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

Supervisory Employee Benefits Investigator

Department of Labor
Employee Benefits Security Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

The mission of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is to ensure the security of retirement, health and other workplace related benefits of American workers and their families. Each office initiates, executes, and coordinates civil/criminal investigations of alleged violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and conducts investigations of all types of employee benefit plans.

Overview

Help
Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
12/27/2021 to 01/10/2022
Salary
$117,365 to - $152,572 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 14
Location
Dallas, TX
Few vacancies
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
25% or less - Travel as needed.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
14 - This position is at the Full-Performance Level (FPL).
Supervisory status
Yes
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
MS-22-CHI-EBSA-0044
Control number
628350000

This job is open to

Help

Clarification from the agency

All current Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) employees with competitive status in the Dallas, TX local commuting area. CTAP eligibles in the local commuting area.

Duties

Help

This position is that of a Group Supervisor assigned to the Regional Office of the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). Supervises staff of investigators, auditors and support personnel; carries out all normal first-line supervisory responsibilities.  The incumbent participates with the Deputy Director, and other supervisory staff in developing annual and long-range work plans designed to produce an affirmative and aggressive enforcement program that will detect serious abuses in the administration of pension and welfare plans and violations of ERISA and related laws.  Recommends and participates in the development and implementation of Regional Office policies, priorities, strategies, targeting systems, operating procedures, and budget and staffing requests.  Participates in Regional Office program assessment activities and ensures compliance with Agency and Regional Office programmatic reporting requirements.

Provides policy, technical, and procedural guidance to staff and resolves unusually difficult or sensitive problems requiring an extensive background and understanding of EBSA policy, priorities and operating procedures. Ensures the implementation of new concepts, policies, and procedures to more effectively achieve the objectives of the Agency and the Regional Office.  Determines when highly sensitive or controversial issues must be referred to higher management levels for consideration of policy implications.

Conducts negotiation activities and secures voluntary compliance to resolve cases where the issues do not involve criminal violations. Determines case openings, allocates resources, approves investigative plans, determines and establishes investigative team priorities, assigns staff and redirects investigative efforts within determined priorities, as appropriate. Reviews completed investigations to determine adequacy of facts to support a violation of law, sufficiency of evidence, and whether further investigative effort is required.  Forwards completed recommendations for forwarding to the National Office, administrative closing, or civil or criminal prosecution.

Establishes and maintains contacts with officials of Federal and State agencies whose regulatory and enforcement efforts impact employee pension and welfare plans, labor organizations and management officials, the senior and executive staffs of financial institutions, and plan administrators and their legal and financial representatives. The purposes of these contacts are to understand the various programs administered by EBSA, promote compliance assistance, resolve identified problems, and coordinate enforcement or prosecution activities.

Participates with the Directors and other supervisors in developing work plans and budget for the Regional Office. Provides recommendations to develop and implement policies and operating procedures for the Regional Office.  Performs and carries out delegated administrative and personnel management responsibilities for the Regional Office.

The incumbent works under the supervision of the Regional Director, who provides overall policy guidance.  Within the broad framework of Departmental, EBSA, and Regional Office policies, the incumbent exercises a high degree of independence, judgment, and initiative with a minimum of direction in carrying out delegated responsibilities.  Work performance is evaluated in terms of overall effectiveness in furtherance of EBSA and the Regional Office programs and conformity with established policies.

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

  • Requires a Supervisory probationary period if requirement has not been met.
  • Appointment to this position may require a background investigation.
  • Valid drivers license desirable.

Applicants must meet time-in-grade, time-after-competitive-appointment and qualifications requirements within 30 calendar days after the closing date of the vacancy to be eligible for consideration for selection.

Federal Employees Please Note: Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met and reflects your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure and the type of appointment (i.e. competitive/excepted). In some cases you may need to submit more than one SF-50.

Reference the "Required Documents" section for additional requirements.

You may not be aware, but in the regulations for agency ethics programs, there are requirements for supervisors. Section 2638.103 of Title 5 of the CFR states:

Every supervisor in the executive branch has a heightened personal responsibility for advancing government ethics. It is imperative that supervisors serve as models of ethical behavior for subordinates. Supervisors have a responsibility to help ensure that subordinates are aware of their ethical obligations under the Standards of Conduct and that subordinates know how to contact agency ethics officials. Supervisors are also responsible for working with agency ethics officials to help resolve conflicts of interests and enforce government ethics laws and regulations, including those requiring certain employees to file financial disclosure reports. In addition, supervisors are responsible, when requested, for assisting agency ethics officials in evaluating potential conflicts of interest and identifying positions subject to financial disclosure requirements.

Notification Concerning COVID-19 Vaccinations.  As required by Executive Order 14043, Federal executive branch employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 regardless of the employee's duty location or work arrangement (e.g., telework, remote work, etc.), subject to such exceptions as required by law.  If selected, you will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and to submit documentation of proof of vaccination or to be in the process of requesting an exception to the vaccination requirement before appointment or onboarding with the agency.  The agency will provide additional information regarding which forms of documentation can be accepted and how you can request to be considered for a legally required exception from this requirement.

Qualifications

SELECTIVE FACTOR: To be considered minimally qualified for this GS-14 position you must demonstrate extensive knowledge of Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and related statutes/regulations.  Applicants must show this knowledge in their resume and reply favorably to the ERISA vacancy question to receive further consideration.

Also for GS-14 level: Applicants must have 1 year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-13, in the Federal Service.  Specialized experience is experience that is generally in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position.

Specialized experience - experience with EBSA programs, priorities and the civil laws administered by other DOL, Federal and State agencies which impact health benefit plan activities and health coverage; experience with the health benefit industry, benefit claims processing, investigative methodology, auditing and accounting systems; experience with regulatory requirements and sub-regulatory guidance of ERISA including the group health plan requirements under part 7 as amended by HIPAA, MHPA, MHPAEA, WHRCA, Newborn’s Act, GINA, Michelle’s Law, CHIPRA and the Affordable Care Act; experience analyzing and measuring the effectiveness and efficiency of the health enforcement programs.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience at the GS-14 level for this position.

Additional information

DOL seeks to attract and retain a high performing and diverse workforce in which employees’ differences are respected and valued to better meet the varying needs of the diverse customers we serve. DOL fosters a diverse and inclusive work environment that promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness so that all individuals are able to participate and contribute to their full potential.

Position Telework eligibility is determined by management based on position duties during the recruitment process. Employee participation in telework on a routine or situational basis is determined by management primarily based on business needs.  Employees participating in telework are subject to the terms and conditions of the Department of Labor’s Telework Program.

If additional vacancies become available, additional selections may be made from this announcement.

This position is outside the Bargaining Unit.

Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION

How you will be evaluated

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

Evaluation Factors (Competencies) - All qualified applicants will be evaluated on the following key competencies:

Leadership:  Inspires, motivates and guides others toward goal accomplishment; coaches, mentors, and challenges subordinates; adapts leadership styles to a variety of situations; models high standards of honesty, integrity, trust, openness, and respect for the individual by applying these values to daily behaviors.

Investigations:  Knowledge and application of principles, practices, and techniques for conducting civil, criminal, and administrative investigations and documenting findings and conclusions in an efficient, accurate, and timely manner; knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and generally accepted auditing standards.

Legal, Government, and Jurisprudence: Knowledge and application of Employee Benefit Plan Law and ERISA; Knowledge and application of the laws, regulations, court proceedings, precedents, interpretations, and exemptions governing the employee benefit plan community.

Communication Skills:  Clearly and effectively conveys information (orally and in writing) to individuals and groups, taking into account the audience and nature of the information.  Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.  Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.

Interpersonal Skills:  Demonstrates interpersonal skills that support an environment in which constructive communications take place.  Considers and responds appropriately to the needs, feelings, and capabilities of people from varied backgrounds and in different situations; shows understanding, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern and politeness to others; treats others with respect.

Technology Application:  Uses computers and computer software applications to analyze and communicate information in the appropriate format.

The information you provide may be verified by a review of your work experience and/or education, by checking references, and through other means (ex. interview). Your evaluation may also include a review by an HR Specialist or panel 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.

Click here for Evaluation details.

INFORMATION FOR CTAP ELIGIBLE(S) ONLY: If you are eligible for special priority selection under CTAP, you must be well-qualified for the position to receive consideration. CTAP eligible(s) will be considered "well-qualified" if they attain at least a rating score of 85.0 in a numerical rating scheme. Be sure to review DOL Account Eligibility Questions #24 to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP eligible and submit supporting documentation. 


To preview questions please click here.

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.