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Criminal Investigator (Special Agent)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Visitor and Resource Protection - Investigative Services Branch
This job announcement has closed

Summary

As a Criminal Investigator, you will provide critical investigative and other law enforcement support to park and regional law enforcement programs. You will handle the most serious criminal investigations which represent a threat to National Park Service resources and facilities, employee and visitor safety, and national security.

The duty station for this position will be one of the three locations listed and will be determined upon selection.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
05/04/2025 to 05/16/2025
This job will close when we have received 100 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$73,939 to - $115,793 per year

Salary does not include locality pay. For specific wage information, reference the OPM Salaries and Wages link in the Additional Information section.

Pay scale & grade
GS 11 - 12
Locations
Harrison, AR
1 vacancy
Yosemite National Park, CA
1 vacancy
Yellowstone National Park, MT
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
50% 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
12
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Sensitive Compartmented Information
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Special-Sensitive (SS)/High Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
Yes
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
WO-1614-VRP-25-12727705-IMP
Control number
835995100

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Open to current National Park Service (NPS) career and career-conditional federal government employees; current or former time-limited employees eligible under the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act; and Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP).

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Duties

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Major Duties of the Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) position include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Provide critical investigative and other law enforcement support to park and regional law enforcement programs.
  • Serve as case agent or assists the case agent primarily in criminal investigations involving individuals, businesses, employers, and criminal organizations or conspiracies that represent a threat to NPS resources and facilities, employee and visitor safety, and national security.
  • Uses traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques to obtain evidence, such as electronic surveillance and monitoring; interrogation; polygraph examinations; physical surveillance; controlled deliveries; documentary searches; and recruitment, development and directing of informants.
  • Analyzes evidence and intelligence to determine relationships of individuals and organizations in criminal enterprises; producing progress reports on intelligence gathered during the course of investigations.
  • Prepares investigative reports documenting all relevant facts of investigations to support prosecution.
  • The incumbent is eligible for Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP). This position requires criminal investigators work, or be available to work, substantial amounts of unscheduled duty based on the needs of the service.

Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males
  • Direct Deposit: New employees of the Department of the Interior must identify a financial institution for direct deposit of net pay within 30 days of entrance on duty.
  • Drug Testing: You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to pre-employment and random urinalysis screening for illegal drug use.
  • Driver's License: You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • Required to carry a firearm while performing duties, required to maintain firearm proficiency and must be able to testify in court without restriction.
  • This position requires the incumbent meet the medical standards qualifications per DO/RM57, pre-employment and periodic physical examinations, and must participate in the Physical Efficiency Battery (PEB) annually.
  • Financial Filer Requirement: The position to which you will be appointed is subject to a financial disclosure reporting requirement and you will be required to complete a new entrant Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of your appointment.
  • Age Requirements: This is a primary position covered by enhanced retirement provisions which stipulate mandatory retirement at age 57 after 20 years of service. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age and must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to this position. Exceptions allowed: 1) an applicant has prior Federal service in a primary covered position sufficient to complete 20 years of service on or before the mandatory retirement age of 57; 2) an applicant is a qualified veterans' preference eligible.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-05/17/2025-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 for each federal position listed as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of qualifying experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

Individual Occupational Requirements

Medical Requirements

The duties of this position requires 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 this position is 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 himself/herself, or others is disqualifying.

SELECTIVE FACTOR: This position performs criminal investigative work and must possess prior law enforcement experience as gained by substantial service in a primary law enforcement officer position with at least two years of experience AND must currently hold, or have held within the past 3 years, a full Type I NPS law enforcement commission; or be qualified to receive a Type I Commission upon appointment based upon having completed approved NPS training as outlined by policy including Natural Resource Police Training (NRPT), Land Management Police Training Program (LMPT), US Park Police Integrated (USPPI), Uniformed Police Training Program (UPTP), BIA Basic Police Officer Training Program (BIA-BPOTP), or Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) Candidates who do not meet this requirement by close of this announcement will receive no further consideration for this position.

- AND -

To qualify for this position at the GS-11 grade level, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS/GL-09 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) assisting in criminal investigations involving serious offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, cultural or natural resource damage, and other felony offenses; 2) participating in joint operations or task forces; 3) assisting in developing investigation plans, including timelines and resource needs; 4) conducting traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques such as surveillance, interviews, and the use of informants to gather evidence and intelligence; 5) prepare progress reports, summarizing findings and suggesting next steps in ongoing investigations. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated.
-OR-
EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least a Ph.D., or equivalent degree or three full years of progressive higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or LL.M. if directly related. You must include transcripts.
-OR-
Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements for the grade levels specified and may be computed by first determining the applicant's total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the grade level; then determining the applicant's education as a percentage of the education required for the grade level; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify an applicant for that grade level. Only graduate education in excess of the amount required for the next lower grade level may be used to qualify applicants for positions at grades GS-9 and GS-11. You must include transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-12 grade level, you must possess all of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS/GL-11 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to successfully perform the duties of this position. Experience at this level must include all of the following: 1) serve as a lead investigator or case agent in criminal investigations involving serious offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, or cultural or natural resource damage, and other felony offenses; 2) conducted investigations involving multiple jurisdictions, coordinating with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; 3) develop and implement investigation plans that include timelines, resource needs, and risk assessments; 4) proficiency in using traditional and non-traditional investigative techniques, such as electronic surveillance, undercover operations, and informant management, to gather evidence and intelligence; 5) prepare and executed affidavits for search and seizure warrants, ensuring compliance with legal standards and procedures. You must include your resume with hours worked per week annotated.
-OR-
EDUCATION: There is no substitution of education for experience at this grade level.

Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

Additional Selections: This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.
Career Ladder - Promotion Potential: Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.
Time-in-Grade: Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments and must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
Probationary Period: If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
Work Schedule: This is an emergency/essential position. Selectee must work an average of 50-hour workweek which may include irregular hours, and be on call 24/7, including holidays and weekends
Travel/Government Charge Card: You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 120 days. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.
Physical Demands: The duties of the position include detaining persons of interest, arresting suspects, executing search warrants, performing long periods of surveillance and carrying investigative equipment. The work requires strenuous physical exertion, such as long periods of standing, walking, and running over rough and hazardous terrain; crawling in restrictive areas; climbing over obstacles; and driving all-terrain vehicles over rough terrain. The employee must also be prepared to protect themselves or others from physical attacks, and to use firearms, as required by the position. These physical demands are consistent with factor level 8-3.
Working Conditions: Work involves high risk of exposure to potentially dangerous and stressful situations such as high-speed vehicle pursuits; involvement in physical altercations or the use of lethal weapons.
Telework: The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework and the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval.

How you will be evaluated

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

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the additional assessments required for this position. A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated on the following competencies:

  • Criminal Investigation
  • Interpersonal Skills
  • Oral Communication
  • Planning and Evaluating
  • Writing


In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process and meet the cutpoint score for the application questionnaire. In addition to the application and application questionnaire, this position requires successful completion of additional assessments, including a panel resume review. These assessments measure the critical competencies listed above that are required to successfully perform the job.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

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