i.e. money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing, evasion of financial sanctions, etc.), OR
  • Assisting in the collection and analysis of operational and strategic information used to assess illicit finance threats; OR
  • Assisting in drafting, reviewing, and editing evidentiary records and decisional memoranda for multiple stakeholders and decision makers regarding financial crimes.

OR you may substitute education for specialized experience as follows: 

  • 2 full academic years of progressively higher-level graduate education or masters or equivalent graduate degree; OR
  • LL.B. or J.D., if related; OR
  • You may qualify on a combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, the total percentage of experience at the required grade level compared to the requirement, as well as the percentage of completed education compared to the requirement must equal at least 100 percent. Only graduate level education in excess of the first 18 semester hours (27 quarter hours) may be combined to be considered for qualifying education.


In addition to the above requirements, you must meet the following time-in-grade requirement, if applicable:

For the GS-11, you must have been at the GS-9 level for 52 weeks.

For the GS-9, you must have been at the GS-11 level for 52 weeks.

Additional information

Become part of the team that safeguards the financial system from the abuses of financial crime. At the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), we are at the forefront in preventing and detecting terrorist financing, money laundering, and other financial crime. Serve at the nation's financial intelligence unit and protect the United States financial system from criminals and terrorist financiers.

- We may select from this announcement or any other source to fill one or more vacancies. 
- Relocation expenses: No
- This is a non-bargaining unit position.
- We offer opportunities for telework.
- We offer opportunities for flexible work schedules.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:
- A one year probationary period may be required.
- Must successfully complete a background investigation.
- Complete a Declaration for Federal Employment to determine your suitability for Federal employment, at the time requested by the agency
- 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.
- Have your salary sent to a financial institution of your choice by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer.
- 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.
- Submit to a drug test prior to your appointment and random drug testing while you occupy the position.
- Obtain and use a Government-issued charge card for business-related travel.

All candidates will be considered regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, protected genetic information, status of a parent, lawful political affiliation, marital status, physical/mental disability (if not a job factor), membership, non-membership in an employee organization, or any other non-merit factor. To file a complaint of discrimination, contact FinCEN, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity on (703) 905-5052 or TDD (703) 905-3838.

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 resume, responses to the online questions, and required supporting documents. Please be sure that your resume 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.

Rating: Your application will be evaluated in the following areas: Technical, Communication, Teamwork, and Analytical. 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.  You may be required to participate in a selection interview.  We will not reimburse costs related to the interview such as travel to and from the interview site. 
If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee (eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP)/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP)) you must receive a score of 85 or better to be rated as “well qualified" to receive special selection priority.


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