About This Position
This position is located within in the Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations - Labor Racketeering and Fraud (OI). OI's mission is to conduct criminal, civil, and administrative investigations into alleged violations of federal laws relating to U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) programs, operations, and personnel to prevent and detect fraud and abuse in such programs and operations.
Qualifications
You must meet the Basic Requirements listed in the Education Requirements section and the Specialized Experience to qualify for Criminal Investigator, as described below. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level.
For GS-12: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-11, in the Federal Service.Examples of specialized experience include but is not limited to under limited supervision, the incumbent independently performing the full range of investigative functions on assigned cases or portions of cases from planning and conducting fact-finding to reporting the results of investigations; performing undercover and surveillance work under supervision; independently conducting investigative interviews; analyzing investigative facts to arrive at sound conclusions; and presentations to Assistant United States Attorneys in support of federal criminal prosecutions and civil actions. Incumbent must develop and maintain working relationships with law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local level. For GS-13: Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level, GS-12, in the Federal Service.
Examples of specialized experience include but is not limited to: 1) independently conducts, or leads, the most significant and complex investigations that often involve multiple law enforcement agencies covering multiple judicial districts. These investigation could include criminal offenses committed by individuals, entities, or organized criminal enterprises, including financial crimes and fraud; Federal program, contract or grant fraud; and employee integrity offenses 2) proficiency in the application of criminal, civil, and administrative laws, including false claims and qui tam actions 3) demonstrate proficiency in utilizing investigative principles and techniques, including undercover operations, consensual monitoring, and other covert investigative techniques; 4) demonstrate extensive experience in legal procedures related to the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses; 5) experience in testifying in Federal criminal prosecutions; and 6) demonstrate extensive experience in consulting and working with U.S. Attorneys and other prosecutorial officials in preparation of cases for prosecution.
Maximum AGE Requirements: An applicant must enter a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) law enforcement covered position or a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) law enforcement covered position not one day later than his/her 37th birthday. Please
note: Applicants appointed to Criminal Investigator positions in the Federal service must not have reached their 37th birthday upon appointment to the position unless they previously served in a Federal civilian law enforcement position covered by special civil service retirement provisions, including early or mandatory retirement. This requirement may be waived only for veterans. However, the primary duties of these positions are classified as "rigorous," and a waiver may be authorized by the head of the agency only in unusual situations.
An age requirement waiver is not automatic. An individual who has passed the maximum entry age limit but previously served in a covered position, may be eligible for consideration and reinstatement of coverage if he/she will be able to complete a total of 20 years of covered law enforcement service by the time he reaches the mandatory retirement age of
- See OPM Retirement Handbook for further details. The Maximum Entry Age requirement (See Maximum Entry may be waived for applicants eligible for veterans' preference.)POSITION REQUIREMENTS FOR OIG CRIMINAL INVESTIGATORS: Incumbents are required to be able to perform the following duties: A.) Firearm Use - All OIG criminal investigators are required to qualify with the U.S.
DOL-issued firearms and to accept assignments where firearms are required. In the exercise of OIG's statutory law enforcement authority, there is the potential that the use of the firearm may be justified and necessary. B.) Arrests - OIG criminal investigators make arrests, with or without a warrant, according to the circumstances.
C.) Search and Seizure - OIG criminal investigators execute warrants for search of premises or seizure of evidence. D.) Surveillances - In conducting investigations, criminal investigators may establish and maintain surveillances of suspected criminal acts. E.) Undercover Assignments - From time to time, criminal investigators assume undercover roles.
F.) Review of Records and Other Evidence. Many cases under investigation involve the review of a tremendous amount of records which the agent takes control of and transports for copying. G.) Travel - Many criminal investigators travel frequently -- up to 50 percent of the time.
Much of the travel is performed by automobile driven by the agent from 8 to 10 hours at a time to reach the destination. H.) Basic Law Enforcement Training - As a condition of employment, newly-hired OIG criminal investigators must have successfully completed the basic criminal investigator training course at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC ), unless waived by OIG because of proof of comparable special agent or law enforcement officer training. No Relocation Incentives will be offered.
No Permanent Change of Station Incentives will be offered.
This position is outside the Bargaining Unit.
This position will not be filled until the Department's Placement Assistance Programs have been fully utilized.
Major Duties
The major duties are as follows: Serve as the lead agent in investigating high-profile, complex cases that encompass a broad range of criminal activities within the organization's jurisdiction, establishing contacts with various stakeholders to gather relevant evidence. Assist in conducting joint investigations with Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, establishing and maintaining effective communication channels. Obtain information from individuals of diverse backgrounds and develop informants under challenging and sensitive conditions to enhance intelligence gathering.
Act as the senior agent responsible for conducting interviews, surveillance, and examinations of records, managing sensitive investigations independently. Draft detailed investigative reports highlighting key findings and evidence to support potential legal actions, presenting cases to Assistant U.S. Attorneys for Grand Jury consideration.
Education
There is no substitution of education for the required specialized experience at the GS-12 and GS-13 level. Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position.
Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information.
How You Will Be Evaluated
Your evaluation will be based on how well you meet the qualifications outlined in this vacancy announcement.
Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position.
You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Influencing/Negotiating Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork The USA Hire Assessments includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies.
You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered.
You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.
You may preview application questions for this vacancy here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12934477 When Office of Inspector General completes its hiring, the remaining list of qualified candidates may be shared with additional sub-agencies in the Department.
You will have an opportunity to opt-in if you would like your name, application material, and assessment results shared to be considered for employment with additional sub-agencies at DOL. There is no guarantee of further consideration, and you can continue to explore other job opportunity announcements.
Additional Information
The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION For more information, Click here for Career Ladder Promotion Information. For more information, click Telework Position Information.
This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy. Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy.
The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act.
Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions. All applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to screening for illegal drug use prior to appointment. All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71.
Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis.
If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision.
You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. (https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/sections/28980686389652-Reasonable-Accommodation-Information)
How to Apply
Persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, including submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section.
Your application and ALL required supplemental documents MUST be received by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the vacancy closing date to receive consideration. Important - Save your information before the 30 minute system timeout! For help, go to USAJOBS Help Center. STEP 1 - Create USAJOBS Account on www.usajobs.gov, including Resume and Saved Documents. For each employment period, include start/end month & year and note full-time or part-time (if part-time, include # of hours worked per week) otherwise, your application may be considered incomplete.
NOTE: In alignment with the Presidential Memorandum titled Merit Hiring Plan, dated May 29, 2025, applicants may only submit a resume limited to two (2) pages. Only the reΜsumeΜ uploaded under the 'Resume" document type in USAJOBS will be reviewed. If the resume submitted exceeds two (2) pages, the application will be deemed ineligible for further consideration.
STEP 2 - Complete the 1st part of the application process (USAJOBS). Once you have identified a job on USAJOBS that you wish to apply for, click on the job title and then click the Apply button. For questions about the vacancy, contact the Agency Contact at the bottom of the announcement.
Proceed through the steps noted at the top of the USAJOBS page.
You will be able to select a resume and documents from your USAJOBS Account that you can submit as a package as part of your DOL application. In the final step, once you have certified your application, click the Continue to agency site button. STEP 3 - Complete the 2nd part of the application process (DOL).
On the Department of Labor (DOL) page, create a DOL Account if you have not already and click Apply to this vacancy. Continue through the progress steps at the top of the DOL page. The 2nd progress step is where you answer the vacancy-specific questions.
The 3rd progress step Documents is where you submit the required documents (only if applicable to you) specified in the Required Documents section of this vacancy. STEP 4 - On the Review and Submit step, verify each section of your application is complete and correct. In order to submit your application, you must have a check mark next to each section listed.
If there is an X, return to the appropriate section and follow the prompts. When it is ready for submission, certify your application and click the Submit Application button. STEP 5 - Edit Application by returning to USAJOBS, clicking the vacancy then Update Application.
If the vacancy closes on the date the application limit is reached, applicants will no longer be able to edit their applications. 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 training a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside at least (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.NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.
For more detailed information on applying for positions with DOL click here to view the U.S. Department of Labor, How to Apply website.
Required Documents
The following documents must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the vacancy closing date.
Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements of time-in-grade (52 weeks at the next lower grade), time-after-competitive-appointment (90 days), and minimum qualifications (52 weeks equivalent to the next lower grade in federal service). These requirements must be met within 30 days of 04/16/2026, the announcement closing date. Please
Note: Your SF-50 must include enough information to be able to determine that time-in-grade requirements have been met and reflect your position title, pay plan/series/grade, tenure, and the type of appointment (i.e. competitive/excepted). In some cases, you may need to submit more than one SF-50. The following documents are required from all applicants (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY): STATUS FEDERAL EMPLOYEE: If applying as a status candidate with current or former Federal Service, please provide a copy of your last or most recent SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action which shows your appointment eligibility for the position for which you are applying.
Your SF-50 must identify the highest grade you held on a permanent basis, Pay Plan/Pay Schedule, Series, Grade/Pay Band, and career status. Multiple SF-50 may be submitted to demonstrate your highest previous rate and eligibility. *WARNING: An award SF-50 (ex. cash or time off award) may not indicate grade, step, and competitive status. For current DOL employees, an award SF-50 DOES NOT indicate grade and step.
Resumes are required - provide a resume either by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one from your computer and USAJOBS profile. To receive full consideration for relevant and specialized experience, please list the month, year, and the number of work hours worked for the experience listed on your resume. We also suggest that you preview the vacancy questions and confirm that your resume supports your question responses.
Most recent performance appraisal/evaluation signed and dated within 18 months is requested by the agency but will not disqualify candidates if not submitted. If not submitted during the application process, one may/will be requested at the time of the interview if the opportunity is extended. *In most cases, ICTAP/CTAP applicants must submit this document - please see ICTAP/CTAP links below for more details. The following documents are required if applicable: Displaced Employee Placement Documents - Only required if requesting priority consideration under Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) Eligibility.
Click/Review these ICTAP/CTAP links to confirm what must be submitted as proof that the requirement has been met. DD-214 - verifying military service, eligibility for consideration under the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA), and showing the character of discharge (ex. Member Copy 4 and 2 are acceptable vs.
Copy 1 which is not acceptable to adjudicate veteran's preference)
NOTE: The OFFICIAL Transcript(s) MUST BE RECEIVED, if you are selected, and prior to receiving the firm offer with a start date. Reference the Education Section for College Transcript and Evaluation of Foreign Education. Cover Letters are not mandatory and will not be used to verify experience but may be submitted.
Do not upload password-protected documents. Applicants selected for employment who are not current DOL employees will be required to provide proof of citizenship, and the E-Verify system will be used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. 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 or trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.