Clarification from the agency

Current U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General employees serving under competitive, permanent appointments. This position will be filled in one of the duty locations listed in the vacancy announcement.

Fraud doesn’t stop, and neither do we. We’re the Office of Inspector General, an independent oversight office within the U.S. Department of Education (ED) charged with identifying and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, and ensuring accountability and effectiveness within ED programs. If you want to help fight fraud and make a difference for America’s students, schools, and taxpayers, we may have the career for you! We offer competitive salaries, opportunities for rapid and substantial salary increases and career growth, great benefits, employee recognition programs, and more.

We’re the U.S. Department of Education (ED) Office of Inspector General (OIG). Often referred to as America’s watchdogs, it’s our job to help ensure that the hard-earned tax dollars that fund ED programs and operations are used as intended by law, achieve the desired results, and reach the intended recipients.

The OIG conducts audits and reviews of issues involving Federal student aid, K–12 schools, charter schools, special education, vocational education, adult education, and more. When our work identifies problems, we propose solutions. Our work has resulted in improvements to ED programs and changes to some of the most important Federal education laws in our country.

We conduct criminal and civil investigations into suspected fraudulent activities by schools, colleges, universities, contractors, subcontractors, school officials—any entity or individual that participates in ED programs or receives ED funding. Through our work, we have unraveled multimillion-dollar fraud schemes by people placed in positions of trust to educate our children. We’re also on the cutting edge of cybersecurity, using the latest technology and techniques to discover and defeat current and emerging threats from cyber and economic crime.

We tackle new and emerging issues head-on and continually work to improve our techniques and capabilities. We consistently expand our expertise by training and developing our staff. This dedication has enabled the OIG to become a leader in the Federal government in the areas of audits, investigations, and fighting cybercrime.

Whether you are just entering the workforce or are a seasoned professional, if you’re looking for a career rather than just a job, and shaping the next generation of American’s tackling tomorrow’s challenges, consider joining our team.

As a Supervisory Criminal Investigator, the incumbent will perform the following duties:

• Supervises an office to plan and conduct investigations to detect fraud, waste or abuse in programs and operations administered or financed by the U.S. Department of Education, including allegations of fraud or abuse by contractors, grantees, educational or financial institutions, Department employees and other individuals.
• Organize, analyze and evaluate documents and evidence and prepare and submit reports.
• Supervises a diverse office of criminal investigators to accomplish the mission of the organization.
• Works well with others to successfully perform the mission of the office. Participate with intergovernmental task forces on program fraud and abuse.
• Submit written reports and make oral presentations for management and/or prosecutors to substantiate or disprove allegations in accordance with standards and timeframes.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• May be required to complete a background clearance and fingerprint check.
• Must successfully complete one (1) year supervisory probationary period.
• Males 18 and over must be registered with the Selective Service.
• Top Secret Clearance is required.
• Subject to pre-employment and random drug testing.
• Mobile work is a condition of employment.

Condition of Employment:

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a probationary period or trial 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:

• your 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 Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period OR trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement.

If you are a current federal employee, you must meet all time-in-grade and time-after competitive appointment qualifications within 30 days of the closing date of this vacancy announcement. To verify that you meet these requirements, we will review your responses to the core eligibility questions on the occupational questionnaire, as well as your submitted resume and required documents. To make an accurate determination, you will need to include on your resume your federal position title, pay plan, occupational series, grade level, agency, dates for which you held the grade level (stated as MM/YYYY to MM/YYYY, OR MM/YYYY to PRESENT), and total hours worked per week. 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).

Qualifications

You may meet the minimum requirements for the GS-14 if you possess:

One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-13) in federal service that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position (see description below).

Specialized Experience for the GS-14:

One year of experience equivalent to the GS-13 performing all of the following duties or work assignments:

1. Experience in planning and conducting investigations, in accordance with Federal laws and regulations as well as agency policies, to determine violations federal laws and regulations.
2. Experience in providing leadership to others such as workgroups, teams or special projects. This should include providing accurate information and guidance regarding procedures (i.e. arrest and search); handling of evidence; and applying relevant laws, regulations and policies to investigative techniques.
3. Oral and written communication to give guidance and report facts and circumstances in a fashion understandable to others, including the preparation of investigative and management reports, oral testimony in court or other legal proceedings, and training sessions.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). You do not need to provide separate narrative responses to these KSAs, as they will be measured by your responses to the occupational questionnaire (you may preview the occupational questionnaire by clicking the link at the end of the Evaluations section of this vacancy announcement).

1. Knowledge of and skill in applying investigative approaches and techniques to gather information and evidence.
2. Knowledge of and skill in analyzing and organizing data.
3. Ability to lead and inspire a diverse team to include maximizing employee potential, developing performance plans and monitoring performance, resolving conflicts and achieving organizational goals.
4. Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships.
5. Skill in written and oral communications.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR SUPERVISORY POSITIONS: Candidates must have demonstrated in their work experience or training that they possess, or have the potential to develop, the qualities of successful supervision as follows:

• Assign and review work of subordinates, train and work effectively with subordinates from a variety of backgrounds and with different levels/areas of training.
• Accomplish the quality and quantity of work expected within set limits of cost and time.
• Plan own work and carry out assignments effectively.
• Communicate with others effectively both orally and in writing in working out solutions to problems or questions relating to the work.
• Understand and further management goals as these affect day-to-day work operations.
• Develop improvements in or design new work methods and procedures.

This position is approved for Secondary Law Enforcement coverage under 5 (USC) 8331 (20) or 5 USC 8401 (17). Previous experience in a primary (rigorous) law enforcement position or equivalent outside of the Federal government, is a prerequisite. Coverage only extended if this position immediately follows service in a law enforcement position. FERS applicants for this must have completed three (3) years of service in a rigorous position (aka primary) position in order to continue coverage upon selection.

Law Enforcement Availability: Applicants must agree to work an average of two hours extra per day to meet the requirements of law enforcement availability pay (LEAP) as described in Title 5 U.S.C. § 5545A(d)(1).

Applicants may be required to undergo a pre-employment medical examination by an Agency designated physician to determine if they are physically and medically qualified to perform the full duties of the position. Any physical condition which could hinder an individual's full, efficient and safe performance of his/her duties as a criminal investigator, or failure to meet any of the required physical or medical qualifications, will usually be considered disqualifying for employment, except when sufficient evidence is presented that the individual can perform the essential functions of the job efficiently and without hazard to themselves and others.

Individual Occupation Requirement (IOR):  Medical Requirements: 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, 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 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

We use a multi-step process to review and evaluate applicants:

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this announcement.

Evaluation will be based on your application materials (such as your resume and supporting documents), your responses to the application questionnaire, and the results of all required assessments.

Resume Requirement
Please limit your resume to 2 pages with the font size no smaller than 10 points.  If your resume is more than 2 pages, only the first 2 pages will be reviewed and considered for the qualifications determination. 

Minimum Qualification Question
As part of the application process, you must answer a minimum qualification question addressing whether you meet the Specialized Experience required for this position, as described in this announcement.

Your response must be supported by the experience documented in your resume. If your resume does not demonstrate the required Specialized Experience, you may be found not qualified.

SME Resume Review
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will review your resume to determine whether you meet the required Specialized Experience.

SME Structured Interview
You may be invited to participate in a structured interview with one or more Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to assess the required competencies for the position.

Applicants who successfully pass the assessment(s) may be referred to the Hiring Manager for consideration.

You must complete all required steps in the process, including submitting an application and resume and participating in the structured interview, to be considered for this position.

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