Clarification from the agency

Current permanent USDA Office of the Inspector General federal employees with competitive status and Career Transition Assistance Programs (CTAP/RPL) eligibles.

• Exhibiting independently a mastery-level operational knowledge of sensitive and classified criminal, civil and administrative investigations that require the incumbent to exercise an increased level of diplomacy and tact.
• Initiating contacts with individuals on matters under investigation to obtain facts, statements, explanation of actions. Learn the sequence of events and other required information; determines interview sequence and extent/scope of investigations.
• Assisting coworkers regarding complex and sensitive criminal, civil and administrative investigations by providing direction, guidance, technical assistance, training and consultation on investigative matters.
• Maintaining regional and/or headquarters reporting procedures to ensure timely notification of incidents to law enforcement and/or Intelligence Community units. Promote real-time upward and lateral communication.
• Exhibiting operational mastery in the areas of evidence management, records management and data quality assurance designed to reflect professionalism and the delivery of quality work products.
• Assisting with analysis of allegations to identify issues involved, types of evidence required in each instance, whether allegations have merit, and recommending appropriate disposition.
• Employing highly developed oral and technical written communication capabilities designed to convey information associated with sensitive and classified investigative activities in the arenas of criminal, civil and administrative investigations.
• Conducting liaison, planning and executing coordination of multi-jurisdictional investigations with Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, facilitating the interchange of critical information.
• Providing liaison with other Federal, state and local investigative and law enforcement agencies, as well as members of the Intelligence Community and counter terrorism community.
• Maintaining lines of communication between office area of responsibility, regional field, and Office of Investigations headquarters personnel.
• Drafting and preparing concise, logical presentations, briefings, and reports of investigations and summaries, including recommendations for prosecutorial and/or corrective action.
• Serving as a senior federal law enforcement official authorized to carry firearms, making arrests, conducting searches and seizures, and apprehending and detaining persons suspected of committing offenses against the United States.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a US citizen.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Selectees must pass a Single Scope background investigation and periodic suitability determinations to receive and maintain a Top Secret clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information eligibility.
• Direct deposit: per Public Law 104-134, all federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• You must successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• You will be required to complete an OGE-450, Confidential Statement of Employment and Financial Interests.
• Relocation expenses are NOT authorized.
• Designated or random drug testing required. Failure to pass a drug test or maintain a clearance is grounds for removal.
• You are subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of a one-year probationary period is required, unless previously served.
• You must be able to obtain and maintain a valid state-issued motor vehicle operator's license. You must be able to operate a government-owned or leased vehicle.
• Occasional travel is expected. Selected applicants must be able to acquire and maintain a government-issued travel charge card.
• You must pass initial and periodic medical examinations. Failure to meet medical requirements may result in reassignment from the position of criminal investigator or other appropriate action.
• Acknowledgement of career mobility is a condition of employment. You must be available for permanent reassignment to other regional or resident offices as required by the OIG.
• Successful completion of the Basic Criminal Investigative Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center is required.
• You will be required to qualify to carry and use firearms and other weapons as part of assigned duties and maintain such qualification.

Qualifications

The Sensitive Investigations Office (SIO) mission is to standardize the timely and accurate intake and investigation/compliance review of sensitive and/or classified high profile allegations, not limited to investigations and/or compliance reviews of matters [i.e., senior management misconduct (i.e., Political Appointee, Senior Executive Service, GS-15), conflict of interest / ethics, bribery, Congressional referrals, child pornography, Office of Special Counsel employee and whistleblower retaliation referrals, use of force inquiries, Insider Threat/National Security coordination, qui tams, and other matters deemed of high interest by the Secretary or the Inspector General] in accordance with the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Quality Standards for Investigations, thus providing the Inspector General with an alternative mechanism to traditional audit and investigative disciplines to assess Department programs and activities, facilitating improved stakeholder experience. The office places an emphasis on the creative and economical use of empirical and other research and fact-gathering techniques leveraging a multi-disciplined workforce to complete its assignments.

The work may result in recommendations to decision-makers to streamline operations, reduce unnecessary regulations, improve policies and minimize inefficient and ineffective procedures. In addition to assessing Department programs, the office conducts special reviews requested by the Inspector General or Senior Department management that require prompt responses. The Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge (ASAC) is a supervisory criminal investigator within the SIO and reports directly to the Special Agent-in-Charge (SAC) SIO. The ASAC executes thoroughly the entire portfolio of investigative duties and functions of the SIO ensuring SIO investigative programs contribute to the achievement of the goals and objectives established in OIG's strategic plan. The SIO ASAC facilitates the SAC's direction, management, and administration of the SIO special agents, investigators, investigative analysts, investigative program coordinators, and other investigation support personnel in the conduct of investigations into criminal, civil, and administrative matters and in the conduct of official inquiries and assessments deemed to be "sensitive" in nature relating to the personnel, programs, and operations of the USDA throughout the United States.

This position is a primary law enforcement position under 5 U.S.C. 8336 (C) (CSRS and 5 U.S. C 8412 (d) (FERS). You must be no more than 37 years of age upon entry into the GS-1811 series, unless you have previous service creditable under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) law enforcement provisions sufficient to enable you to retire at age 57 with 20 years of creditable service. Persons already in covered secondary positions or persons with previous approved service who apply for a primary position cannot be considered if their age at reentry into the primary position exceeds 37 years after subtracting their years of service in covered positions. Applicants must provide evidence of current or previous coverage that would qualify. This age restriction does not apply to those entitled to Veteran's Preference.

You will be required to qualify to carry and use firearms and other weapons as part of assigned duties and maintain such qualification. Applicants are ineligible for this position if, at any time, they have been convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence, unless such conviction was expunged, set aside, or the applicant received a pardon. Refer to the Lautenberg Amendment, titled "Gun Ban for Individuals Convicted of a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence", Pub.L.104-208,[1] 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9).

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions and specialized experience as defined below.

THIS POSITION HAS A BASIC MEDICAL REQUIREMENT:

The duties of positions in this series require 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, with or without correction, 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 these positions are 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.

IN ADDITION TO MEETING THE BASIC MEDICAL REQUIREMENT ABOVE, APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS BELOW.

Time in grade: Applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the next lower grade to be considered for the next higher grade (one year at the GS-13 level is required to meet the time-in-grade requirements for the GS-14 level). Under competitive merit promotion procedures, any individual who is currently holding, or who 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 (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). Restrictions are contained in 5CFR 300, Subpart F. You must include an SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one) that supports meeting this requirement with your application package.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIREMENT FOR GS-14:
Applicants must possess one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-13 in the federal service or the private sector that has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as: coordinating policy, planning and operational activities; exercising grade-level appropriate knowledge of investigative operations and activities, planning, conducting fact-finding and executing assigned sensitive criminal, civil and administrative investigations (to include those involving Political Appointee, Senior Executive Service and GS-15 personnel); providing assistance to co-workers regarding complex and sensitive criminal, civil and administrative investigations, maintaining regional and/or headquarters reporting procedures to ensure timely notification of incidents, notification of law enforcement and/or Intelligence Community units; providing follow-up on the investigative process; and providing technical assistance, training and consultation on investigative matters.

Evidence of one year or more of specialized experience must be clearly documented in your resume.

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 and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience, documented in your resume.

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 your qualifications for this position as evidenced by the experience, education, and training you described in your application package, as well as the responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine the degree to which you possess the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies listed below:

• Criminal Investigation
• Leadership
• Oral Communication
• Partnering
• Written Communication

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position. Applicants who meet the minimum qualification requirements and are determined to be among the best qualified candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for consideration. Noncompetitive candidates and applicants under some special hiring authorities need only meet minimum qualifications to be referred.

Note: If after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12796918

As a condition of employment for accepting the position of Supervisory Criminal Investigator (Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge), GS-1811-14, with the USDA Office of the Inspector General, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider the following:

- performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the service.

Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. If you do not receive certification for continued employment, you should receive written notice prior to the end of your probationary period that your employment will be terminated and the effective date of such termination.