Criminal Investigator (Special Agent)

Summary

Consistently ranked as among the best places to work in the Department of the Interior (DOI), and the top 10% of all agency subcomponents, the Office of Inspector General is an independent and objective unit working to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness and to prevent and detect waste, fraud and abuse within the DOI. We offer exceptional work-life benefits, including flexible work schedules, ample training opportunities, and a comprehensive employee recognition program.

Duties

• This position is with Office of Inspector General, Energy Investigations Unit, in Lakewood, Colorado. This office is responsible for conducting complex criminal, civil, and administrative investigations involving the Department's energy and mineral-related programs in support of the OIG's mission. As a Criminal Investigator (Special Agent) you will be responsible for Major duties include: Plans, conduct, and/or lead highly visible and/or sensitive criminal investigations involving suspected or alleged violations of the Federal criminal code and other Federal laws, rules, and regulations. These investigations involve criminal, civil, and regulatory violations associated with energy and mineral development activities administered and regulated by the Federal government. Plans and complete search warrants and arrest warrants. Conduct surveillance and other law enforcement activities. Evaluate and identify significant findings, trends, and patterns for areas at risk of criminal or fraudulent activity. Analyzes requests, complaints, and or allegations in relation to appropriate laws, regulations, etc. to identify potential violations and related evidence. Establish relationship of relevant facts supported with evidence and data. Perform extensive records searches. Conduct research and analysis of financial and accounting data. Questions and interview witnesses and other subjects as part of fact-finding and investigative work. Provide management officials with briefings and presentations. Writes clear and concise investigative reports documenting observations, issues and findings that are supported by evidence and data.

Qualifications

Requirements Continued: Selectee 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 convicted of a misdemeanor or felony crime of domestic violence, unless such conviction was expunged, set aside, or the applicant received a pardon. Selectee must meet the initial agency suitability determination (i.e. local police checks, review of past employment data, review of Query National information Center report, results of special agency check, etc.) before a final offer can be made. Medical Requirements for 1811 occupational series may be found here. Qualifications: All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. We will only review your resume to determine whether minimum experience requirement(s) have been met. Merit Promotion candidates must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the announcement closing date. Minimum Qualifications GS-13 : One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level in the Federal service performing all of the following: Applying for and executing search warrants, and other law enforcement operations; Planning and conducting complex financial fraud investigations that are primarily criminal in nature; Writing investigative reports and other products; and Testifying in court or providing briefings to internal and external parties such as high-level agency officials, law enforcement personnel, or federal/state prosecutors.

Requirements

U.S. citizenship is required. Successful completion of a background investigation. May be subject to initial and random drug testing. Initial appointments to the competitive or excepted service will be subject to satisfactory completion of a probationary or trial period, and that in the absence of agency action to retain, such appointments will terminate the day before the anniversary date of the individual's appointment (or sooner), if the certifying official determines that finalizing the appointment would not advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the OIG, and/or otherwise does not promote the efficiency of the service. May be required to complete a one-year probationary period. OGE-450, Confidential Financial Disclosure Report may be required. Time-in-grade requirement - Federal applicants must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade to satisfy time-in-grade restrictions contained in 5 CFR 300, Subpart F. Complete the Basic Criminal Investigative Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, or its equivalent. Effective January 1, 2010, OPM must authorize any employment offers we make to current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employees in the executive branch. 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 the applicant has 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 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. Applicant must provide evidence of current or previous coverage that would qualify. This age restriction does not apply to those entitled to Veteran's Preference. Criminal Investigators under the 1811 occupational series are eligible for law enforcement availability pay (LEAP), not to exceed 25% of the rate of basic pay. Requirements Continued in Qualification Section

Education

There is no educational requirement for this position.

How to apply

Continued from Required Documents Miscellaneous Authorities Not Regulated by U.S. OPM/Special Hiring Authorities/Former Peace Corp and VISTA volunteers: If you are applying for this position based on this eligibility submit proof of eligibility (SF-50 non-award) with your application in order to be considered non-competitively for this vacancy. For a list of authorities, visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/competitive-hiring/#url=MiscellaneousAuthoritiesRegulated and https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/special-authorities Military Spouse - See additional information section for required documents. BLM: See additional information section for required documents. To apply for this job opportunity, you must submit a complete application package including a resume and an on-line application through the Office of Personnel Management's (OPM) application system, USAJOBS. This information will be transferred to the DOI OIG's Automated Application System. You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) 09/24/2026 to complete the following application process: 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. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. To PREVIEW the application questionnaire, select the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13056229 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. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account and all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For assistance with creating an USAJOBS account and for information on viewing your Application status, please visit: (https://help.usajobs.gov/get-started) AND (https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to). To update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account (https://help.usajobs.gov/get-started). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. However, you will not be able to make changes to questions related to assessing the minimum qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics) mentioned in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. To make an allowed update to your application, return to your USAJOBS account ( https://help.usajobs.gov/get-started). There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. If applying online poses an extreme hardship, you may request alternate application procedures to submit your application package by fax at least two working days prior to 09/24/2026 . If you are unable to apply online, you must request an alternative application which is available from the Human Resources Office. Please contact Division of Human Resources at [email protected] to obtain an alternative application. The application package for alternate application procedures must be submitted and received in the Human Resources office no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on the closing date of this announcement. NOTE: Paper applications and information sent by mail WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify.