Clarification from the agency

Status Candidates (Merit Promotion), Excepted Service and Veterans. Current career United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, United States Postal Service, United States Postal Inspection Service and Postal Regulatory Commission Employees will not be considered or selected from this vacancy announcement.

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Candidates will be evaluated on the skills that they possess that are directly related to the duties of the position and the experience, education and training that indicate the applicant's ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position. Only those candidates who meet all qualification and eligibility requirements, and who submit the required information by 11:59 PM EST on Thursday, June 4, 2026 will be considered.

The USPS OIG uses a Pay Banding system, which is equivalent to the Federal GS scale. Grade and salary determinations will be made based upon a candidate's education and professional experience.

The position is advertised at the Journey Band level equivalent to a GS-13 grade level. The salary range for this position is $106,436 - $197,200 includes locality pay. Compensation will include Law Enforcement Availability Pay (LEAP) under the 1811 Series. The job also provides coverage as a primary position under law enforcement retirement.

Relocation expenses will not be paid.

Please note that the duties and responsibilities associated with this position may vary based upon the agency's needs at the time of hire. The following description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations.

The successful candidate must be highly motivated and exhibit a high degree of leadership and demonstrate experience planning and conducting complex federal criminal investigations.

• Conducts complex and sensitive criminal, and administrative polygraph examinations on personnel at all levels.
• Coordinate, conduct, and evaluate polygraph investigative methods utilized during examinations.
• Prepare complete and concise investigative reports of all exams conducted.
• Conducts OI-wide training through in-person and online presentations during In-Service training, townhalls and brown bag meetings.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Must currently be a Federal Law Enforcement Officer classified as an 1811 series Criminal Investigator
• Must be able to pass a background investigation
• Must be able to pass a drug screening and physical examination. Note: a physical is required for 1811 criminal investigator positions.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain Top Secret security clearance
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a government-issued credit card
• Must maintain agency certification in conducting and reviewing polygraph examinations
• May be required to successfully complete a 12-month probationary period
• Selectee subject to random drug screenings

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

You must meet ALL of the minimum qualifications listed below.

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
• Completed Basic Criminal Investigative Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) or its equivalent
• Currently serve as a federal law enforcement officer classified as an 1811 series Criminal Investigator or Military equivalent
• At least 4 years of professional federal law enforcement experience
• Must be a graduate of the basic polygraph course offered by the National Center for Credibility Assessment (NCCA) or by its prior official designations as the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment (DACA) or Department of Defense Polygraph Institute (DoDPI)
• Within the last 10 years, been certified as an active Federal polygraph examiner by an authorized Federal polygraph or credibility assessment program per respective agency and Federal standards and requirements.
• Must not have been previously decertified, due to substandard proficiency or as a punitive remedy of suspected or confirmed violations of ethical standards.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and in a team environment.
• Must have received at least a met expectations performance rating on fiscal year 2024 and 2025 performance appraisal to include coaching and review phase comments. If a performance appraisal is not available, you must submit a written statement stating the reason it is not available (You must submit a copy of your latest two performance appraisals).

In accordance with applicable laws, the applicant selected for this position must:

• Maintain eligibility to operate motor vehicles
• Must be at least 21 years of age and not have reached 37th birthday at the time of initial appointment to law enforcement position
• Qualify and maintain authorization to carry firearms, including no current or previous domestic violence convictions
• Maintain physical, mental and emotional standards and requirements necessary to perform law enforcement assignments
• Work unscheduled irregular hours with the possibility of personal risk
• Must be willing to relocate at the direction of management

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Advanced Academic degree
• Knowledge of the U.S. Postal Service
• Experience conducting mail theft, narcotics, financial fraud, and/or healthcare criminal investigations

Applicants that do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered.


EVALUATION FACTORS

You must have the experience, knowledge and skills as listed in EACH of the evaluation factors. Failure to demonstrate that you meet all of the evaluation factor requirements as listed below will result in a score of zero (0); an ineligible status, and you will not be referred for further consideration. Include your major accomplishments relevant to the position requirements in your resume.

1. Demonstrate ability to routinely gather key information from interviews/interrogations and effectively communicate findings, both orally and in writing
2. Proven ability to maintain a high level of attention to detail, ensuring accuracy and compliance with established standards.
3. Demonstrate ability to properly utilize major polygraph systems, to include Lafayette and/or Limestone polygraph systems.
4. Demonstrate the ability to accurately interpret and score polygraph charts utilizing any NCCA approved scoring method.
5. Demonstrate ability to properly formulate valid polygraph questions (Test Question Construction) in accordance with federal guidelines.

You will no longer be considered for this position if you: fail to respond to all of the questions in the self-assessment questionnaire; fail to address a factor in the narrative section (no response or "See resume" or similar language will be scored a zero (0)); or receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor.

Failure to demonstrate that you meet all evaluation factor requirements will result in a score of zero (0). Upon receipt of a zero score, you will be deemed "not minimally qualified," and you will not be referred for further consideration.

How you will be evaluated

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

The Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications required for this position.

You will no longer be considered for this position if you:

• Receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor
• Fail to attach all required documentation
• Submit a resume that exceeds the two-page limit
• If your application materials indicate that you are not minimally-qualified for this position
• If you fail to qualify on the interview

Only the top-rated candidates will be referred to a review official or the selecting official for further consideration. Top-rated applicants may be required to participate in an interview. Your rating may be further adjusted or rated as ineligible by the review official or the selecting official based on your interview performance. Once all applicant scores are finalized, the selecting official will make a final decision. NOTE: If you receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor or on the interview, you will be considered NOT MINIMALLY QUALIFIED for the position and rated ineligible.

Applicants for this position may be interviewed one or more times as part of the hiring process. During interviews, applicants may not use any AI tool or virtual assistant (such as ChatGPT) to help them answer questions, except for accessibility tools used as part of a reasonable accommodation. Applicants who fail to follow these rules will be disqualified from the hiring process.