Criminal Investigator

Summary

The primary purpose of this Criminal Investigator position is to serve as a Special Agent (SA), providing oversight and management of investigatory activities for the TSA. The Incumbent reports to the Assistant Special Agent in Charge and is responsible for overseeing and conducting criminal investigations and serious employee misconduct matters and providing related services to the TSA in an effort to ensure the integrity of programs operated or funded by the agency.

Duties

• This Criminal Investigator position is located at a TSA Field Office determined by the Agency need, Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Candidates may be considered for five (5) locations of their choosing as listed below. If hired, however, employees must report to a TSA facility. The actual location will be negotiated after selection. Phoenix, Arizona Los Angeles, California San Diego, California San Francisco, California Denver, Colorado Washington, District of Columbia Fort Lauderdale, Florida Miami, Florida Orlando, Florida Tampa, Florida Atlanta, Georgia Honolulu, Hawaii Chicago, Illinois Baltimore, Maryland Boston, Massachusetts Detroit, Michigan Minneapolis, Minnesota Las Vegas, Nevada Newark, New Jersey New York, New York Charlotte, North Carolina Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Memphis, Tennessee Dallas, Texas Detroit, Texas Houston, Texas Seattle, Washington Queens, NY Salt Lake City, UT Duties include but are not limited to: Conducts, monitors, and coordinates criminal and administrative investigations and inspections under established procedures and supervisory guidance. Investigates cases involving theft of government property, theft of personal property, fraud in worker's compensation claims, and mismanagement of government property. Handles cases that may include conflicting reports, discussions, or testimonies, and documents findings for review and further action. Performs investigative functions on assigned cases or portions of cases, following established protocols from planning and fact-finding through to reporting investigative results. Responds to investigative matters by participating in searches, seizures, and arrests; engages in undercover activities involving contact with criminal elements or suspects to support the apprehension of individuals suspected of posing a threat to passenger security or violating Federal criminal statutes. Conducts interviews and interrogations of witnesses and suspects, and provides Miranda warnings as required. The major duties described reflect the entry performance level of this position. Typically, the higher pay bands perform similar duties but will require less guidance and training; and/or projects/work assignments may be more complex. Once onboarded, you may be assigned for up to one year to support the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. The law enforcement component of the D.C. Task Force is a partnership of over 20 federal and local agencies working together to make D.C. the safest city in America. Once the assignment ends, you'll transition back to support TSA Law Enforcement - Investigations. Visit the D.C. Task Force page for more information.

Qualifications

To qualify for the SV-G Pay Band (equivalent to GS-5/7/9), you must meet one of the qualification requirements outlined below: A. Experience: To qualify using experience, your application must clearly outline three years of progressively responsible general experience, one year of which was equivalent to at least the SV-F Pay Band or GS-4 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Such experience will demonstrate the ability to: analyze problems, gather pertinent data, and recognize solutions; plan and organize work; and communicate effectively orally and in writing; OR B. Education: Bachelor's or higher-level degree in any field from an accredited college or university; OR C. Education and Experience: Combinations of successfully completed post-high school education and experience may be used to meet total qualification requirements, and may be computed by first determining the total qualifying experience as a percentage of the experience required for the position; then determining the education as a percentage of the education required for the position; and then adding the two percentages. The total percentages must equal at least 100 percent to qualify for the position. Note: If you are attempting to qualify based on education, in whole or in part, you MUST submit a copy of your transcript(s) from all accredited college or universities attended to establish qualifications based upon education. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at the time of application. Official transcripts may be required at a later date. To qualify for the SV-H Pay Band (equivalent to GS-11), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-G pay band or GS-09 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as: Experience conducting, coordinating, and monitoring routine criminal and administrative investigations; AND Experience performing investigative functions to include fact finding, and reporting the results of the investigations. OR Have at least a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.M., or one year of specialized experience at the SV-G or GS-09 level. OR A combination of specialized experience, as described above, and related graduate level education, beyond the first full year of doctoral level study. To qualify for the SV-I Pay Band (equivalent to GS-13), you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the SV-H pay band or GS-12 in the Federal service or equivalent experience in the private sector. Specialized experience is defined as experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience is defined as: Experience planning, conducting, coordinating, and monitoring criminal and administrative investigations; AND Experience performing investigative functions to include fact finding, interrogations of witnesses and making arrests and reporting the results of the investigation. Conditions of Employment: Law Enforcement Polygraph Examination Testing is required. See Next Steps for more information. Incumbent is required to submit a Financial Disclosure Statement, OGE-450, (5CFR Part 2634, Subpart I USOGE, 6/08). Executive Branch Personnel Confidential Financial Disclosure Report upon entering the position and annually, in accordance with TSA Directive 1100.73-5 Employee Responsibilities and Code of Conduct. Appointment to this position is contingent upon successful completion of a full field background investigation and issuance of a top-secret (SCI) clearance. Prior to appointment, the applicant may be asked to complete a "Declaration for Federal Employment" (OF-306). The information collected on this form is used to determine applicant's suitability for federal employment. The applicant may also be asked to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in the application/resume. The applicant must answer all questions truthfully and completely. A false statement on any part of the declaration or attached forms may be grounds for not hiring the applicant, or for termination after being hired. 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 for this position are required to qualify with and use firearms and other weapons as part of assigned duties and to maintain such qualifications. Because of an amendment to 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9), which became effective September 30, 1996, and is referred to as the Lautenberg Amendment, 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. Applicants must successfully complete the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) or other equivalent training (e.g., FBI, DEA, US Postal Inspection Service, Air Force OSI, Army CID, NCIS and DCIS) for the position at the G band level and successfully completed the Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP) or other equivalent training for the position at the H/I levels. Required to maintain the ability to be called as a law enforcement witness in administrative and judicial proceedings without the existence of any impeachable evidence that "casts a substantial doubt upon the accuracy" of the testimony. This position is covered under the special retirement provisions for law enforcement officers. Applicants that have no prior series 1811 criminal investigator experience must meet the maximum age for entry into a "covered position" which is the date immediately preceding the applicant's 37th birthday and must be able to retire at the mandatory age of 57 years with 20 years of service as an 1811 criminal investigator. In order to receive consideration, you must include your date of birth in your application package. Position is subject to drug testing. May be required to sign a mobility agreement. Position requires domestic and overseas travel as necessary. This is an emergency essential position. The position may require the employee to be subject to 24-hour on call duty as well as irregular working hours, work at locations other than the official duty station, and may include duties other than those specified in the position description. The selectee must be able to relocate to emergency sites with little advance notice and function under intense physical and mental stress. Must meet and maintain medical requirements as stated in the TSA Medical Guidelines for Criminal Investigators. Physical Demands: Must be able to perform the essential job functions described in the TSA Medical Guidelines for Criminal Investigators. Credit for experience is given based on a 40-hour workweek. Part-time experience is credited on a part-time ratio, i.e., working 20 hours per week for two months equals one month of experience. No additional credit is given for overtime. National Service Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs and other organizations. 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. You must meet the qualification requirements for this position no later than the closing date of the vacancy announcement.

Requirements

You must possess U.S. Citizenship or be a U.S. National. You must have reached the minimum age (21) at the time of application. You must complete a favorable Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI). Selective Service registration is required. You must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI Clearance. Must pass pre-employment drug screening AND random drug/alcohol testing. This is an Emergency Essential Position. See additional "Conditions of Employment" and "Other Information" section Applicants cannot have reached age 37 by the time of their appointment unless they provide proof of current or previous service in a Federal civilian law enforcement position covered by Federal civilian law enforcement retirement provisions, or they will be disqualified. (NOTE: Preference eligible veterans are permitted a waiver allowing for entry on duty after their 37th birthday.) This position is covered under the special retirement provisions for law enforcement officers. Applicants that have no prior series federal law enforcement experience must meet the maximum age for entry into a "covered position" which is the date immediately preceding the applicant's 37th birthday and must be able to retire at the mandatory age of 57 years with 20 years of service as a federal law enforcement officer. If you fail to meet the conditions of employment or any other pre-employment requirements, such as missing any of the scheduled appointments, the hiring agency may rescind their tentative offer of employment. Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for TSA to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions. Any offers of employment made pursuant to this announcement will be consistent with all applicable authorities, including Presidential Memoranda, Executive Orders, interpretive U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and Office of Management and Budget plans and policies concerning hiring. These authorities are subject to change. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

For positions requiring positive education requirements, or if you are using education to meet all or part of the qualification requirements, you MUST submit a copy of your transcripts or an itemized list of college courses from an accredited college or university, which includes equivalent information from the transcript (course title, semester/quarter hours, and grade/degree earned) in your resume. The information must be provided with the application by the closing date of the announcement. If selected, the applicant must supply a transcript or certification of degree.

How to apply

All of the following must be received in our office by 11:59 PM EST (Eastern Standard time) on the closing date of this announcement. If we do not receive all required information by the closing date, your application may not be considered. The vacancy questionnaire includes four short, free-response essay questions. This provides an opportunity for you to highlight your dedication to public service for the hiring manager and agency leadership (or designee(s)). While your responses are not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. Please provide a response of 200 words or less to each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot. To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. Your application must include: Resume: Applicable supporting documents (see Required Documents Section) To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources at https://support-usahire.opm.gov/hc/en-us. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/howto/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application. Veterans and Persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the documentation that is required, click on the links above or contact the Servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.